Rick Archbold

complete story of the great dirigibles - from the pioneering efforts of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin to the brief career of the Hindenburg's little-known sister ship, the Graf Zeppelin II. At the turn of the century zeppelins established the world's first passenger-carrying airline. But World War I bombing raids over London earned them the label "baby-killers". In the postwar years Great Britain and the United States competed with Germany for the prestige of building the world's most advanced airship. The British envisioned an empire linked by a fleet of silver giants. For the United States Navy, the zeppelin would be a flying aircraft carrier, transporting fighter planes in its belly. By the late 1920s it seemed that the airship was poised to conquer the skies. In 1926 explorer Roald Amundsen flew across the Arctic Ocean in the dirigible Norge. An ecstatic New York ticker-tape parade greeted the Graf Zeppelin at the end of her pioneering 1929 round-the-world flight. The Graf soon went on to establish the first ever non-stop transatlantic air service. But not all airship enterprises ended in triumph. Two years after the Norge's Arctic exploit, the Italia crashed on a polar ice floe, stranding her surviving crew for forty-nine days. And the first intercontinental flight of the British airship R 101 ended in flames in a French field. The U.S. Navy airships Akron and Macon were wrecked by storms at sea within two years of each other. A haunting photo mosaic shows the site where underwater cameras recently located the skeleton of the huge dirigible Macon on the ocean floor, lying with the Sparrowhawk fighters that were once housed in herinternal hangar.… (altro)

Oddly I am entranced with the subject of the Titanic.... not so much its sinking, rather the elegance and beauty of the ship and romance of the Edwardian era.

This book contains history, photos, menus, and recipes of the ship, its crew, and passengers. I was surprised that even the Second Class passengers had a generous dining menu, that was basically unheard of at the time.

Their April 12, 1912 "Hot" Luncheon menu consisted of: Pea Soup; Spaghetti au Gratin; Corned Beef; Vegetable Dumplings; Roast Mutton; and Baked Jacket Potatoes.

The "Cold" menu: Roast Mutton; Roast Beef; Sausage; Ox Tongue; Pickles; Salad; Tapioca Pudding; apple tart; Fresh Fruit; Cheese; Biscuits; and Coffee.

That sure is a whole lot of food for a 2nd class passage!

The First-Class Titanic Dinner was a "choreographed" affair with: Hand-written "formal" invitations (with advice on what to wear); a biography of the character your are asked to "portray"; flowers for the ladies; boutonniere for the men; and court music. Before dinner: Formal introductions; cocktails or lighter drinks (champagne); and hors d'oeuvres. Dinner: Dinner announcement w/ a gong; courses on silver salvers; a nine course dinner; and coffee, cigars, port or cordials.

A sample dinner menu w/ recipes:

First Course- Hors d'oeuvre: Oeufs de caille en aspic et caviar (Quail Eggs) w/ White Bordeaux or White Burgundy

Second Course- Potage: Potage Saint Germain (Spring Pea Soup) w/ Madeira or Sherry

Third Course- Poisson: Homard Thermidor (Lobster) w/ Dry Rhine or Moselle

Fourth Course- Entree: Tournedos aux morilles w/ Red Bordeaux

Fifth Course- Punch or Sorbet: Punch Rose

Sixth Course- Roti: Cailles aux cerises (Qualis w/ cherries) w/ Red Burgundy

Seventh Course- Legume: Asperges printanieres, sauce hollandaise (no wine?)

Eighth Course- Entrements: Macedoine de fruits; Oranges en surprise w/ Sweet dessert wines (Muscatel, Tokay, Madeira)

Ninth Course- Les desserts: assorted fresh fruits and cheeses w/ Sweet dessert wines, Champagne, or Sparkling wine

After Dinner: Coffee, cigars, Port or Cocktails

That is just one of the menus w/ recipes from one of the dining rooms..... Oh my.... The First-Class Dining Saloon had a menu w/ ELEVEN Courses.... and several of the courses, you had a choice of dishes.....

I'm surprised at all the liquor! Let's just call this an exercise in gluttony... but delicious gluttony and I for one, would have been happy to partake for just one night.
… (altro)