Gallery of Regrettable Food

Every once and awhile we run across a web site so special it is as if its very existence justifies the internet.

James Lileks' web site falls into this category. Lileks.com (Humiliating Defenseless Ephemera Since 1996) presents wonderful photos, advertisements, and other stuff (it's really rather hard to categorize) from the 30's, 40's, and 50's--mostly.

Doubtless we will dip into Lilek's site in future postings, but to start with we were taken with the Gallery of Regrettable Food, which highlights a variety of special recipe collections. Stroll back through memory lane (at least for some of us) and sample

• Cookout Champion BBQ Tricks
• Knudson Recipes for Greater Food Value
• More Fun with Coffee
• Better Homes and Gardens Meat Cook Book
• Knox On-Camera Recipes (Gelatin as seen on TV!)
• Cookin with Dr. Pepper
• and many, many more!

Our personal favorite is Good Housekeeping's Ten PM Cook Book. We confess we are rarely up that late, but if we were we would certainly like to try out some of these offerings. The Benedictish Frankwiches look particularly tasty, even though they are aimed at a teen audience.

If you are in need of a coffee table book to impress the company, the Gallery of Regrettable Food is available in hard copy, also suitable for propping by the stove while you whip up a tasty gelatin mold with Dr. Pepper and green olives.