The Terrifying Cold-Storage Banquet of 1911

In 1911, 400 invited guests, including the movers and shakers of Chicago, food industry bigwigs, and city officials, sat down to a banquet at the Hotel Sherman. This was on October 23, which is important, because the printed menu included items like "April Egg Salad" and "Roast February Capon," which sounded frightening to diners. It was the world's first "cold-storage banquet." Nothing on the menu was fresh, but it had been stored in refrigerated facilities.

Before refrigeration, most people were limited to locally produced milk, which was difficult in cities, and fresh fruits and vegetables could only be had when they were locally in season. Meat had to be delivered to cities on the hoof. Still, the public had to be sold on the concept of refrigeration and what it could do, not to mention its safety. Some of Chicago's elite predicted dire consequences from the cold-storage banquet. Read how the banquet came about and what happened afterward at Atlas Obscura.


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