November 25, 2004 by s.z.

MEAT ... and the Battle of Life This is an ad from the November 1940 Good Housekeeping.  I think it is very appropriate for Thanksgiving, a day in which we honor meat by eating it.  And this is also a time when we all (well, all men) must be fit for the Battle of Life ... I mean, the War on Terra.  I like this ad not just for the image of the rapt woman (she has seen the glory of Meat, and is going forth to do its bidding) who is Standing Behind Her Man, but also for its inspiring text.  Here, let me share some of it with you: Meat ... and the Battle of Life There is a woman behind most every man in the Battle of Life.  She sends him off in the morning with a pat on the back and welcomes him home with a smile on her face. But more than that, she keeps her man in repair.  She feeds him.  Largely, it's up to the woman in his life whether a man feels fit for the Battle of Life.  Men need meat for the nourishment it gives them.  Men need the bodies meat helps them build.  Men need the fun, three times a day, of eating the food they like -- which is meat. [...] Meat is fun to eat.  Meat is good for you.  Get acquainted with the thrifty cuts at your meat market today. --American Meat Institute, Chicago. So ladies, on this Thanksgiving Day be sure to feed your man (using that airplane spoon, if necessary) lots of meat, because men need to have fun three times a day.  And then pat him on the head and send him out to Fight the Battle of Life in the den with the football games, while you do the dishes.  Remember, it's up to you to keep that man in repair -- because if he breaks down, the factory will bill you for a replacement.  1:32:43 AM

Happy Thanksgiving! This is a postcard my Grandma received in 1913 (she would have been 12).  Her friend Edna had written on it, "This is you and your beau on here.  I don't know his name but maby I will find out some time.  We had a big party on Ruth(?) last friday night.  A big crowd was their.  Where are you going for Thanksgiving?" Ah, the days before text messaging! 1:29:47 AM