Tasty yeast is tempting to your appetite (Revised and Updated)

There really was a chocolate-covered yeast candy bar called Tastyeast. 

When I was a kid in the 1970s, I got a cassette tape from the heavily advertised Radio Reruns series of old-time radio programs called "50 Radio Commercials--From the early days of radio to the present (1960)." It was probably the best of the series to introduce a young person of the '70s to the "golden age" of radio as it gave a nice cross section of the programs, personalities and sponsors of that era with catchy old jingles ("Pepsi-Cola hits the spot") and sales pitches by the likes of Arthur Godfrey (Chesterfield, Cremo cigars), Walter Winchell (Jergen's lotion), Jack Armstrong the All-American Boy (Wheaties), Tom Mix (Shredded Ralston), Superman (Kellogg's Pep), Frank Crumit (Roi-Tan cigars), etc. 

But there was one 1930s-era jingle that confused me. It sounded like they were singing about "Easter candy" which didn't really make sense, described as a candy bar that had vitamins "hiding" in it and that it was a "creamy food delight" that children would like.

Tasty yeast is tempting to your appetite

Creamy, wholesome candy, try a luscious bite

Vitamins are hiding in this candy bar

Pep, vim and vigor linger where they are

Children like this lovely creamy food delight

Let them eat it daily every morning, noon and night

You will see them growing stronger every day

Taking yeast this handy dandy candy way.

After years of vaguely wondering what they were advertising, I finally decided to do some research. It was not, as reported on some blogs (including this one originally) an ad for Fleischmann's yeast but for a candy bar called Tastyeast, which was essentially a lump of yeast coated in chocolate to make it more palatable. 

Tastyeast, Inc., based in Trenton, New Jersey, sponsored The Gloom Chasers, a comedy program on CBS Radio going back to 1931, where the jingle was apparently first used, and other advertising touted how eating yeast "this way" (with chocolate fudge) was "delicious."

But from a contemporary perspective, the question is, why in the hell would anyone want to eat yeast, chocolate covered or otherwise?

 "Eat Yeast for Health" was a popular slogan in the first half of the 20th Century that many Americans took to heart. As consumers, particularly in urban areas, were buying baked goods from bakeries rather than making their own, the makers of Fleischmann's Yeast, by far the largest marketers of the product, quite successfully boosted sales with an "Eat Yeast for Health" campaign, claiming it gave one's body much needed vitamins that built muscles and helped cure everything from constipation to bad breath to acne, and a whole lot more.Vitamins were a fairly new discovery then, unknown until around the turn of the century, and by the 1920s vitamins were the latest health craze. 

People were urged to eat two or three cakes of yeast (moist, fresh compressed yeast coming in small foil packets, not active dry yeast) a day, and for those who found the live fungus repulsive in taste, some of the ads suggested mashing a cake into a drinking glass and mixing it with tomato juice or milk, which still seemed disgusting to some. So why not chocolate covered yeast?

"Three bars of Tastyeast daily are sufficient to supply adults with a dependable and adequate amount of Vitamins B and G (later renamed B1) as contained in yeast," claimed an ad. "These are best taken between or after meals, not before them." Two bars a day were recommended for children. 

"Enjoy the benefits of yeast without the taste of yeast," other ads claimed. 

In the 1930s and '40s, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) started cracking down on the more outlandish health claims being made in advertising for yeast products. As for Tastyeast, by the 1940s the company was sold to the Charms Candy Company and by the 1950s, the brand was phased out.

BEER PARTY/USA

"BEER PARTY/USA is a unique entertainment idea that is traditional, patriotic Americana, yet new and fresh. In concept, it captures the spirit of America--the big parade down Main Street, U.S.A., the carnival highlights of national holidays, the band concert on the village green. In essence, it connotes good fellowship, fun, gaiety, and the supurb quality of American beers." So reads a 36-page booklet published around 1966 by the United States Brewers Association called "BEER PARTY/USA."

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The booklet continues. "Everything about your BEER PARTY/USA should be American. Appropriate music can set the stage, from the lilting melodies of Victor Herbert and the homespun tunes of the "Gay Nineties" to the orchestrations of Cole Porter and selections from the latest Broadway hits. The basic decor should be red, white and blue--the nation's colors, but you may add a shade or two of your own to fit the occasion."

"BEER PARTY/USA" is an interesting bit of ephemera from what a lot of people these days would call the "Mad Men" era, reflecting the optimistic side of the Kennedy-Johnson years of the early 1960s, a time of leisure, suburbia, unbridled patriotism in the face of a percieved communist menace, lounge music, dreams of flying to the moon, and of course, plastics. It might have also been the era of martinis and tiki drinks, but this booklet was from the Brewers Association, so it was all about defining and promoting beer as the true all-American party beverage for all occasions.

Although the vast majority of American beers at the time were virtually alike--the variety of brands, labels, packaging and advertising were far more interesting than the mild flavored, basic yellow brew they all represented--the booklet stresses the importance in putting much thought in choosing and serving the right beer for your party.
 

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"One of the first decisions--how to serve your beer. Will it be in bottles--and if so, the easy non-returnable or returnable? Will it be in cans--easy-open or regular? Or is this THE party for a keg of draught beer? Much depends on the particular occasion and how many people will attend...

"For those assisting at the party, whether family or friends or paid help, be sure to let them know in advance your plans and needs. Who will bring the ice to cool the beer?"

It even suggests having someone play the role of Mr. Beer Opener. "To get the party started and to keep it moving, the host or a friend might be MR. BEER OPENER for the evening--perhaps with appropriate dress and big tag identification. Not only does he open and serve the cans or bottles, or tap the keg of beer; he helps open the party, open the conversation, provide the informality, the spark, the conviviality which sets the pace for a happy occasion."




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The booklet goes on with ideas for entertainment and party decor. "Gather all your old (or new) magazines and newspapers. Cut out pictures and advertisements, paste them on shirt cardboards, and with a felt marker print underneath and alongside funny quotations or sayings pertaining to the BEER PARTY/USA occasion. Hang or tape the pictures around the house or apartment; put lots in the area where the beer is being served...


"Everyone agrees that music sets any BEER PARTY/USA in full swing. It can be any type of presentation. The phonograph generally proves most practical. Before guests arrive, select a variety of records. You can then relax and enjoy the evening. If you are lucky enough to have 'home' musicians on the guest list, ask them to 'bring-a-long' their insturments and you've got ready-made festivity for the affair! Have song sheets available. Choose some old and some new 'favorite' tunes. Type the words on paper for each guest. It's great to have a piano, but if you don't, there's usually one good voice to start the singing. Then just watch and listen--they'll never stop!"

 

For party decorations, the booklet suggests using old beer bottles for flowers and as candle holders, and for the dinnertable centerpiece, "Include beer bottles, beer drawings or some allusion to beer in the display." It also suggests spray painting artichokes and lemons in a red, white and blue color scheme, and suggestions for a "patio candlerama."

 

"Beer bottles are more attractive than ever before. You can achieve many unique designs by decorating beer bottles with paint, ribbons, jewels and other decorative ornaments. They can be used for flower vases, candle holders or favors for your guests...Small artificial flowers around the base of the bottle can be most attractive."

 

There's a section on tips for serving beer, tips on properly displaying the flag and bunting, seasonal "BEER PARTIES/USA," birthday and anniversary "BEER PARTIES/USA," and beer recipies including "Brewmaster's Steak," "Beer-Glazed Ham," "Beer-Becued Spareribs," "Beer Cheese Wafers," and even "Birthday Beer Cake."

 

There's also a section on Social Hints. "Nowadays there are less rigid party rules than in the past," the booklet acknowleges. "The hour for your party and the placing of your table and your silverware may be to your choosing--provided it is done tastefully and thoughtfully."

 

But even in the 1960s, there were still some rigid (and some might say sexist) rules regarding introductions. "It's difficult for many of us to remember proper form on introductions. Here's a good tip: with two important exceptions, gentlemen are always introduced TO ladies. The proper form goes like this: 'Mr. Jones, this is Mrs. Smith.' Or, 'Mrs. Smith, may I present Mr. Jones.' The two exceptions are clergymen and important public officials. In these instances, reverse it, as follows: 'Mrs. Smith, this is Reverend Jones.' Or, 'Mayor Jones, may I present Mrs. Smith.'"

 

Throughout the booklet, the word "gay" is used a lot--presumably the archaic old meaning of the word. "Use color, a gay tablecloth, bright napkins," it suggests in setting up a buffet table. Another suggestion: "if you're not good at names, or it's a large party, use name tags--the simple stick-on kind, which come in gay colors." It all adds up to a very gay BEER PARTY/USA.



 



Pierre's Proffesional Recipes for the Housewife

In the late 1930s, a feature called "Pierre's Professional Recipes for the Housewife" was syndicated to newspapers across the country by J.C. Mutty of Rochester, New York. It was a comic strip featuring a French chef, complete with a mustache and white chef's hat, demonstrating in simple, easy-to-follow illustrations, how to prepare main courses for evening meals. That is, if the Depression-era housewives reading the strip in their local papers could afford things like baked ham, lamb shoulder and crown roast. In some American households at the time, the family was lucky to get canned soup and crackers for dinner.

Still, for people interested in old recipes and chef lore, these comic strips are rather interesting and the recipes might be worth trying, if one has the gumption. The samples reprinted below originally appeared in the Minneapolis Tribune from 1937-1938.

Dixie Baked Ham
(originally published July 20, 1937)

                                                          
Roast Lamb Shoulder
(originally published January 7, 1938)

 

                                                           
Sauerbraten
(originally published January 13, 1938)

                                                           
Crown Roast of Pork or Lamb
(originally published January 21, 1938)

   



                                                        
Shepherd's Roast
(originally published June 17, 1938)