Shop Notes:
Imagine yourself road-tripping through Florida in the 1980s, riding in the back of your grandparents' Oldsmobile Cutless Calais, windows down and your bare feet catching air through the tiny back window while you lounge in the plushy back seat and watch the palm trees whizz by. Grandpa pulls into Stuckey's to fill that monster of a gas tank with unleaded while your grandmother excuses herself to go inside and pick up another pack of Virginia Slims. She returns with enough smokes to get to Miami, a huge pair of Tammy Faye sunglasses, and a bag of oranges. She turns and gives you one of those big lipstick smiles, a wink, and then tosses a crinkly, plastic-wrapped candy pecan log into the backseat for you to share with your sister. That whale of a car glides its way back onto the highway, slicing the salty air towards the coast.
Later on down the road, your grandmother digs into her shopping bag again and pulls out a green, spiral-bound cookbook. She opens it to a recipe for "Gator Tail" and teases your grandfather about making it for dinner tomorrow. He chuckles and tells her he'll try it right after she does. Maybe they can pick one up on the way, he can see one one peeking over the side of the road now. She chuckles, adjusts her new sunglasses, and pages to the Dessert chapter while the ash on her cigarette defies physics.
What I'm saying is, this cookbook is a throwback to another time. It has its own vibe.
The recipes are classic Florida, highlighting many of the restaurants tourists would encounter along their travels with descriptions, photos, and recipes. This is a fun book for folks (like me) who spent a good bit of the 1980s making that long drive down the peninsula to visit family and the beach.
From the Publisher:
The term "Florida Cracker" is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their families have lived in the state for many generations. This classic cookbook has recipes that have been handed down for many years. You'll find recipes for Swamp Cabbage, Hoppingjohn, Frog Legs, Turtle Soup, Key Lime Pie, Gator Burgers and much more.
Release Date: 1984 (1989 Printing)
Condition: Good - book has age wear on front and small mark on back from a previous price tag.
