OK, no one like when someone just posts a link and says Whasup? But then again, its NPR, not my blog. At any rate, this typical “Why is USA Thanksgiving today?” article has a pretty far out image of FDR carving … a turkey, I’m pretty sure, on account of the drumsticks in the back. And they went for the “Little Shop of Horrors”, a few decades early, as a garnish motif. But … what is itsstuffed with? Cream cheese or what? What colors could have been there in that B&W photo. I know about some of the more eclectic (for modern sensibilities) jello molds that were popular back in the '50’s. But I’d really like to know more about what’s going on here.
Those weird constructs on the side, look like they are teeth, and make the whole thing look like he is carving some multi-headed Lovecraftian horror for dinner.
I don’t know what it is, but it clearly isn’t an actual turkey. It’s triangular in cross-section and has visible layers, for Pete’s sake! It’s either a cake or some molded dish as the OP touched upon.
Good lord! I had no idea they were so ascetic in their tastes. Good article. I had to laugh at Ernest Hemmingway’s description of a meal he had there in 1937:
Read garygnu:'s link, and then Google for the White House chef’s name – Sheila Hibben. She wasn’t a chef, she over cooked and otherwise ruined food. However, even though FDR and Eleanor were wealthy, they had to pretend not to be for the benefit of a Nation still in the Depression and gearing up for war. In a White House kitchen that, shockingly wasn’t state of the art for the day and the needs of the people in the building. These are all concepts that I didn’t even suspect and just learned today.
If that was a cake in the shape of a turkey, then a friend likely brought it, because complex things like that weren’t in Hibben’s repertoire. Though now I’m leaning towards a turkey with the dressing just mushed up against the neck cavity.
[EDIT]
Googling her name will lead to some more charitable articles. There were reasons for the enforced asceticism, and limitations to the White House kitchen.
They were eating with children recovering from polio the day after Thanksgiving (which I read in the article). I seriously doubt it was a fancy richie-Rich feast.
I’m guessing it’s stuffing garnished with parsley around the edges with a carved tomato in the middle to cover the neck flap which was probably considered gauche (the gaping maw) at the time. It’s clearly a turkey in this pic. The breast is small because modern turkeys are breed over decades to have oversized breasts.
I note that the caption mentions the photo op being related to polio victims. Maybe it’s what everyone thought the polio virus looked like at the time…
Yes, it was - poor FDR. I knew of how dissatisfied he was with White House cuisine, but still don’t understand why he didn’t either insist the terrible cook be fired, or have “guest chefs” come in on a very regular basis “to give Mrs. Nesbitt a respite.”
I don’t think it’s stuffing. I think its some kind of ribbon or paper decoration stuck on the end of the turkey to replace its head (the angle in both pictures is dead on, so it’s hard to tell what the profile would be, but there’s a pointy thing in the middle that could represent the beak).
If it’s an artificial decoration, I’d assume the colors to be red, white, and blue.
On the other hand, it could be some kind of molded food presentation made of, e.g., gelatin, mashed potatoes, or pâté. Looks like some sort of fruit might be involved too, maybe cranberries.
If the stuffing isn’t bread, it’s probably oyster or chestnut, both of which are yummy! :o
