[Sca-cooks] OOP - Green beans was Turkey, again!

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach A F Murphy:
>Does anyone know how or when (or why!) green beans became practically as
>much a part of the feast as the cranberry sauce? They're in half the
>listed menus, frequently as the casserole. They're not particularly
>seasonal, I can't think of any connection, they don't go better with
>turkey than any other green vegetable... Most of the other traditional
>accompaniments are seasonal.
>
>I guess I'm curious because they weren't part of our tradition, and I'm
>not sure I've ever eaten the casserole!

I had never eaten (or seen) the casserole until it was brought back,
with due fanfare, from Foreign Parts, after my sister moved first to
Western PA, and later, to the Southern Tier of New York State. So,
for people in New York City, it was exotic. (No, I am not pushing for
a jello mold of any description to be brought to my home, so we can
all say, "Oooohh, how unYOOOOsual!")

I believe the deal is that either the Durkee or French's company, I
forget which one, issued a promotion of a series of recipes on
packages and such, all calling for several of products made either by
them or by co-subsidiary companies. The key is probably that the dish
is garnished (with Durkee or French's Chemical Onion Rings, which are
seasoned, floured, then fried until totally desiccated and impervious
to the corruption of years), which might make them irresistible to
socially conscious, culinary-inferiority-complex [misplaced]
housewives, male and female, of the late 1950's and early 60's. This
is probably how this dish slipped in under yours, and my, radar.

Even more OOP/OT: has anyone seen the absolutely horrible (of course,
that is its intended appeal) White Castle television ad, with the
Rockwell-esque family slavering over Grandma's big covered roast
platter, which turns out to be full of hundreds of Little Square
Hamburgers (tm)? Some day, archaeologists of the future, or alien
scientists trying to piece together the fragments of our culture,
will find this and scratch their heads in total confusion...

Adamantius