Receding Airline

      It happened as I sat wedged in my narrow, cramped airline seat, pondering whether to eat my four peanuts all at once or string them out to prolong the pleasure. I came to the sudden realization that I had been lied to. Looking back on the day's long lines, embarrasing security measures and extra bag fees it occurred to me that my entire generation had been sold a bill of goods. We "Baby Boomers" were told that our standard of living would be better than that of our parents. As the World's dominant power our nation would naturally be so prosperous we would be swept up in a rising tide of wealth. Somehow it hasn't worked out that way.
   Sure we have iphones and flat-screen TVs, but in the ways that count, I wonder if our quality of life has actually gone down? There are many examples of how the food we eat, the products we buy and even the way we travel are inferior to those of the past. One of the most obvious is air travel, which sadly, has become something you have to endure to get where you want to go.
   Let's take a flight of fantasy and look back at a more "primitive" time before anyone had ever heard of levereged buyouts or marketized securities and airlines promised to take us into that brave new future.

In the early days of commercial aviation the airlines would roll out the red carpet for their pampered passengers.

It was nice of the airport to let Timmy's family (and their dog) out onto the runway to see their daddy off.

This 1929 passenger plane could hold 14 people and two pilots.

No air-conditioned hydraulic jetways in those days. You just walked out onto the field and climbed in.

When American Airlines introduced the Condor in 1933, it became the nation's first sleeper plane.

Buckminster Fuller once pointed out that whenever a new technology is introduced, people tend to treat it the same way as the technology it replaced. This Boeing 307 berth was clearly using a railroad model but the airlines learned early on that space was too valuable to waste to let people stretch out horizontally.

Flight deck of a 1941 passenger plane.

While railroads made it easy to see the country, airplanes seemed to make it easy see the world.

Fairly-cramped interior of a Boeing plane of 1933.

TWA had a pretty snazzy lounge in this 1950s plane.

Early view of Miami International Airport.

These 1930 stewardesses got to wear stylish capes as airlines began to compete over who could offer the best passenger amenities.

This interior of a Douglas DC-7 Cabin is more recognizable to modern flyers but note how much more individual space there is even in coach class. Travel was so special, people dressed up for it. Every man in the picture has a tie and the woman in yellow obviously added a corsage just for the flight.

Just like the trains, the larger passenger planes had lounges where one could get drinks served in a casual environment.

It's interesting that this is an ad from a manufacturer, not an airline.

This swinging singles airplane lounge has it all: mini-skirted stewardesses with Bride-of-Frankenstein hairdos and George Jetson furniture Where is the seat belt on that chair?

This BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) ad assures the passenger that they can always rely on the courteous cabin staff to recommend the appropriate wine.

This Canadian airline served a full-course meal, including fresh fruit.

Even when airlines did serve meals I don't remember seeing anything like this!

The food is so good even the kids love it.

Farewell, hope you had a good flight!

Looks Good Enough To Eat

   Cooking is becoming a lost art. What with so much frozen food, microwave ovens and fast-food restaurants in our society, the  number of people who actually make meals from scratch is rapidly decreasing. Things were a lot different when I was a kid. Every housewife had a shelf full of cookbooks and could whip up a dinner with whatever ingredients happened to be in the pantry. I enjoyed looking at these cookbooks and wondering what each dish tasted like.
   Perusing these same books today, however, is a different experience. Looking at the photos of these food creations makes you realize how far we have come from the days of kitchen artistry. Granted, the quality of the photography in many of these publications was not the best, you still have to wonder why they would portray food that looks unappetizing and sometimes downright disgusting.

I know shrimp usually has that pinkish, skin color but I'm not sure I want my gelatin to have the same hue.

I really don't like peas. I can take them in small amounts in soups, stews and casseroles, but to mix them into my clear jello as the main ingredient is revolting to me

Ham hocks and saurkraut. YUM!

I wonder what my friends would think if I whipped these dishes out at my next party.

I find the pink color of this lobster relish to be nauseating.

Bologna in Jello. Who would think of such an unlikely combination, much less show a picture of it?

Is it me or do these meatballs look like raw hamburger?

Bananas already have a reputation as a phallic symbol. Sticking one through the hole in a pineapple slice is pure genius!

This snowy confetti chicken salad looks just like my bicycle helmet!

Unusual Maps

     I love maps. As a form of communication, they condense a wide variety of information into a visual format. I hope to share many of my favorite maps in future posts, but I will start with this offering of non-paper maps.

Babylonian irrigation system along the Euphrates River 1684-1647 BC inscribed on clay.

   The Polynesians sailed the Pacific using reed maps which showed the prevailing winds and currents between islands.

Eskimos made accurate maps of the Alaskan coastline carved out of wood.

Cheese map of Canada.

Bread map of France.

America map of food.

Tattoo map

South America in dirty clothes.

Australian cutlet.

Taipei map bottle opener.