I have a fetish for vintage cookbooks. There I said it. Do I have your attention?
Every time I go into a used book store or into the book store at the library I have to go to the cooking section and look at the vintage cookbooks. I can’t help myself. They are so interesting to me. I have to see them and very often I will come home with an addition to my collection.
“Now wait a second” you might be saying to yourself. “Isn’t a vintage cookbooks fetish, well, uh, kind of weird?”
Let’s define fetish first of all. I will let my dear friend Little Woo do that for us from her “Follow Your Fetish” series.
She wrote:
“I don’t use the word “fetish” as its usual dictionary definition (where it refers to an object that is perceived to have supernatural powers).
Nor do I associate it with its colloquial use (where it refers to an object or situation of sexual interest).
For me, a fetish is anything we have a compelling curiosity about or something we have a penchant for. It can be anything (epic or mundane): mermaids, 18th century art, special fx makeup, stage hypnosis, languages, solar energy, stiltwalking, gypsy music…
Regardless of how it may be used in society, one common thing most people feel is that a “fetish” is merely an insignificant or trivial interest – regarded as a distraction rather than a clue towards our life purpose.
Yet following our fetishes can be very helpful in revealing our innate constitutions. It often does lead us to our bliss! It may not be a direct path because of all its twists and turns, but it is usually a magical one filled with meaningful surprises…”
So I am going with that definition. “anything we have a compelling curiosity about” more or less.
So what is it about vintage cookbooks? Here is one of mine from 1960
It looks so… vintage. Look at the pictures on the right. The housewife is there making up the dessert for the family. She even goes outside to pick some apples with the children.
There is just something about the artwork that makes it look so… classic.
How about that? The pictures are in full color!
Here is another one. Take a look at the picture and see if you notice what is missing from the picture.
Did you notice there are no ‘modern’ appliances? No microwave. No pimped out KitchenAid mixer or coffee maker. No cell phone. Just the girl whipping up some pasta for some lucky hungry people.
But still the question remains- What is it about vintage cookbooks that make me smile? Maybe it is the artwork. Maybe it is the nostalgia for a better simpler time before microwaves and cell phones. Maybe it is a longing for my earliest of memories and the comfort of those days when I had not a care in the world except if Grand Ma was going to have home made ice cream with the apple pie she just made.
Oh those were the days. All I have of them is memories and my vintage cookbooks. And those always make me smile.
What about you? What is your fetish? Let me know in the comments below. Would love to hear from you.
Be sure to dive into the Realm of Little Woo at her website here.
.