Tag Archives: recipes

Recipe Boxes & Typeface Detective Work

Once again I’m finding things seem to come in waves, and here is another example: I found my 2nd old metal card file box in as many days. This time the box was empty, but nevertheless the same box with a different paint job.

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Meanwhile I’ve been amusing myself trying to discover the sort of typewriter that was used to type the pastry recipe on the index card I featured previously. I typed the same words using an old Underwood Golden Touch but that didn’t look like it, so I then tried with a 1948 model Royal Arrow. That looked very similar.

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Here is the direct comparison of the new card (Royal Arrow 1948) and the original card (unknown). The old ink is now brown, and it looks fatter, but that may simply be how it was absorbed by the paper when it was typed in the first place.

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Going through the recipe box thoroughly I discovered a few more typed recipes, which I present here.

 

rhubarb-crisp

This next recipe comes from a different machine, at 11 characters/inch. My first guess would be a Brother, but it could well be an Olympia too, as they made plenty of 11 pitch machines. I have not investigated this typeface yet.

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Back to the other typewriter again for a Mystery Cake.

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Italian Food & Design

In keeping with tonight’s theme I typed this on my Lettera 22, probably the most acclaimed typewriter in history, design wise that is. What other typewriter could claim such accolades as being voted the best designed product of the century? The amazing thing is, when I was in architecture school, nobody ever mentioned this. All we read about, aside from buildings, were famous tables and chairs designed by famous architects. Well hello! The designer of this machine was an architect!!! OK, so if there are any students of architecture reading this, listen up – Marcello Nizzoli – check him out.

Then get yourself a Lettera 22, you will be super cool, trust me. You could get yourself a Necchi sewing machine too, but that wouldn’t be quite as cool. Unless you are studying costume or clothes design, in which case it’s probably super cool. I would suggest also a trench coat and crocs. That is super cool, especially combined with 20th century modern Italian classic design objects.

Now that you are yearning to eat this, I feel it is only fair to provide the recipes. The cake recipe is from “The Italian Baker” by Carol Field – a fantastic cookbook. Oh, and if you are rushing out to get a Lettera 22, remember to get one that has the round keypads only. Square keypads are not original, and are a no-no design wise, IMHO.

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Filed under Cooking, Typewriters