The Fourteen Hour Wife

Vintage Ad Browser

Being a wife in the 1890s equals scrubbing the floor, according to Gold Dust Washing Powder. That Eight Hour Man is no captain of industry, or else his Fourteen Hour Wife would have a fleet of housemaids and they’d have to do the scrubbing.

As for me, there’s no powder in the world – gold-dust-enhanced or not – that would save me any time. Never mind strength or patience. I don’t know how much money it’d save either, but as soon as I’d saved enough I’d be off in my time machine looking for a Swiffer to take back to 1895.

The wording of this also implies (to me anyway) that she’s only a wife for fourteen hours. As soon as she clocks off, she turns into the Ten Hour Floozy. Now that sounds like fun! I’d like to see an ad featuring her.

Trick Or Raisin

Life, October 16, 1964

Fewer tricks when you treat ‘em with Sun Maid Raisins, huh?

These children are probably not all that thrilled, not really. Like Junie B. Jones, they are thinking that they did not say “trick or fruit,”* did they? But they will pretend for the camera. They’ll come back and toilet paper the house later.

Having said that, the clown boy does look like he’s dropping the raisins back into the bowl. Doesn’t he? The tiger, too – he’s about to drop them back in, too. And the girl is only smiling because she decided to hang back and wait until they get to the next house, where there’s probably some candy corn, at least.

There’s a particularly funny bit in the sidebar, you can see it better here, where they are pushing raisins for the grownups, too. Set out some bowls of raisins, folks, because

Perhaps you’re having an adult-type party yourself!

What does that even mean, an “adult-type” party? If this adult-type person is going to have to keep answering the constant ding-donging of trick-or-treaters, I’ll need something more festive than Sun-Maid  to sustain me: a chocolate martini would be ideal, I think. Straight up, hold the raisins, please.

*This is my favorite line from the classic holiday tale Junie B. Jones, First Grader: Boo…And I MEAN IT!

The Belles of the Kitchen

“Belles of the Kitchen” (NYPL Digital Gallery)

The Belles of the Kitchen was a play written by Mrs. Field, the aunt of the Vokes Family of actors – three sisters, a brother and an adopted brother who toured to great acclaim in the 1870s and 1880s.

Rosina Vokes (1854-1894) grew up in London, the daughter of Frederick, a costumier, and Sarah Vokes. The entire Vokes family acted: Rosina and her siblings Frederick, Victoria and Jessie. They had all loved to sing and dance from an early age and were encouraged to go into acting. Mrs. Field took the four Vokes children to Plymouth and there they “were taught elocution and stage action.” Rosina was only four when she went to Plymouth.

Library of Congress

Mrs. Field had been a music teacher, and seems to have had many connections in the theatrical world. She arranged for the children to join a “pantomime troupe” and it was in this troupe that they became well known as the Vokes Family. But they wanted to act, not do pantomimes – so Mrs. Field wrote “The Belles of the Kitchen” for them to appear in.

“The Belles” was first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in 1870, and to great acclaim in New York in 1872. They returned to New York with the play two years later, too. When the Vokes Family appeared in Toronto,Canada, one critic described the sisters as “Victoria, demure and dignified; Jessie, elegant and aristocratic; Rosina, merry and mischievous…with a sprightliness and vivacity all her own.” Rosina returned to America in 1885 with her own troupe, also with great success. Sadly, she died aged 40 in 1894.

What was the play like? It was a musical comedy – with plenty of dancing involved. I suspect that it was a fairly typical vaudeville production, enlivened by the charm and talent of the Vokes sisters (and of the brothers’ dancing – one critic seemed mesmerized by their legs, for some reason). I wasn’t able to find a synopsis of the play. I’d also like to know more about Mrs. Field, the playwright, but she doesn’t tend to be credited with writing the play. If and when I do find out more, I’ll come back to this post and let you know.

Sources

“Amusements: Last Night’s Incidents,” New York Times, January 6, 1874 [Vokes Family in Belles, at Niblo's Theater]
“Music and the Drama,” The Canadian Monthly and National Review (Volume 10, 1876), p. 184.
Welch, Deshler. “Rosina Vokes’ Life,”  The Theatre (Volume 2, 1887)  p. 352.

Rosina Vokes at Answers.com

Sheet music from Belles of the Kitchen at the Library of Congress
Vokes family in the 1881 UK census (confirmed by Victoria Vokes’ birth record here)

Live La Dolce Caffe Vita with the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Nestle Dolce Gusto. All opinions are 100% mine.

I love coffee, no matter what. Even if my usual cup is full of instant, I am glad it is there. But once a week we go out for café lattes, and this is an amazing treat. Also expensive. Also full of the kind of caffeine that keeps me up all night, googly-eyed and cranky (such a great combination!). So we’ve been looking for a home coffee machine, my dear spouse and I. One that can make us special coffees, caffeine-calibrated and delicious. Ones that don’t get cold when you drive them home to drink on the back porch. Well, now I know just what I want. If you love coffeehouse coffee or cocoa on a cold crisp autumn day like today – or iced cappuccinos in the summer (I know I do) – I know just what we both need: the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto.

 

The NESCAFE Dolce Gusto is a one-cup coffee machine that makes everything from Caffe Lungo (espresso with twice as much water as a regular espresso) to Latte Macchiato (espresso with milk) to Mochas and Chococino (otherwise known as frothy, amazing hot chocolate). You use special capsules of 100% Arabica coffee and you can adjust the froth levels, temperature and strength of your drink. I would always go for maximum froth to make a lovely crema layer. The Dolce Gusto’s 15 bar pressure pump will create this with no trouble. The 15 bar pump is crucial because a regular coffee machine only has 1 or 2 bars of pressure. And the temperature can be as hot or icy as you like. It is the only coffee machine around that will make hot or iced drinks, so you can enjoy it all year round.

Wikipedia

Best of all, your coffee can be exactly as you like. This is perfect for me with regards to caffeine – as I said earlier, it affects me a lot. I would be able to enjoy fabulous lattes any time of day, yet still get to sleep at night. And I would want to try every coffee variant you can make with the Dolce Gusto, because I have only ever had lattes. What can I say, I find Starbucks et al very confusing. But I’d love to experiment at home and become a real expert.

The Dolce Gusto is sleek and modern looking, too – an asset to any kitchen counter. It comes in four designer colors: red, white, black and titanium (which is silvery). I’m thinking white or titanium would look best in our kitchen which is mostly white with wooden counters. I can dream, can’t I, as I slurp my instant and write this?

You can be your own professional barista with the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto. I know that I want to be. If you go check out some of the reviews at Divine.ca, you will see that I am not alone in this. So the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto is truly at the top of my wish list for the holiday season. And if I get one before Christmas, I promise to make Santa a nice big decaf cappuccino with a lovely Christmas tree drawn in the foam, and a homemade biscotti on the side. He won’t even have to leave a tip in my barista tip jar.

A Stunning Improvement

Sue: Come in, Jeannie, come right in! Let me take your – no, wait. Before I take your hat and coat – no, don’t sit down! I must show you my bathroom.

Jeannie: Actually I only came over to ask if I could possibly borrow a cup of sugar. I really need to get going to pick up little Jimmy at school and -

Sue: It’s right down the hall. Come on! You simply must see what I’ve done in here.

Jeannie: Err…oh, I really had rather not…

Sue: Don’t be silly, I’ve redecorated! Look! Green. Everything is green. I’ve even got a green dress on to celebrate, see?

Jeannie: Well, yes. It is green all right.

Sue: Tell me that isn’t a stunning improvement!

Jeannie: Oh, err…yes. It is! What a stunning improvement. Now I really must be -

Sue: See the rug, and the green wallpaper and the little green jars. And the toilet seat cover, look at that! It’s called a Pearl Seat, apparently.

Jeannie: Goodness me. Yes. Never mind about the sugar. I’ll – I’ll see you later.

Sue: I can’t stop peeking in. Oh – bye dear. If you run into anyone we know – just send them right over, all right?

[This 1947 ad is from the cornucopia of ephemeral wonder that is  LiveJournal Vintage Ads.]

Live La Dolce Caffe Vita With the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto

I love coffee, no matter what. Even if my usual cup is full of instant, I am glad it is there. But once a week we go out for café lattes, and this is an amazing treat. Also expensive. Also full of the kind of caffeine that keeps me up all night, googly-eyed and cranky (such a great combination!). So we’ve been looking for a home coffee machine, my dear spouse and I. One that can make us special coffees, caffeine-calibrated and delicious. Ones that don’t get cold when you drive them home to drink on the back porch. Well, now I know just what I want. If you love coffeehouse coffee or cocoa on a cold crisp autumn day like today – or iced cappuccinos in the summer (I know I do) – I know just what we both need: the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto.

Wikipedia

The NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto is a one-cup coffee machine that makes everything from Caffe Lungo (espresso with twice as much water as a regular espresso) to Latte Macchiato (espresso with milk) to Mochas and Chococino (otherwise known as frothy, amazing hot chocolate). You use special capsules of 100% Arabica coffee and you can adjust the froth levels, temperature and strength of your drink. I would always go for maximum froth to make a lovely crema layer. The Dolce Gusto’s 15 bar pressure pump will create this with no trouble. The 15 bar pump is crucial because a regular coffee machine only has 1 or 2 bars of pressure. And the temperature can be as hot or icy as you like. It is the only coffee machine around that will make hot or iced drinks, so you can enjoy it all year round.

Best of all, your coffee can be exactly as you like. This is perfect for me with regards to caffeine – as I said earlier, it affects me a lot. I would be able to enjoy fabulous lattes any time of day, yet still get to sleep at night. And I would want to try every coffee variant you can make with the Dolce Gusto, because I have only ever had lattes. What can I say, I find Starbucks et al very confusing. But I’d love to experiment at home and become a real expert.

The Dolce Gusto is sleek and modern looking, too – an asset to any kitchen counter. It comes in four designer colors: red, white, black and titanium (which is silvery). I’m thinking white or titanium would look best in our kitchen which is mostly white with wooden counters. I can dream, can’t I, as I slurp my instant and write this?

You can be your own professional barista with the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto. I know that I want to be. If you go check out some of the reviews at Divine.ca, you will see that I am not alone in this. So the NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto is truly at the top of my wish list for the holiday season. And if I get one before Christmas, I promise to make Santa a nice big decaf cappuccino with a lovely Christmas tree drawn in the foam, and a homemade biscotti on the side. He won’t even have to leave a tip in my barista tip jar.

Book Review: Discovering Words In the Kitchen

Discovering Words In the Kitchen
Julian Walker
Shire Books, 2010
96 pp.

I am known, in my family, for getting up from the table in the middle of dinner to go look up a word in the dictionary. Often it is the same Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology that my mother used to consult when she needed to look up a word we were using in conversation at dinner many years ago (so you can see where I got it from!). My family are kind and tolerant, and they like word history too, so they just smile when they hear me say “let me just look that up” and go off to the bookshelves in the next room.

Now, with Discovering Words in the Kitchen – a wonderful little culinary etymological dictionary – I can have my words and eat them (or rather, eat my dinner) too. Walker’s introduction is a concise and helpful history of dining in Britain through the ages. The rest of the book is divided into sections dealing with all manner of ingredients – fruits, vegetables, cereals and so on – as well as with a few common dishes such as the omelette. The omelette (to give you an example of the things you can learn from this book) is either a variation of the Old French oeufs mêlés (mixed eggs) or possibly  from the Medieval French alumette (from the Latin for “thin layer” or “sword blade”). Kitchen implements, cupboard ingredients and general cooking terms are also covered.

So now I keep Discovering Words in the Kitchen right in the kitchen and instead of simmering (originally simpering, but also possibly from the Germanic root sim meaning to hum) when I need to drop a bit of word history into the conversational soup (Old English soppe, something in which soppets or suppets – toasted bits of bread – were dunked) – I will be able to stay in my chair and refer to this informative and very enjoyable book. This will please everyone here at home except one of the cats, who feels that she ought to have a place at the table, and takes my seat every time I leave it.

Note: Shire Books was kind enough to send this book to me for free (as well as several other titles that I’ll be reviewing in the future) – but as always the opinions expressed are totally my own.