every food in: Doctor Dolittle

Doctor DoLittle by Hugh Lofting

Published 1920

Normally I don’t add too many disclaimers but I highly suggest….. just not reading this, unless you’re doing research. I am primarily including this series for its influences on later children’s literature, and to take note of food trends at the time. I was not prepared, y’all. Just… wow. The fact a movie came out based on this recently is just….wow. This is one we should’ve forgotten forever.

The literal only redeemable thing about reading this is the mention of wild orange/honey lemonade - not sure if this is why, but Sunkist was heavily promoting the idea of oranges and lemons as a cure all at the time (seriously, check out these ads) and lemonade was super popular at the time. There was even a frozen lemonade bar released in 1924.

It’s also very interesting to me that they refer to actual mangoes, and not the generic fruit term of mango as was often used in contemporary American books.

• Omelettes and junket

• Suet-pudding

• Lemonade

• Coconut milk

• Dates and figs and ground-nuts and ginger and yams

• Lemonade made with the juice of wild oranges and honey

• Pineapples, mangoes and honey

• Roast beef with brown gravy

• Tea, bread and jam

• Toasted muffins