Red Wing, Minnesota is famous for having produced some rather hideous pottery. The old pottery factory closed in the 1960’s and the building was converted into a shopping / outlet mall.
The upper floors are now home to various antique dealers and today, feeling a little forlorn and uninspired in the kitchen, I decide to step outside for some fresh air. I wound up at the Pottery Place and stumbled across a new antique shop, with a sign that said “100’s of Cookbooks”. I thought it was just a sign, but I turned the corner and sure enough, there were hundreds of cookbooks—everything from an early edition of The Joy of Cooking to Barry Sear’s Zone Perfect Recipes.
It was what I needed, just to plunk myself down on the floor of an antique shop and start browsing. There were so many ridiculous cookbooks--No-Fat, Lo-Fat, So-Fat--actually, tons of low-fat no-fat cookbooks, in general. As far as I’m concerned an antique store is where they belong.
Having experienced my recent pheasant disaster and capon semi-success, I pounced on a book called Hot Birds and Cold Bottles by Edith Fink, copyright 1972. It’s a handsome 300-page-book I intend to tote around for the next few days—while the duckling in my fridge thaws and I try to figure out where to find some quail, squab, spatchcock and guinea hens. I may have to take up game hunting just to support my habit.
I also came across a 1947 edition of The Cook is in the Parlor. Old-fashioned manuals of housewifery are usually a source of much merriment, and I couldn’t resist this one because one of the chapters began with the sentence “When I began my career as a wife. . .” A quick glance through the books with all its aspics and sweetbreads doesn’t look like it will produce anything useful to me—except for the few intriguing dishes cooked in an earthenware casserole. Tienda.com sells earthenware casseroles and now may be the time to get one.
9:30:48 PM 
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