"What's Cooking at Columbia - A Recipe Book," 1942: Followup

Last post, we had just pulled a spiral-bound recipe book out of one of the cartons and looked it over.  The first recipe in the book was striking.

General Eisenhower in North Africa

Along with the book was a crackly copy of the Thursday, January 13, 1949 Columbia Daily Spectator ("Founded 1877".)

Ambassador Koo received the Hamilton Medal at the dinner.
He was also served Eisenhower Vegetable Soup.

On Page Five we are assured that
"General Eisenhower's recipe
for "potage à la Eisenhower,"
served Tuesday night at the
Hamilton Award dinner, was
first published in "What's
Cooking at Columbia."  This
volume, a book of recipes comp-
piled by wives of the Columbia
faculty, is on sale at the Co-
lumbia University Bookstore."

So why did Columbia honor the Chinese Ambassador to the United States in January of 1949?  Let me get my coffee, and I'll just transcribe the story.

     "A China enslaved by 'militant Communism' would endanger free peoples throughout the world, Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. warned Tuesday night.  He spoke after receiving the 1949 Alexander Hamilton Medal from the College alumni association."

     "More than 400 alumni and guests attended the dinner honoring Dr. Koo, held in the Hotel Biltmore.  The speakers in addition to Dr. Koo were Frank S. Hogan, president of the alumni association, statesman John Foster Dulles, General Eisenhower, and Arthur U. Pope, head of the Asia Institute."

     "Sixty gallons of 'Vegetable Soup Eisenhower' were ladled out to the assembled guests, and the broth was hailed by some as the high spot on the menu."

     "Mr. Hogan made the presentation of the Hamilton Medal, after sketching the Chinese Ambassador's colorful undergraduate career at Columbia."

     "In his response, after warning that Asia is in 'far greater' peril than Europe of falling under Communist influence,  Dr. Koo injected a note of optimism.  'The leaders of international Communism are realists,' he said.  'In the face of the growing unity of free nations, the Communists may yet realize the futility of their own dream of world domination.'"

     "President Eisenhower praised the guest of honor as 'an apostle of peace,' and added, 'You are an undying, implacable foe to the idea that a despotic Communism can sweep over and enslave a people where we want (sic) to be free.'"

It's hard to believe that Eisenhower could ever possibly have produced an utterance so illogical and fatuous, not to mention ungrammatical.  The reporter must have been into the booze, or else just illogical and fatuous himself.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, in this case magical thinking.  Of course they can; they'd done it before.

     "The dinner was picketed by 23 students who paraded in front of the 43d St.  entrance to the hotel, carrying placards and chanting, 'Stop the murder of Chinese students.'  They  distributed handbills identifying themselves as members of the International Students for a Free Far East, and the Committee for a Democratic Far Eastern Policy."

Eighteen months after this dinner party, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, with Soviet material support and, soon, Red Chinese participation in the ensuing war.

"What's Cooking at Columbia - A Recipe Book," 1942

In 1948 Eugene Zdrojewski matriculated at Columbia School of Optometry, having finished prerequisites at Canisius College in Buffalo, all on the G.I. Bill.

Here is the 1903 Columbia, as alma mater of her University,
 by Daniel Chester French.  That distinctly British finial on her staff
reflects the chartering of her University by George II.

An owl, ancient symbol of Athena's wisdom, is supposedly
hidden in her robes.  It appears to be missing;
in 2013 that does not surprise me.

Thus Gene and Clara as newlyweds lived apart much of the time, with Gene in a dorm in NYC and Clara at her parents' home in Buffalo and working in a local hardware store.  She would take the train to New York for visits, and on one such occasion they made this purchase:

So this Third Printing of 1948 retains much of the flavor of the 1942 original printing.  A recipe for "War Time Salad Dressing" calls for "soy bean oil," because that was all you could find, much of the time.

Pride of place is held by this vegetable soup recipe, numero uno in the book.  The instructions start off with a directive on when best to do this, and follow on with five paragraphs of orders on the making of meat broth.

A two-page recipe for vegetable soup?
Someone  is mighty particular
about details.

Page two, top: we attack the vegetables.

Execution of the plan, secret weapons, last-minute adjustments,
thinking outside the box, and his name on the project
as taking full responsibility.

Matynka, Zdrojewski, Columbia

Adam and Clara Matynka are out in the spring sunshine with their little firecracker, Tom.

Gene and Clara are there as well.

The corsage and boutonnier could be for Easter and their engagement, which occurred at the same time one year.  Or they could be for Easter a year later.  Or they could be for a wedding anniversary.  There are no dates on these photos; can we date them by Tom's age?  Help! 

Clara's and Gertrude's shoes are back in style now; you can order ones just like either of those online right now!  Don't do that yet, though; please read Gene and Clara's.

Mom, CAMZ, graduated Kensington in June 1947.  Gene and Clara married in June, 1948.  Gene graduated Columbia in June, 1949.  So when were these photos taken?

Cute little squirt.

So here's Columbia.  Is Clara down for a visit?  Or is this graduation weekend?

Julie