Vintage Cooking Vs. and Pinterest Perfect and Instagram Ideals

Last year I wrote about that old vintage recipe box I found at a garage sale. I love it so much. It dates back to the 20’s as far as I can tell, because some of the scraps of paper inside have the date on them. It has several handwritten recipes inside. Some even indicate they were the owner’s mothers recipes. They are written on batter stained paper, scraps of paper, and on lined index cards. They are yellowed with time, but ageless in lessons.

I fast forward to our day and age, and the craziness of the Internet and cooking. It has become a Pinerest frenzy of recipes and over the top ideas. No longer do we bring cookies or cupcakes to school for snacks, but over the top themed recipes. It is almost as if we are trying to outdo the previous one, and of course we need to take a picture of it and put it on Instagram! The whole world needs to see it. Then the next time around, someone will try to top it!

Will there even be handwritten recipes, and wood boxes to pass down anymore? Or is it all just an electronic catalog now?

I think of the owner of that box. Cooking was something entirely different. Those recipes were passed down and cherished. They were enjoyed by family and friends. They also took time in making them. They may or may not have been elaborate,  but the process was entirely different. The outcome wasn’t to be shared over the Internet, but to be indulged and delighted with family and friends.  It tied people together on a personal level.

Yes, the Internet has changed even cooking these days. Long gone are the days where we passed down mama’s old fashioned oatmeal cookies, but we have traded them in for bigger and better. Pinterest perfect.  Instagram ideals.

I think about who owned that recipe box…how she’ll never know her recipes ended up in a garage sale and ultimately in my kitchen, but I am glad they did. It is a reminder of the simpler. It is a reminder of the true importance of sitting down over a meal or dessert together…and the passing down of ideals. Simple and true.