A long long time ago in a galaxy far away… wait, let’s just say long ago. Long ago, air travelers enjoyed what could be called the “golden age” of air travel. Meals prepared by chefs, printed menus and even post cards your stewardess would mail. I even love the wording they use “Served aloft aboard the mainliner”.
Where did honey roasted peanuts come into the picture? Everyone wanting the low-fare air travel and the decline of US rail travel. I think this is what the airlines had to compete with, the types of meals served on passenger rail lines in the early days. Sadly those rail lines are gone here in the USA.
I think Europeans still enjoy a nice rail system with decent food available but I doubt they get menus printed for Saint Valentine’s Day. Those those days are truly lost. I am spending this week reflecting on a bit of food history from our more recent past.
We found this menu / postcard in an old book. It’s really kind of funny. A couple years ago we took a short road trip up to Buffalo to check out this Thai restaurant. ( Note: We had already been to the famous Anchor Bar, the birthplace of the ubiquitous “Buffalo Wings”.) So, when we finished eating we noticed a second hand book store across the street. My daughter is a voracious reader and she wanted a copy of Dr. Zhivago, which was published around 1957. When we arrived home and flipped through the book this menu was inside. What a really cool piece of history! I hope you enjoy.
I am glad someone decided to use this for a bookmark and not hand it to the stewardess to be mailed. Can you image handing a letter to an airline employee today and asking them to mail it? They would probably notify the air marshal and have me hauled off to jail.
This is such a great post! I love the old menu/Valentine’s day card and oh how I wish it was still this nice to fly 🙂
Thanks Karrie.
Yes, I wish it was still this nice to fly. 🙂