The auctioneer was being decidedly honest. He didn’t expect the collection of condensed milk containers – however lovely – would sell well or at all. Not a single one had attracted a bid on the…
Category: food
Freda DeKnight’s Ebony cookbook embraced black chefs, cooks & caterers
Posted in Black history, Books, Cooking, and food
Louis Armstrong loved ham hocks and red beans: “Have you ever tried ham hocks and red beans? Old man, season them well! Add the right spices at the right time, and man, you have a…
I was digging around in a box lot of disparate items at auction when I spotted some small wooden blocks. I brushed aside red heart-shaped nesting boxes, a new Rolfs man’s wallet, a Gillette razor and a Tissot…
I took a photo of the faded red door propped against a table at the auction house because I thought the name painted on it was both amusing and a bit repulsive. ‘Road Kill Café.’ Never would…
The receipts looked like nothing more than fountain-pen scribbles on a sheet. Looking closer, though, I could read the names of some of the products that were sold by this wholesaler in 1900. I love…
I’m used to seeing stuffed and mounted animals at auction, even an elephant foot made into a cigarette stand. But to my surprise, I recently stumbled upon a stuffed and mounted wild turkey. The full-sized creature seemed…
I was perusing the gourmet food section of a Marshalls store recently when I came upon a product straight from my childhood. Pork fat. When I was growing up in Georgia, it was called lard,…
Ashtrays bespeak a different era for Howard Johnson’s
Posted in Black history, civil rights movement, collectibles, and food
I don’t have any young memories of eating a vanilla ice cream cone from the 28 flavors at Howard Johnson’s. My family could never afford to eat there or drop by for a bite on travels…
The mottled and dirty metal box was shut when I approached it at the auction house, but I noticed the words “Fragile” and “Eggs” on the soiled lid. The top also held an address label and two…