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NF@DSTNRY The Journal of the Culinary Historiansof New york Volume1 . Fall20t2 Eating BigApple: Foodways {e andmetropolitan the 19th cenrury.This interplay occurred growh in lgth-.entory New york Citv in severalareas; this article will examine threeof them. First, as the city grew By Cindy R. Lobel geographicallyand demographicaliyin the 6rst half of the cenrury,it became "EvrnyrrrrNc rs DONE DTFFERINTLy lN becamea food city when it becamea a commuter city. A new inseitution_ NEw Yom FRoM ANywHnnr _ ntsn but metropolis. the restaurant- helpedmake commut- in eating the difference is more Indeed, striking foodwaysplayed an important ing more feasibleand conmibutedto than in any other branch of human role in econ- shapingmeropolitan growrh in the continuedpace of the workday in omy," opined New York journalist Gotham'scommercial disrricrs. GeorgeFoster.r This assessment Second,ethnic groceries,restau- couid easiiy apply york to New rantsand otherfood businesses City today,with its rich and playeda cenrrairole in immi- diverseculture offood and eatins. grant neighborhoodsand the And yet Fosrer jn wrore not 20I"2, shapingo[the erhnicciry, as but in 1849, when york New was New York solidified irs role as just developing its imageas a food an immigrant entrepor.More- city. Gotham's role asa gasrro- over, immigrant food shopsand nomiccapiral hasbecome a rruism, resraurantsboth contributed to somuch so that it is easyto imag_ and signified Gorham'sgrowing ine that New York was born with a cosmopolitanismas ir became Zagat goide and a greengroceron not only the largestbut the york's evely corner.Yet New fclod most diverseand global city in culturehas a historyjust asirs the United States.Finallv. growth into a merropolishas a his- New York's.rn.rg.n." u, th" tory. In facr, the two deveiopments nation'scommercial, financial "oysterstands inFulton Ma*et,,, awooU .ngriuing byA. iE;1;;lffi;;in areinextricably linked; New york Harpels Weeklyin 0ctober1870. continued on poge eight s Prohibition in the liquor cenrerof America By Andreu, F. Smith bition would becomethe law of the land, i liN,sS!DE but the movementto abolishalcohol in Ir ves yonx sNowrNGrN Nrw oN Americahad beengaining supporr Anne Mendelsonon 16, r9zo, JaNuanv but a largecrowcl throughout the nation sincerhe late lgrh ThomasDe Voe and New Yorkt congregated outsideGold's iiquor store cenrury.Five srareshad adopredprohibi- publicmarkers .... ......... 3 on Broadwayand 42ndScreet. It stocked tion legislationbefore 1900, ashad manv the bestbrandies, vintage SusanYager inrerviews winesand countiesand cities.In 1907,Georgia spirits in author Marion Nesde on Manhattan- somesaid the best becamethe firsr srateco .nu., .o-pl.," in the world. countingcalories.... ...;..'....+ Gold had removedall of his prohibirion,and fiveother scates did inventory ' and placedit in wicker baskets likewiseduring the following "iiii cwoyears. Arno Schmidt, longtime on the srreer- all botrleswere sold for Cities and countiesin york 'Waldorfchef, upstareNew lookiback g1 apiece.lAll overthe ciry yorkers on his New supporredprohibirion, buc New york lifeinfood weredrinking, and ...........6 the city's barsand City wasstrongly opposed.Liquor wasan saloonswere filled to capacity.At mid_ important business .,:i in the ciry; an lg97 IreneSax on Lunch at the Library... l0 night, toastswere raisedas the provisions surveyof Manhattanfound a ratio of one of the VolsreadAct wenr inro eifecr;rhe liquor distriburor ro every208 residents.2 Members'Books in 201Z. .. ..,,,1i"'17 manufacture,sale and importation of Saloonswere also an important baseof alcoholic beverages becameilleqal suppoft for Thmmany Hall's political Betty Fussellon the Frying pan - throughour the Unired Srates. machinethat had controlledcity govern_ where the river meetstiie io.L . 19 Few New Yorkers prol-ri_ ever thought ment from 1854. continued on poge twelve sr CathyKaufman,Chair A letter from the CHNY Chair Holley Atkinson, Vice Chair Catby Kauftnan Laura Hampton, Secretary Diane Klages,Treasurer \ [ /elcome to the inaugural issueof NYFoodStory,TheJournal of the Culinary Histtrians Carolyn Vaughan,Programming Y Y of Neu,York.L)nder the marvelousguidance of Editor-in-ChiefJoy Santloferand Donna Gelb, Public Relations Managing Editor Katen Berman,NYFoodStory will be publishedannually and will Linda Pelaccio,At-Large investigateissues in cuiinary cuiture especiallyrelevant to New York. The goal of NYFoodSto?j/(pronounced to rhyme with the secondsyllable in "history") Editor in Chief,JoySandofer is to make a unique, focusedand significantcoouibution to culinary history and food ManagingEditor, Karen Berman studies,with New York asits template.New York overflowswith thoughtful scholars, Culinary Historiansof New York borh independentand with institutional affiliations,some of the country'sleading culinary (CHNY) wasfounded in 1985 to schools,two extraordinaryculinary collections at major libraries,as weli asthe country's, stimulareand shareknowledge of if not rhe world's,liveliest restaurantand market scene.A New York-centricpublication the waysfood hasaffected humans is long overdueand, we anticipate,wili be welcomedby all f<rlkswho think deeply (and humans,food) sinceearliest about food, its history and culture. Although the annualNYFoodStory now replacesthe semiannualCHNY Newsletter, times. I warmly thank Helen Brody,its indefatigableeditor, for yearsof diligent serviceand for Membersof CHNY include chefs, laying the foundation for the level of scholarshipthat CHNY membershave come expect cooking teachers,historians, anthro- in our publications.I will miss the pleasureof working with Helen, whosejudgment pologists,food writers, food editors, and discerningeye made every newsletter a substantiveand visual delight, but we arein food stylists,researchers, librarians, excellenthands with Joy and Karen. For thoseof you who will miss the semiannual caterers,collectors, nutritionists and Newsletteqincluding its woefully but unavoidablydated Membet News section,please individuals who enjoy learning about take advantageof our monchly Member News E-blasts.There you can learnabout a cooking and eating good food. broadrange ofactivities, events and generalgoings-on, in closeto realtime, and toot your own horn! Pleaseshare your news,whether it be a speakingengagement, publication, SunurssroNs blog launch,award, trip, or personalmilestone such as a birth, marriage,graduation or NY Foodsoryaccepts proposals anything else,to nurture a vibrant, connectedCHNY community. for articleson the culinary histoty Enough about the future and on to CHNY's accomplishmentsof the past year: of New York. Sendproposals of CHNY washonored by the Julia Chiid Foundationfor Gastronomyand the Culinary no more than 100 words to Arts with an extraordinarilygenerous award in supportof the CHNY Scholar'sGrant, Editor-in-ChiefJoy Santloferat allowing us to awarda total of $5,000 in researchfunds. We had a record23 applica- j [email protected] by 30 On poge seven s November15, 2012. Vrsrt us A letter from the Editor wwu'.culinaryhistoriansny.org Joy Santktfer Fotlow us On Facebook: wirh premierissue. f he CHNY publicarionhas sharpened its focus.Beginning rhis www.facebook.com/ I NY FuodStoU,,The Journal of the Culinary Historianso.f Neu, York, wiII deal exclusiveiy CulinaryHistNY with the history of food in New York Cicy - and what a rich and fascinatingsub ject it is. \7hile peoplein evetytown, region,or country think their food is special- and On Twitter: New Yorkersare no exception- our city hasa long, plentiful and variedculinary past. @CulinaryHistNY It hasbeen evolving for hundredsofyears with shifting trendsin restaurants,changing JorN us dining etiquette,cutring-edge shops and innovativefoods, not to mention its multitude For information on membership, of ever-changingethnic markets. visit wwqr culinaryhistoriansny.org/ In rhis issue,Cindy Lobel'sfascinating article toucheson severalofthose points asshe join.html exploreshow changing 1lth-century foodwayscontributed New York'srise as the world's commercialcenter and an "empireof gasronomy."New Yorkershave continually tWnlrE ro us adapredtheir eatingpatterns to accommodatetheir changinglifestyles, and shebeauti- Culinary Historiansof New York fully illustrates how the city's geographicgrowth affectedthe way people shoppedfor P.O.Box 3289 food, creatednew eatingplaces so that "commuters"in the largercity could work harder NewYork, NY 10163 and longerand the waysdiverse new communitiesadded variety to this mix, all setting the stagefor the cosmopolitan restaurantscene we now take for granted. New Yorkers haveoften had unique ways of dealing with challenging situations and @ 2012 CulinoryHistorions of New York,Inc. Andrew Smith'sabsorbing piece describes how the city'sdrinkers changed tireir habits Inc.,in the collectivework. Copyrightin the during Prohibition.This metropolishas long beenfilled with peoplewho havewritten individuolworks remoinsin the oulhors. Permissionis requiredto reproducethese about food, and Anne Mendelsonoffers a charming profile of Thomas F. De Voe, a works in ony form. remarkable19th-century character who wrote an accountof the history of the city's markets.Of the myriad unusualplaces to eat,Betty Fusselllovingly reminiscesabour one eo on Poge seven s\. poge two Tomarket, to market:Aprofile of ThomasF. DeVoe By Anne Mendelson over like vast,labyrinthine sheds, in which vendorsat individual IN uro- r grH-cENTURy GnnrNwrcn stalls sold food (generally perish- Vrrrecn, better known then as the able)and someorher