Cold Dishes ... and ... Hors-D'œuvre (1932)
By Madame F. Nieltlispach, Translated and Adapted by M.F. Daniels
The Ohio State University Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
TX830 .N5 1932
With the rise in women’s rights movements, some women still chose to remain at home, striving to become the perfect wife. This group of women fell back on the traditional roles of a woman: cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children. Cold Dishes ... and ... Hors-D'œuvre is a book made for the idealized housewife. Mme. F. Nieltlispach shows housewives how to cook cold meals for their husband, guests, or family, with pictures included to avoid any mistakes. Cooking meals here becomes a form of art, allowing women to compare their cooking successes with one another. Being a wife became a talent. The one who could cook the best meal and become closest to the societal ideal of a housewife was the most talented and successful woman. The best housewife could be determined not by the depth of her love and the strength of her marriage, but by the actions she would do for for husband.