Story Telling of the 1920’s

History – The Discovery of Penicillin

The discovery of penicillin was 1928-1929 by Dr Alexander Fleming. He returned from a holiday and found mould grown on a petri dish of Staphylococcus, and that the mould was preventing the bacteria around it from growing. He named it penicillin. After publishing his findings, his peers showed little interest. At first penicillin was seen as a lab curiosity. It was not until 1937 Howard Florey and Ernst Chain discovery the findings and started the penicillin project. Even this project proved to be very difficult. It was not until 1943 that the US had enough stock to meet the demands of the US military. Today we take antibiotics for granted. But, with penicillin and all antibiotics we become resistant to them. Medical science races to develop new ones to stay a head of the curve. And before penicillin getting an infection often resulted in death. A simple paper cut could cause an infection and lead to death. I was a little surprised to learn that medications to deal with infections is less than 100 years old. I was thinking, wrongly, penicillin was discovered in the 1800’s somewhere. Even the discovery in 1928 seems so late. Given we were figuring out radio, cars, and other technological advancements, it was not so much with medical science. Go figure.

Friday Night Cocktail – The Bees Knees

There is a lot of different information where the expression bees knees came from? In one example it was from 18th century phrase meaning something that does not exist. In the 1920’s it was slang for an extraordinary person, thing, or idea. He/she/it is the bees knees. The drink is commonly credited to Frank Meier a bartender at the Hotel Ritz in Paris in the 1920’s. The cocktail is just 2 oz of gin, ¾ oz lemon juice, and honey or honey simple syrup. I am guessing but maybe someone at the bar said something was the bees knees and Frank though cocktail and went ahha!

Friday Night Dinner – Italian Meat Balls

According to a lot of different sources meat balls were a thing in the 1920’s. Another thing that surprised me this week. But I like meat balls so okay. Now there is some contention about meat balls and pasta in the US, Italians say they do not mix meat balls or sausage with pasta, such as spaghetti and meat balls. Sure they made meat sauces, but not meat balls with pasta. For me here I am just making the meat balls and dish it like they would have done in the 1920’s. Just sauce and some cheese. And there is a likely connection to stretching food by adding bread crumbs to the ground meat. As well as meat balls being a comfort food in the 1920’s.

Culture of the 1920’s – Surrealism

Art, specifically art in the past, was a means to deconstruct how we view things. Art was a communication form that plays with our perceptions of things. To this end art may play an even bigger role in the age of social media and AI going forward (if we can pay attention to it). Surrealism was intended to change the human experience. To some it will always be a, what is it? But, making us think is a positive and good thing. There are some AI programs that can create art in the style and format of any given artist. That misses the greater point of what role art plays. The main point of AI is to reduce cost and make money for the owners of the companies that run AI. Art is an original thing. The point of art is to create new thinking and not just produce it faster and at a low cost with the fews number of people. It is to change our point of views and make us think. The most well known artist of the surrealist movement were Salvador Dali and Frida Kahlo.

1920’s History – Roller Coasters

The 1920’s saw roller coasters make their way into American life. During the 1920’s there were estimated to be between 1,500 to 2000 of them. The spread and popularity of amusement parks across America was due to boarder availability electrical power (though that is another topic). The roller coaster and the amusement parks that held them, was a new type of entertainment. In 1925 in Ohio the Big Dipper (though it was originally named Sky Rocket, the name was changed in the 1940’s to Big Clipper, before being changed to Big Dipper in 1980) roller coaster was build in the Geauga Lake amusement park (today it is Six Flags Ohio). The coaster had a 2,680 foot log track, including a six story first drop, and speeds up to 32 MPH. And safety? Well the general thinking that the number of deaths from unsafe coaster was not…..too bad. The idea of the amusement park does date back to 1846. Lake Compounce had a picnic park with a carousel that was added in 1911. Coney Island built the Boardwalk and the beach expanded in the early 1920’s. Then through the 1920’s amusement rides became a bigger thing. It was during that time the roller coaster was a big thing.

Friday Night Cocktail – The French 75

It is said that the cocktail French 75 was named after a French canon the 75 millimeter field gun. As with many classic cocktails, the origin of the French 75 is a subject of debate. However, a recipe for this cocktail appeared in David Wondrich’s book “Heres How” in 1927. And some say that the original cocktail was made with cognac instead of gin. That would make sense because during the 1920’s Paris there as a cognac and champagne thing. The French 75 made with gin could have come later.

As you may have guessed, the French 75 is made with either cognac or gin, ½ oz of lemon juice, and the main recipe calls for simple syrup. I tend to go for the gin version and leave the syrup out, electing for a tart drink over a sweet one. But, that is a matter of personal taste. To make a French 75 add ice to a cocktail shaker, pour in 2 oz of gin or cognac, add the lemon juice and syrup, and shake very very super well (to get the frothiness the drink is known for). Then pour into a tulip type glass or a coupe glass. Then top with champagne and a lemon peel twist.

Friday Night Dinner – Grilled Steak and Frits

This disk is a lot like the other steak dish I cover, but with a cream sauce. This is a simpler version with just the grilled steak and frits (or fries if you like). In most bistros this disk will have some sort of sauce. The sauce part is in some ways an old school French thing. Today most steak houses basically leave the steak as the star of the show. Some do offer a selection of sauces, though mostly excluding the cream and other complex based sauces. I will say the simpler grilled steak and fries is more a Friday night version and the one with a cream sauce a Saturday night one. In either case pair either with a good red wine, and a simple but sweet desert, maybe chocolate or fruit based.

1920’s Music Hot Jazz – Benny Goodman

Of all the jazz artist from the 1920’s Benny Goodman may have the biggest name recognition. Goodman is best known for the jazz Swing era that came later in the 1930’s. Songs such as Stomin at the Savoy. Goodman made his professional debut in 1921 at the Central Park Theater on the West side of Chicago. He played through the 1920’s with other noted artist such as Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and others. But, until the 1930’s came around, Goodman was part of the 1920’s Hot Jazz screen. And one last detail. During the 1920’s jazz Goodman also played different saxophones, along with the clarinet he is most known for two day.