Life, 1915-03-11 · page 12 of 48
Life — March 11, 1915 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains humorous recipes presented as operatic titles, mocking both grand opera and cooking pretension. "Carmen," "L'Amore dei Tre Re," "Siegfried," and "Madeleine" are real operas reimagined as dish instructions—a satirical jab at overwrought artistic pretension. The three-panel "Salesmanship" cartoon below depicts a soldier attempting to impress a woman by exaggerating war achievements. In successive panels, his claims escalate from "million soldiers killed" to her romantic interest only when he switches tactics to discussing "love letters read in court"—suggesting women respond better to romantic scandal than military boasting. The satire mocks both masculine posturing and female fickleness, typical of early 20th-century gender humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
=1e SRSEy" The Operatic Cook-book Carmen, OE mezzo-tint soprano, red and yellow, With lots of pepper, deviltry and spite, Some cigarettes, a mawkish soldier-fellow, A love-affair that’s just a long-drawn fight. Get Bizet with a spoon and keep on beating In Torcadoros till the mess is done; Then bake it, and you'll think that you are eating That nutty cake they call a Spanish Bun, L’Amore dei Tre Re Three pounds of inspiration, A dash of genius, too, Quite free from imitation, All ringing big and true; A poem nobly tragic, A beauty as of dreams, Harmonious in the magic Of Montemezzian themes. No more details are needed— Serve any way you wish; One taste, it is conceded, Will make a royal dish. Siegfried Chop up some scraps of Volsung-sword, An anvil and a dragon, One large, Teutonic hero-lad, just off the water-wagon, A forest bird, an ugly dwarf, a mountain set on fire, An armored lady militant, the hero's heart's desire. Squeeze through Wagnerian Icit-motifs until they nearly burst— This makes a German sausage known as Heldenleberwurst. ey, ¢ < vs Yt A e/a si o ” WE wet Nar on, V pad Tole MEM PUNISHMENT FOR AFTER-DINNER SPEAKERS LISTENING TO THEIR OWN SPEECHES Madeleine A light, frothy batter of comedy plot, A Stewart libretto, romantic and smooth, The secret of Herbert, it’s hard to tell what, When melodiés linger, and harmonies soothe. With plenty of Alda to sweeten the dough, This dainty is sure to find favor awhile; We'll call it, that cooks of the future may know, A bit of French pastry, American style. Mivuion Socoiers Kicceo tl! Four BATTLESHIPS Sunk !! Emery— SALESMANSHIP comichookg.com