It is definitely not a Seder plate. :)

Kellogg was quite a character. In truth, I have a lot of admiration for him. Some of his ideas were a tad wacky, but I get the strong impression that he was acting at all times according to his beliefs–whether they were strictly medically correct by modern standards or not. Likely he made money hand over fist due to the San, but I never got the impression that that was his object. My impression is that he viewed himself as a man with a responsibility to bring wisdom and plain common sense to the people for their betterment.

I think he acted with integrity according to what he viewed his mission to be…I have to respect that. I’m not arguing with you, mind, just blabbing.

And to mention just one data point; he did live to be 91, after all. All those years of Protose may have paid off. :)

I also should say that the movie “The Road to Wellville” does him very short shrift and annoys me. They took the cheap cartoonish route with that movie, and the story is not as rich as it could have been IMO.

To contrast, you can read if you like his “Household Monitor of Health” online: [link] When I did, I was surprised at the sheer volume of good practical common sense health advice in there. Sprinkled with absolute nonsense here and there, to be sure (“Effects of Drinking Ice-Water” chapter).

However, if it turns out he spurned Michigan Beet Sugar, then I’m afraid I’ll have to lower my estimation…

Heck, he probably didn’t even like Michigan beet sugar.

And since last fortnight you challenged me to silly guesses, I will suggest that it is:

- A palette for painting, particularly seascapes.
- A special dish used by restaurants to serve a sampler platter of six soups, with a spot for oyster crackers in the middle.
- A somewhat melted attempt at putting suction cups on a frisbee.
- A dish used by a jeweler to display loose pearls.
- An early mock-up for the Lord of the Rings movies of the eye of Sauron.
- A dish used to taste-test different grades of Michigan beet sugar.

That is really a fascinating detail about the beef. It makes perfect sense. Oysters, if not shipped shucked, were of course live and fresh when they arrived in AA and Ypsi stores.

I would be less than charmed if my nice beef roast had…some extra protein (stomach churns).

I remember reading though (don’t remember where) that the Midwestern popularity of the oysters from the opening of the Erie Canal until refrigeration became common, had a lot to do with them being competitive in price with beef and other meats, and especially because they were fresh — live when you cooked them, not sold a week after slaughter and shipped in ice and sawdust like beef, which often was tough and full of maggots by the time it was served.

In AA of course there is the nationally-recognized food history collection at the Clements Library, a real treasure. Lots of simply wonderful artifacts in there.

I read somewhere in my research that in line with your “mountains” of oysters comment that there were hundreds of oyster saloons and simple roadside stands in NYC in the late 19th century. They were everywhere.

And I must leave an obligatory Mencken quote here:

“The largest genuine Maryland oyster—the veritable bivalve of the Chesapeake…is as large as your open hand. A magnificent, matchless reptile! Hard to swallow? Dangerous? Perhaps to the novice, the dastard. But to the veteran of the raw bar, the man of trained and lusty esophagus, a thing of prolonged and kaleidoscopic flavors, a slow sipping saturnalia, a delirium of joy!” –H. L. Mencken, 1913