Menu

**Hors D'oeuvres at Daisy and Tom's Estate (Green):**
//Shrimp Canapé:// These shrimp canapés are composed of avocado, shrimp, and a squeeze of lime juice atop a cracker. Shrimp, a delicacy in many cases, is a food that should be eaten with caution. The not-edible tails need to be avoided carefully, much like the greed of the 1920's. Avocado, a green fruit described with a "rich, buttery smooth flesh" by Produce Pete, are often considered a delicious, but fattening treat, due to its high oil content. Similarly, East Egg is full of people who thrive on such treats, overindulging in irresponsible behavior (using their hoards of //green// money), but like unhealthy snacks, this will only come back to haunt them later. The squeeze of lime juice represents the wild side and recklessness that adds flavor to each of their lives.

//Eggs a la Goldenrod-// Eggs a la "goldenrod" at Daisy and Tom's estate is an ideal appetizer for two reasons: to represent the setting of East Egg and West Egg, and to connect the color "gold" with old money, Tom and Daisy, and all of East Egg.



//Oyster Cocktails-// This particular recipe calls for a small freshly shucked oyster, ice-cold vodka, a dash of tabasco sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice. This combination reinstates the wild, careless attitude of the prominent, wealthy socialites of the 1920's. Although a seemingly peculiar blend, the tabasco sauce and lemon juice contrast for a sour, yet fiery taste with which the rich can drink their problems away.

//Mushrooms Stuffed with Pimientos-// Mushrooms stuffed with pimientos (peppers) may appear one way, but in reality have far more packed towards the bottom of the appetizer. In the same way, characters such as Daisy Buchanan, may appear as if they are simple people without a care in the world who cater to each of their various whims, when in reality Daisy is a serious woman who wants more out of life and is frustrated with her marriage and lifestyle.

**Entrées at Gatsby's Lavish Parties (Red):**
//Smoked Salmon Pinwheels-// Smoked Salmon Pinwheels have the connotation of eye-catching entertainment. They seem so over-the-top and extravagant, almost unnecessarily so, but for Gatsby, each detail serves a critical purpose. His bright pink suit, his ornate platters, his extravagant decorations must catch the eyes of one specific person and one person only: Daisy Buchanan. All of his extravagance, unlike his company, is driven towards the goal of gaining Daisy's love once more. That is why he is the only one that "turned out alright at the end" (2). He is the only one to spend his life working towards one aspiration, and both Nick Carraway and Fitzgerald deem that admirable. //Grilled New York Strip Steak Wild Mushroom and Onion Compote-// The New York Strip Steak is served as a reminder that Gatsby moved from his "Mid-West" home to create a new life in the bustling city of New York. He spent years searching for any signs of Daisy, and now he can look out at the ever-shining green light to remind him that she is merely across the bay. The steak is a very manly meal, which comes along with Gatsby's new persona of the important, wealthy man of West Egg.

//Spiced Baked Hams-// Spiced Baked Hams are one of the entrees mentioned in Chapter 3 of __The Great Gatsby__. They are described as "crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold" (40). The entire bountiful spread is an elaborate display of affection for his one true love.

**Beverages at the Plaza Hotel (Gold):**
//Assorted Teas-// Throughout Prohibition, sales for soft drinks and teas, nonalcoholic substitutes, soared. Tea is much more likely to be served to the aristocracy at the classy Plaza Hotel.

//Coffee-// Most often served black, coffee was an excellent option for all social classes. It became especially popular when the depression hit the United States, as it was a cheap replacement for other drinks.

// Grape Juice//*- Prohibition gave the American wine industry quite a scare. However, they were able to quickly turn their vineyards into grape-juice producing sites. Only a portion of this was actually turned into grape juice; most of it was sold for home-brewed wine. Marketed as "grape juice," plenty of companies, desiring greater consumer demand, provided this homemade wine to Americans. Although it wasn't nearly as good as the original flavor, society simply could not live without their alcohol. How else could they make the poor, careless decisions that turned society towards the downward spiraling depression of the 1930's?

// Sparkling Cider//*- Although the Plaza calls this beverage "sparkling cider," customers such as the Buchanan's and company know they mean champagne. Champagne was commonly used for celebrations as an elaborate touch.

**Desserts in the Valley of Ashes (Natural):**
//Blood Orange Dessert-// This homemade construction is composed of blood oranges, lady fingers, whipped cream, and crushed glazed nuts. Each of the ingredients is fairly simple, but together they create a seemingly decadent dessert. The main source of flavor, the slice of blood orange, is the main connection to __The Great Gatsby__ and the depressing setting that is the Valley of Ashes. Blood orange is especially reminiscent of one specific scene in the Valley of Ashes: the car accident and Myrtle's immediate death. The "blood" sits atop this dessert of simplicity that tries so desperately to be a more elaborate compilation. //Blueberry Pie-// This blueberry pie is representative of Dr. T.J. Eckleberry's eyes which are big, bright, and blue, surrounded by golden spectacles. The blueberry pie follows the same format and has similar symbolism. The blueberries are pure, nutritious, and wholesome located in the heart of the pie. However, the delectable pastry crust taunts the consumer with its saturated fats, calories, and sugars, much like the golden riches overshadow the possible pure hearts of the citizens of the 1920s.

//Frozen Prune Pudding-// This option does not seem like the most appetizing of desserts, as prunes are not too popular. This particular prune pudding has a creamy, fluffy outer edge, like the fluffy, careless attitudes of the 1920's socialites. Conversely, the center of the pudding contains the dark, shriveled prune, which can resemble the dark times that lay past the overindulgent wonders of the '20's. After the careless frivolousness, depression came fast and hard.

**Reflection:**
I have always been drawn to food, its connotations, and the ingredients that make up a meal. I've done my past two PJAS projects studying whipped cream and cake... not your ordinary scientific undertaking. Thus, creating a menu to represent the ins and outs of __The Great Gatsby__ seemed like the perfect fit for my culinary-oriented mind. I decided to have each portion of the menu (hors d'oeuvres, entrees, beverages, and desserts) represent a different scene from the novel which in turn focused on a different message Fitzgerald tried to portray. Hors d'oeuvres at Daisy and Tom's estate represent the old money, greed, and corruption of the socialites of the 1920's. Entrees focus on Gatsby's American dream, unparalled goals, and lost love. Beverages are served at the Plaza Hotel, which brings to light the Prohibition Act of the 1920's. Lastly, desserts are from the Valley of Ashes, an oblique setting that foreshadows the downward turn of America in the years to come. It was surprisingly fun to come up with the potential dishes and how they could connect to the project.

**A Notes Reference:**
http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#1920s provided an excellent resource in showing the typical foods of the time period, suggesting potential platters served at Gatsby's party and providing menus from the 1920s. Google Images provided me with the pictures to decorate this website. I also consulted various other sites (listed below) for more details on dishes I was unfamiliar with and the particulars of numerous foods. http://www.producepete.com/shows/avocado.html http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/OysterShooter.htm http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-pie-crust-standard-type-i18335 And, of course, the basis of this project, my true inspiration: F. Scott Fitzgerald's __The Great Gatsby__ (see quotations for specific page numbers).