Join Me on Substack!

Due to simplifying and wanting to connect more with those who want to read these supplemental posts, I have moved my podcast episode posts over to Substack. Currently, I am not updating this blog. I do have the most recent season available, but all other seasons are only available on Substack. I will be keeping the blog for now and I'll see how things go in the coming future.

You can check my Substack out HERE and if you subscribe, then any time I put up a new post, you'll be notified in your email - something that was lacking here. I have been posting additional articles besides just the podcast episode posts, if that's something you're interested in as well.

Thank you for your understanding and I hope to see you there! 

Episode 30 - Look What the Stork Dropped In

 

Welcome to the supplemental material for Episode 30 discussing babies in wartime and all the shortages that affected their young lives from safety pins and diapers to food and formula.

One of the things discussed was babies in wartime propaganda and commercial/political art. Here are some great images that I found in my research:

National Archives (see Resources below)

National Archives (see Resources below)

National Archives (see Resources below)

National Archives (see Resources below)

Read Magazine, Jan 1945

I didn't have time to discuss it in the episode, but this great cartoon illustrates the huge childcare problem women faced during WWII. The government expected more women to enter the workforce, but it would be some time before enough childcare to meet the ever present need would follow. 

National Archives (see Resources below)

National Archives (see Resources below)

So many shortages!

Life Magazine, 15 Feb 1943

One of the most concerning shortages: health care. Women were encouraged to learn home nursing to take care of their own children and basic community needs. 

National Archives (see Resources below)

Farm Journal & Farmer's Wife magazine, March 1942

National Archives (see Resources below)

The following are some great baby ads I came across in my collections while doing research:

McCall's, March 1942

Ladies Home Journal, Nov 1944

Ladies Home Journal, Nov 1944

Cookbook Feature: The Prenatal Diet, date unknown (but the inside has a patriotic theme characteristic of wartime booklets like this.)

Featured recipe: Scalloped Noodles and Stuffed Eggs

RESOURCES

Websites:

Who Took Care of Rosie the Riveter’s Kids?

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/daycare-world-war-rosie-riveter/415650/

Child Care: The Federal Role During World War II

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS20615/9

Cradle-Roll-Bond

https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/ww2/Documents/services-save5.pdf

https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/ww2/Pages/services-bonds.aspx

Black History Month: A Medical Perspective: Hospitals

The Black Hospital Movement (1865 - 1960's)

https://guides.mclibrary.duke.edu/blackhistorymonth/hospitals

Segregation in United States Healthcare: From Reconstruction to Deluxe Jim Crow by Kerri L. Hunkele (This is a really fascinating paper with important findings!)

https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1189&context=honors

National Archives Images: 

To Expectant Mothers: A Good Diet Will Supply Your Needs And Your Baby’s, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515835

How to Care For Your Child While You Are at Work, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/514543

For Baby’s Future, Buy War Bonds, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/514280

For Baby’s Future, Buy War Bonds, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/514279

To Have and To Hold - Buy War Bonds, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515836

Learn to Guard the Home Front, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515521

Amusing the Baby, 1942-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183507596

What D’Ya Mean - Ya Ain’t Gonna Buy No Bonds?, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/513568

Keep These Hands Off! Buy the New Victory Bonds, 1941-1945

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/513550

Magazines:

Farm Journal & Farmer's Wife, March 1942

Ladies Home Journal, November 1944

Life, 15 February 1943

McCall's, March 1942

Read, January 1945

Newspapers used in research accessed via Newspapers.com

Episode 29 - A Wartime Thanksgiving

"Freedom From Want"
by Norman Rockwell
6 March 1943

Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to the supplemental material for the special holiday Thanksgiving episode! In this episode I talk about wartime attitudes surrounding the holiday, the turkey and cranberry sauce. 

The general attitudes around Thanksgiving in wartime were patriotic in nature, though some were serious with thoughts of all those who were going without around the world. Gratitude for freedoms and democracy were very common sentiments in newspapers and magazines.

Buying a live turkey was the cheapest option for families wanting the traditional bird for their Thanksgiving table! Toms and hens were different prices.

If turkey was out of reach price-wise or they were hard to get, some Americans went the game fowl route - duck, goose, or guinea hen. Even venison was an option.

"From a proud line our bird comes - from the hills of old Vermont..."
This article in the November 1944 Ladies Home Journal gives a nod to the popular obsession with New England traditions and culture prevalent in the 1940s. 

There were so many things you could do with the iconic cranberry jelly log 
as illustrated here in the 1941 book Cape Cod's Famous Cranberry Recipes.

I mention these cranberry sauce cutters offered by Ocean Spray.
They fit perfectly onto a sliced off round from the jelly log. 

The Thanksgiving entry for "Mrs. X"
November 22, 1945

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
from The Lily Wallace New American Cook Book, 1945

 RESOURCES

Newspapers:

“We’ll Share Thanksgiving”. Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 22 Nov. 1942. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-11-22/ed-1/seq-84/

Images:

“Freedom From Want” painting by Norman Rockwell, 6 March 1943.

Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Domestic Operations Branch. Bureau of Special Services. (03/09/1943 - 09/15/1945)

https://www.nrm.org/2016/11/freedom-want-1943/

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%22Freedom_From_Want%22_-_NARA_-_513539.jpg

Articles:

This man made the first canned cranberry sauce

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/this-man-made-the-first-canned-cranberry-sauce-180947862/

Newspapers: (via newspapers.com)

Evening Star, Washington D.C. 22 Nov 1942.

The Whittier News, CA. 24 Nov 1943.

The Columbus Ledger, GA. 22 Nov 1942.

The Burlington Free Press, VT. 24 Nov 1942.

The Bangor Daily News, ME. 24 Nov 1942.

The Bangor Daily News, ME. 26 Nov 1942.

Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph, PA. 11 Nov 1943.

St. Albans Daily Messenger, VT. 24 Nov 1943.

Democrat and Chronicle, NY. 21 Nov 1942.

The Detroit Evening Times, MI. 11 Aug 1943.

Episode 28: The First Lick Goes to Uncle Sam!

 

Soda Jerk Passes Ice Cream Between Two Soda Fountains,
19 Dec 1936. Alan Fisher, photographer

Welcome to the supplemental post for Episode 28 all about soda fountains during WWII! I talked all about the obsession Americans had with ice cream and how that turned into pains for running a soda fountain in wartime. For the recipes, I tried some patriotic ice cream sundae concoctions which were all so delicious!

Two women at a drug store enjoying ice cream sodas, 1940.

Go to this Atlas Obscura article HERE to see what I believe is the original photo inspiration behind the piece of art in the following Coke ad!

From the National Geographic Magazine, February 1944

From Collier’s Magazine, 12 May 1945

I love this image from a Dixie cup ad emphasizing the importance of hygiene and reducing germs in places like soda fountains by using disposable cups. They talk about how this was especially important in towns located near military bases to keep sickness of troops to a minimum. 

Dixie Cup ad
Life Magazine, 28 July 1941

I was able to source a couple original wartime-era soda fountain menus. I love seeing the crossed-out prices and references to the war. See if you can spot them!

The Cookbook Feature: Soda Fountain and Luncheonette Management by J. O. Dahl, 1945.

And then I tried several varieties of patriotic ice cream sundaes. Here are the various directions for making them and images of the ones I actually tried!

Black-Out Sundae

1) Sealtest version 1: Double mound of Sealtest Butter Scotch Royale ice cream, "blacked out" under thick fudge topping, smothered with shredded coconut.

One of Sealtest's versions of "Black-Out Sundae"

2) Sealtest version 2: Vanilla ice cream, a few generous dashes of chocolate syrup, a sprinkling of crunchy peanuts, and a topping of whipped cream. 

Another delicious Sealtest version of "Black-Out Sundae"

3) Frechtling's Sealtest version: Vanilla ice cream covered with a generous portion of chocolate syrup, marshmallow topping, and whole peanuts. 

4) Sminole-Maid version: Vanilla ice cream "blacked-out" under thick fudge topping.

5) Hinze's Black-Out Sundae: Chocolate ice cream entirely "blacked-out" under a taste-tempting fudge topping, topped with fresh pecans. 

General Douglas MacArthur Sundae

1) Vanilla ice cream, blueberry and strawberry sauce, toasted coconut, and whipped cream, and a small American flag

2) 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, a scoop of strawberry ice cream, topped with blueberry, fresh strawberry, crushed pineapple, smothered in whipped cream, fresh roasted pecans, nabiscoes, and a whole sweet cherry. 

I combined the two versions of the MacArthur Sundae
to make this glorious creation! (note the 48-star toothpick flag I made myself!)

"Hitler"/"Dead Hitler" Sundae

The only description I could find was that is was "half nuts"... Get it? lol

I made my version with repeating layers of hot fudge, peanuts and ice cream all the way up the glass. It literally was half nuts by the end! As I mention in the podcast, this satirical sundae is a good example of the 1940s sense of humor and how they dealt with political stress of the time. The name still makes me uncomfortable, even understanding this, and I just wanted to be clear about that!

Hitler Sundae
A horrible name for a delicious sundae

Miscellaneous - sundaes with possible wartime ties

1) Hawaiian Sundae - 2 dips strawberry ice cream, fresh crushed strawberries, bananas, topped with whipped cream and a charm doll (or ice cream served with fresh wedges of pineapple)

2) Russian Mint Sundae (no description could be found for what was in it)

As a bonus, I made this Root Beer Milk creation with 2% milk and root beer syrup. I just added root beer syrup to taste. It was quite delicious and could serve as a nice replacement for chocolate milk in a pinch!

Root Beer Milk

RESOURCES

Websites:

Rationing in WWII: How Some Restaurants Survived

https://yesterdaysamerica.com/rationing-in-wwii-how-some-restaurants-survived/

The Chop Suey Sundae Isn’t What You Think It Is

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/chop-suey-sundae

Tales from the Life of a Bronx Soda Jerk

https://forward.com/culture/454091/stretch-one-and-paint-it-red-tales-from-the-life-of-a-bronx-soda-jerk/

Sugar Allies: How Hershey and Coca-Cola Used Government Contracts and Sugar Exceptions to Elude Sugar Rationing Regulations

https://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/235/umi-umd-1341.pdf?sequence=1

U.S. Food Trends Analyzed: Peanuts, Dried Milk,& Ice Cream (check out the section on WWII)

https://qz.com/1470176/peanuts-ice-cream-and-chickpeas-us-food-trends-charted/

The Secret History of Food: How Ice Cream Became the Ultimate American Comfort Food

https://www.eater.com/22639428/the-secret-history-of-food-excerpt-ice-cream-history

Why the U.S. Navy Once Had a Concrete Ice Cream Barge

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-did-navy-sailors-eat

Images:

Washington, D.C. Girl sitting alone in the Sea Grill, a bar and restaurant waiting for a pickup. "I come in here pretty often, sometimes alone, mostly with another girl, we drink beer, and talk, and of course we keep our eyes open--you'd be surprised at how often nice, lonesome soldiers ask Sue, the waitress, to introduce them to us" April 1943.

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017848653/

Soda Jerk Passes Ice Cream Between Two Soda Fountains, 19 Dec 1936. Alan Fisher, photographer

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/95506536/

Books/Magazines:

Historical Studies of Wartime Problems

https://books.google.com/books?id=VVVGAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA4-PA3&dq=Soda+fountain&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizs5HW1ZT5AhUVATQIHUD6DCIQ6AF6BAgGEAM%23v%3Donepage&q=Soda+fountain&f=false#v=snippet&q=Soda%20fountain&f=false

Wartime Dealer-Aid Programs: Manufacturers’ Programs to Maintain Retail Outlets, Charles H. Sevin. U.S. Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. January 1944. 

https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=895KKv8nalsC&pg=GBS.PP1&printsec=frontcover

or

https://books.google.com/books?id=895KKv8nalsC&pg=PP5&dq=1944+wartime+dealer-aid+program&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwirlsnl1pT5AhWGHjQIHaJoCdIQ6wF6BAgIEAU%23v%3Donepage&q=Soda+fountain&f=false#v=onepage&q&f=false

The Carolina Journal of Pharmacy, published by the North Carolina Pharmaceutical Association, 1943.

Counter Freezer News, October 1944.

Life Magazine, 16 Aug 1943

Life Magazine, 28 July 1941

Life Magazine, 20 Nov 1944

National Geographic Magazine, February 1944

Collier’s Magazine, 12 May 1945

Episode 27 - Dinner in the Diner

Dining Car
Teacher's Kit - Railroad Transportation (date unknown)
(from the kit I inherited from my Great-Grandpa Glenn Hazelrigg)

 

Episode 27 was all about wartime rationing aboard dining cars in WWII. We uncovered some really interesting details! Enjoy these supplemental images along with some great railroad-themed propaganda from the National Archives. You can find the recipe for Military Chocolate Ice Cream at the end of this post!

National Archives - citation below

National Archives - citation below

National Archives - citation below

National Archives - citation below

National Archives - citation below

National Archives - citation below

postcard of
Dining Car on Southern Pacific's "Shasta Daylight"

Southern Pacific wartime pamphlet

Dining car kitchen with three cooks hard at work.
From my great-grandpa's teacher's educational kit

Dining Car Kitchen
From my great-grandpa's City of Los Angeles booklet

National Archives - citation below

B&O Dining Car wartime menu

Southern Pacific wartime dining car menu

Below are two more wartime menus: one for Union Pacific and one for Pennsylvania Railroad

 

The Cookbook Feature was: Military Meals at Home Cook Book: 250 Recipes adapted for Home use from Recipes used by the Armed Forces edited by Ruth Berolzeimer and published by the Culinary Arts Institute, 1943. 

I made the Chocolate Ice Cream. I mentioned in the podcast that I made it using the method of melted chocolate, but it had been awhile since I made it. In hind sight I remembered that I actually used cocoa powder. If you opt for cocoa powder, I would mix it in at the beginning with the flour and sugar.   

RESOURCES

Websites:

Dinner in the Diner During the Golden Age of Rail Travel

https://www.iwfs.org/americas/wine-food---friends-1/articles/dinner-in-the-diner-during-the-golden-age-of-rail-travel

Excerpts from the Passenger Train (1940)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRf8zJh-GoU&t=4s

"Southern Pacific's first African-American dining car steward: Metro Disposal Inc. honors Mr. Charles Johnson.." The Free Library. 2013 IMDiversity, Inc. 12 Jul. 2022 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Southern+Pacific%27s+first+African-American+dining+car+steward%3a+Metro...-a0329607748

Uniformed dining car waiters on the Empire Builder, February 1947

https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/id/6683/

Riding and Working on the Railroad

https://americanhistory.si.edu/america-on-the-move/lives-railroad

Pullman Museum Searchable Catalog

http://www.pullman-museum.org/catalog/

A History of Railroad Dining Cars (video) from the North Carolina Transportation Museum

https://youtu.be/d2c83p0I_eo

Dining Cars Come Back, 1945 (British Pathé film - it’s got some great footage of their kitchen!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--hTdS0G-aQ

Preparing Dinner in the Dining Car

http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/cooking.Html

Troop Kitchen Cars - Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Alabama

https://www.hodrrm.org/body.cfm?id=69

C&EI Troop Kitchen Car - Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum - Indiana

http://www.hoosiervalley.org/roster/passenger-cars/troop-kitchen-car/

Books:

Dining by Rail: The History and Recipes of America's Golden Age of Railroad Cuisine

by James D. Porterfield

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2204620.Dining_by_Rail

Dining on the B&O : recipes and sidelights from a bygone age by Thomas J. Greco

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6545451-dining-on-the-b-o

Food on the Rails: The Golden Era of Railroad Dining by Jeri Quinzio

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21865272-food-on-the-rails

Military Meals at Home Cook Book. Edited by Ruth Berolzeimer. Published by the Culinary Arts Institute, 1943.

City of Los Angeles booklet published courtesy of the Women's Travel Department, Union Pacific, date unknown. (approx. 1930s)

Teacher's Kit: Railroad Transportation, from the Eastern Railroad Presidents Conference Committee on Public Relations, date unknown. (approx. early 1940s) 

Images:

Uniformed dining car waiters on the Empire Builder, February 1947

https://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/digital/collection/imlsmohai/id/6683/

Pinterest Board: Railroad Dining Car Waiters - there are some interesting images there, however, as is the nature of Pinterest, it’s hard to trace back where the images were grabbed from. It’s a good start for some research though!

https://www.pinterest.com/dr1b/railroad-dining-car-waiters/

We Have No Time to Lose - National Archives at College Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:We_have_no_time_to_lose%5E_%22Keep_%60em_rolling.%22_The_railroads_are_the_backbone_of_offense._-_NARA_-_535163.jpg

On the Job

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515113

"Life-lines to victory! Keep'em rolling - The railroad are the backbone of offense"

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/514895

Railroads Are Ready

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515273

United for Victory

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515898

Stop Pleasure Travel

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515498

Right Behind Him

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515312

Don’t Waste Transportation

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/514182

War Traffic Must Come First

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/513506