Christmas List - Heinz

I don't think anyone is really waiting on a Christmas delivery from Ketchup Claus. What, with his basket of odd, unwanted canned goods like Heinz Cucumber Pickle (not more than one, mind you), Date Pudding, Currant Jelly, and a jumbo jug of Cider Vinegar to brighten things up. The guy in the "blaze of glory" flame seems to be defusing some kind of landmine. Yes, I think I'm leaving Heinz off my Christmas list.

Thanksgiving Dinner - Heinz 57

We've already met Hunt's so how about the other Ketchup king, Heinz? This 1938 ad features, I believe, Norman Bates mother before what we'll call "the incident". She looks less like she's inviting us to enjoy a helping from her terrine of soup than threatening us with dire consequences lest we meet her demands.

Note the center, bottom image? Canned puddings. Apparently popular, though that doesn't explain why you'd dress in black and set fire to them. Probably why they're not sold anymore.

Unusual isn't Always Good

$25000 worth of unusual recipes. That was Heinz's pitch line for their 1957 cookbook 57 Prize Winning Recipes. I probably shouldn't judge the book by its proverbial cover, though. I mean ad executives sometimes make poor word choices when putting their copy together and there's over fifty years of cultural change to think of too. Okay, so the ad does feature a recipe that involves ketchup and pear halves, but classy restaurants all over serve pears on dinner salads, so that's not that unusual when you really think about it. The rest of the book probably doesn't contain anything more unusual than meatloaf and stuffed bell peppers, right? Let's take a look inside...

Okay, I take it back...this is one messed up cookbook.