Going to school in the city, especially in the fast-paced landscape of Manhattan, it is easy to forget that an extensive history of the place we call “home away from home” exists. Looking at photographs at the New York Historical Society of project blueprints that never came to fruition, or that had been demolished, it became increasingly apparent that New York City was may not always have been structured in the modern and business oriented structure that we experience every day.
One of the sources I thought would provide an interesting perspective on the history of the New York City was the restaurant menu database. Being that I find myself eating out several times a week, I’d imagined there would be a pretty significant contrast between the city meals that I enjoy today and the palette of NYC residents in the 1800s. Looking at a menu from “The Receiving Ship at New York,” I was surprised that few of the menu items sounded foreign or obsolete. Though I don’t think that many restaurants nowadays serve “cream cheese” or “crisp crackers” as menu items, other dishes including “baked spice ham” and “cream of tomato soup” were more familiar in terms of phraseology. A few menu items that I found were a testament to the culture of twentieth-century New York were the unconventional offering of “cigars” and “cigarettes” at the bottom of the menu. Though these items don’t directly (or even indirectly) reveal much of the appearance of the city, they do open a window to the cultural contrasts, values, and the effects of information now available to the public.
A pattern that I observed while browsing through various menus from the early 1900s was the disproportionate allocation of restaurants and dining halls to sports clubs, educational institutions, hotels and other establishments with an industrial focus such as banking, or yachting. With the exception of a few bars, it seems as though serving food was not developed as a commercial industry suitable for small business, but rather a perk of the upper class. Though coffee was offered on almost every menu as “cafe noir”, or black coffee, I saw very few, if any, cafes or coffee shops that are clearly commonplace today. As I looked through each decade, particularly the recovery years of the 1940’s through the twenty-first century, I noticed a gradual decrease in the number of food establishments within hotels or vocational clubs, and an increase in private food chains; places like “Union Hill Elk’s Club” and the “Exchange Station Hotel” slowly became less prominent as small coffee shops and specialty restaurants like “Applebees” and “Redeye Grill” started to gain market share in the food industry. With this in mind, it’s reasonable to draw the conclusion that as the United States, especially New York, experienced an economic boom in the aftermath of World War 2, the economy took on more of a consumer approach to business, incentivizing small shops to cater to everyday individuals, eventually growing the consumer goods industry to comprise over 70 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Ronald Osherov
I really liked the way you used food, culture, and NYC lifestyle to comprehend the changes that Manhattan has gone through over the past years. It was really interesting learning about how foods and culture have changed through menus and restaurants up until today. Great blog!
This was a really interesting source to use for this assignment. Its really crazy that eating out or ordering food is juts part of our every day life, but years ago this was considered a luxury. Its also interesting how eating out culture evolved. I’m sure 10 years ago people went out to eat more often rather than ordering food and picking it up. Now we have a variety of services to bring food right to our doorstep in a short period of time. I’m curious how this will continue evolving .
This was such an interesting topic to pick! I find it particularly funny how loose cigarettes were sold as part of the menu in the past and now they’re illegal to sell. It’s also to think about how much our food industry has changed since the convention of fast food. In the past everyone probably brought food from home. I wonder what kinds of stores were in all of the places that we now have food establishments.
Julie
Ronald, I truly appreciated your analysis of the evolution of food throughout New York City’s history. While the menu options have significantly changed, restaurants still exist. It represents how as a culture we have diversified, but that our essence has remained the same. We are still the city we were before. Just like in the past, we have buildings, parks, and restaurants. We have tons of inhabitants. And we are a cultural hub. All that’s changed is the amount of options offered.
Great post!
I do agree that New York is symbolized by many things one including food. There are so many cultures, so there are countless amounts of recipes. The idea of home away from home is so accurate because New York has a little of everything. There are some staple “New York” foods such as bagels or pizza, but there definitely are many restaurants and tastes to choose from. Great post Ronald!
I think changes in the smoking culture of NYC are some of the most notable ones. Whereas it was once acceptable and even encouraged to smoke in restaurants, as you pointed out, it is now condemned. Smokers are even expected to stand 10-20 feet away from most office and school buildings, as indicated by signs. I’m going to continue observing changes in this culture- I imagine even electronic cigarettes will be banned from most indoor establishments in the near future.
As someone who also relies on food from the City most of the week, I couldn’t agree more that the food culture is vital to the overall aesthetic of NYC. I really like how you included the detail of how cigars and cigarettes used to be menu items during the 1800s. Cultural and social lifestyles definitely played a role in menus back then. From here on out, I will begin to focus on items on the menu that may not be there 30-40 years from now. Great post!