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(More customer reviews)Among the underappreciated elements of the American West was the civilization brought by train in the form of the trainside restaurants. As the authors of The Harvey House Cookbook describe, initially any food available on the long cross-country trips was provided during the 20-minutes or so that it took to replenish the locomotive's water supply, and the railroads didn't think they were in the food business. The food was dreadful -- until Paul Harvey suggested to the Santa Fe Railroad that he provide the restaurants, good food, and personnel.
In a few short years, someone taking the train from Kansas to Los Angeles might be served -- on white linen, by uniformed wait staff -- roast turkey with cranberries, lobster salad, and New York ice cream. Most likely, they were served by waitresses called Harvey Girls (perhaps you vaguely remember the Judy Garland movie, The Harvey Girls?). Those young women, who had to meet the criteria of "young women, 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent" often married local men... the *best* of the local men, suggest the authors, since the girls had plenty to choose from. And thus they had a profound impact. So did the resort hotels that the Fred Harvey company built or ran, among them El Tovar at the Grand Canyon and La Fonda in Santa Fe.
The history in this book is excellent: well told, backed up with plenty of facts and sources, and accompanied with photos and even a Harvey House menu from 1888 (the meal cost 75 cents). It's a short, non-academic read. If you have any interest in railroad history or the opening of the American West, you'll enjoy the book.
The book advertises itself as a cookbook, however, and indeed there are about 200 recipes. But they are primarily of historical interest rather than "What I'll cook tonight." It's not that the recipes are bad; to the contrary, they're fine, though many have a 19th century imprecision that we're not used to. They're just unremarkable except in the context of the "Harvey System" whereby Fred Harvey (and later his son) were innovators in "quality franchise operations," including such things as roast goose with cognac and apples, chicken enchiladas, or pampano in papillote. Menus were determined based on what was in season and sent by train from California (for produce) or the midwest (for meat). It's impressive and astonishing to think of that being accomplished in the 1880s at conveyed-by-railroad speed. Still, I just made a cheese fondue for dinner a few days ago, and the recipe I used was very much like the one in this cookbook. If you *do* cook from it, you won't go wrong; the point I want to make is that the recipes are, in all likelihood, "illustrations" more than they're "dinner tonight."
I know plenty of male rail fans (in the model railroad club to which we belong) who would buy this cookbook as a present for their wives ("See honey, I got you a cookbook!") and then read the book themselves for the history. Go ahead. I won't tell.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Harvey House Cookbook: Memories of Dining Along the Santa Fe Railway
In the 1870s, people traveling west of the Mississippi were still venturing into the wild. Loud, smoke-belching trains might have cut across the rough terrain, but harsh weather, rigid seats, and short breaks for bad food in the middle of nowhere showed the West was by no means won. Entrepreneur Fred Harvey had an eye for such problems and a nerve for the impossible. In 1876, he began establishing high-quality dining rooms along the Santa Fe Railroad, and his Harvey Houses helped change the entire picture of the American West. Recapture the spirit of the first western railway excursions with The Harvey House Cookbook. Its 200-plus vintage recipes, numerous period photos, and fascinating stories will take readers back to one of America's legendary experiences in the Old West.
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