Food historians tell us that jellied cranberry sauce, holding the shape of the can it came in, first became available in 1941, a gift to the nation from Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. of Hanson, Mass. So it figures that, within the next decade, someone would invent the Cranberry Set: a silver-plated dish on glass, with ornate serving spoon — perfect for the straight-from-the-can cranberry log that is a standard side dish at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Forgive me, I am easily amused. I was going through some items in storage and came across this kitschy thing, well preserved in its original box, and the idea of a faux-elegant vessel for a gelatinous cranberry log just amused the hell out of me. Hey, millions of Americans love canned cranberry sauce, and we like to sample it straight off the log. Why slip it into a boring bowl when you can present it as they might have at Downton Abby?
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My grandmother had a set just like that one. I have no idea whatever happened to it, but I’d gladly buy a “cranberry log” if I had it.
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1941 was also the year in which Cheerios were first marketed.
cheerios and canned cranberry sauce!
it could be argued that 1941 was the zenith of American cuisine.
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