James D. Porterfield

Read the summary of this and be amazed at some more "fascinating" history. Who ever thought of how and when meals started being served on railroads?
Gee, we don't normally think about how the early settlers, travelers survived without the Golden Arches, do we ?
Excellent info on the logistics and personnel needed to put together what became gourmet rail car dining. At one point, people took a train trip just to eat a grand meal.
Recipes were definitely from another era - not sure I'll be trying any of them - but interesting to read.
Read in 2010.



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I'm a big fan of railroad travel, so this book caught my eye the other day when I was idly perusing cookbooks at the library. There are recipes from every imaginable train, including private cars, Amtrak and VIA Canada. Since train travel is thought of as a luxury, the food is fairly similar, leading to a feeling of repetition throughout this book. After a while, I grew bored with the cream/Grand Marnier/tenderloin/caviar/lobster monotony and longed for a recipe involving something crunchy and green that wasn't drenched in fat. A fun indulgence, nevertheless.… (más)

The unusual combination of railroad dining history and regional cookbook perhaps rules out readers rather than increase the number of readers, but both halves are quite interesting. The "history" half has many photos of tiny kitchens with coal stoves, stories about how the rail roads used regional ingredients, and an overview of railroad operations. The "cookbook" half is done with simple style - no photos, simple directions and most have four to eight ingredients. I've tried several of them and I find the recipes easy to follow and tasty.… (más)