Fillings, Fried Forcemeat and Fish Parts

And fun stuff!

I found these 1930s bible lesson cards (110 of them!) at the sale where a Baby Jesus thief would find himself in hot water.

So, if I stole the Baby Jesus and purchased these Bible flash cards, would that cancel everything out? Would I end up in Limbo? Or maybe Heaven with a three-hour layover in Purgatory? I just can't keep track of all the damn rules and regulations.

On the same day, I went to the estate sale of a prominent dentist in Penn Valley, PA (on the posh Main Line). The dentist and his wife traveled all over the world, usually to attend Dentistry conferences. I would consider that a pretty good perk, when you think about all of the disgusting crap that a dentist has to do, like stick their fingers in a stranger's mouth and watch people spit stringy saliva all day.

Among other things, I purchased two boxes of maps, pamphlets, and menus from some of the places they visited. They are mostly from the 1950s through 1970s. These people went to every corner of the globe....Europe, India, Nepal, Tibet, Japan, China, South America. The house was packed with souvenirs from all of these places.

Here's a sampling of the pamphlets (and one ticket to a bullfight in Spain):

 

BP map of Norway:

TWA Travel Tips books for Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, and Britain:

At the bottom of one of the boxes, I found this map of London that looks like it was never unfolded.

I thought that it was brand new, but I found a reference to the map in the online catalog for the City of London. I learned that it was published in 1972 and designed by Simon Stern for The Daily Telegraph.

 

This is a menu from Oskar Davidsen, a Danish restaurant founded in 1888 that is best known for its open-faced sandwiches (Smørrebrød)...
 

...all 178 of them. It was in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest menu. One side of this never-used 1960s menu is in Danish and the other side is English. The restaurant no longer exists, but Oskar's daughter, Ida, has passed on the Smørrebrød tradition at her own restaurants.

Decisions, decisions. Should I order #91: Fried forcemeat cakes with red cabbage, meat jelly and beetroot or #27: Pickled herring tit-bits with raw onion? Which begs the question...do fish really have tits?

But I digress...

I asked Maeve to model this head covering for you. It is made of jersey knit and is trimmed in heavy brass beads. Maybe the dentist's wife wore it when she was traveling to countries where women traditionally covered their heads?

Or maybe she was just über chic. And perhaps a wannabe actress as well. Like someone I know.

When asked to "act natural":

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For those who need to know more...

• A picture of tit-bits. Not safe for work!
  (Kidding...it's just food.)
   
• What the hell is forcemeat?  Don't read this on a full stomach. Or if you have a hangover.
     
• Are you a fan of freshvintage on Facebook? Well, what the hell are you waiting for? You'll have exclusive access to never-before-seen photos, as well as a video of Maeve talking about tapeworms. C'mon...even if you don't like antiques, you have to love parasites!

Comments

[Bean]

Isn't it fun to look through boxes of junk and dream? I picked up a box of old chorus music from the 30s and 40s and it's been SO much fun to go through! These travel souvenirs are fantastic :D

[Deb]

you are so funny. An enjoyable read!

[denise;)]

Totally awesome- Maeve is hilarious... adorable, and hilarious!!!
i so want all those travel books and pamphlets... i wanna shop with you...

[Faith]

I am in love with that BP map! And that "act natural" look...

[mary]

OK, hilarious. And I want that map of Norway! So cool.

[MagiaMia]

Oh My God.......Maeve acting natural? Your little apple doesn't fall from the tree. She's gonna be as full-of-it as her mother! I laugh every time I look at that pic :)

[KSV Woolfoot]

I love all this stuff. Doesn't it make you think this Dentist and is wife got the most out of life as a Dentist? What will the box lots at our estate sales say about us? I hope you are paying Maeve!

[Designers' Brew]

years ago i spotted these holographic stickers in one of those grocery store candy dispensers that come right after the checkout counters, you know? They had big, florid images of Jesus and Mary on them. The best was one of Jesus with his head lolled back, eyes half-closed, arm extended sideways, fingers clasped around an invisible spliff. I bought it, slapped it onto a piece of card stock and sent it to the guy I was dating as an Easter card.

[madjoy]

You know I would have totally arm wrestled you on the Jesus stuff...RIGHT? I scored some fantastic Last Supper salt & pepper shakers and this lady follwed me all over the thrift store until I checked out. I THOUGHT she was going to follow me to my car, so I was working on my karate moves through my head. Turns out I don't know any.
Great Haul! -Amy at P&I

[Janelle]

I needed to get a glance at some train luggage tags and found your site. Your girl model is absolutely comical (daughter?). thanks for the post earlier showing luggage tags. I have an idea of what they look like now.

[coach purses]

Hey ! am I glad to vist your blog ! from this I can get some information that I didn’t know before. You made my day.