FDR's White House Cook
Courtesy of The Library of Congress
Happy Presidents’ Day! If you been following my blog for a while you probably noted that I’m fascinated with the ton of historical content available on the Great Depression. So why not talk about the president from that era? Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) was a native New Yorker who loved quail, pheasant, oysters, crabs, and exotic cheeses. Eating out at restaurants had been a hardship for him because during his time most restaurants had not been wheelchair accessible. An interesting tidbit about Roosevelt and food is the rocky relationship he had with his white house cook during his four terms in office. She reportedly served him things he just did not like such as plain and charred food, oatmeal on a daily basis for breakfast, and broccoli which he detested. The kindhearted Roosevelt couldn’t muster the strength to fire her so instead after dinner he would send staff out to rustle him up something to eat.
Documentary, Food and Father Divine in Harlem
Zora Neale Hurston and the WPA
Fred Opie's New Book! Southern Food and Civil Rights: Feeding the Revolution
