Customer Reviews

The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan: Classic Diet Recipe Cards from the 1970s

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wendy McClure has produced an absolute culinary gem with this book, but not in the traditional sense. She has assembled an amazing array of revolting recipes from the 1970s that are thoughtfully arranged for the gourmet in categories like "Soups, Salads, Snacks, Sorrow," and "Main Dish Malevolence."

Most (if not all) of these recipes came from glossy and colorful, yet extremely unphotogenic "Weight Watchers Recipe Cards" that were supposed to be both slenderizing and delicious. I can imagine that the success of anyone dieting using these cards was largely due to loss of appetite. Sample recipe titles selected at random include: "Sloppy Joes Manila" (which is the only Filipino soul food recipe I have ever seen,) "Crown Roast of Frankfurters" (which may well be the most ridiculous looking dish ever made,) "Piquant Salmon on Toast" (I'm not even going to tell you what this looks like,) something called "Frozen Cheese Salad" (which doesn't even conceptually make sense to me,) and "Fluffy Mackerel Pudding," to which words can't begin to do justice. Who, exactly, thought the three words "fluffy," "mackerel," and "pudding" could ever be used as the title of a remotely palatable dish no matter what order they are listed in? (It is worth mentioning that it is garnished lovingly with sliced hard-boiled egg, for extra temptation.)

Truly, this is a book of gastronomic nightmares that is comparable only to "The Gallery of Regrettable Food" (which I also highly recommend.) If you are serious, and I mean really serious, about losing weight, buy this book and make these dishes religiously: if you do so you will likely be veritably skeletal in no time flat.

This is an utterly brilliant, yet haunting, book.

The funniest thing, my Mom owns these cards and by now they must be quite valuable. (eBay anyone?) But maybe even funnier is that Mom NEVER made a one of these recipes, choosing instead to display her little plastic box in a prominent corner of her avocado green kitchen, "just to look at."

Mom honestly revered this collection, was proud of it, and of her membership in Weight Watchers, with all their scientific bulletins and helpful hints they'd mail to her on a regular basis. She felt special, a step above. Not many women in the neighborhood were on Weight Watchers at that time. Slavic cooks go heavy on the pork and sauerkraut and noodles and dumplings. Mom was cutting-edge, in-the-know.

That said, Mom thought the food too delicate, too pretty, too TOO ... to actually fix and eat. And in a Cinderella Princess type way -- "nice" pretty, candlelit-restaurant pretty. Too good for your regular weekday when-Dad-gets-home-from-work supper. And also likely a little too challenging for Mom's limited culinary skills, which I've inherited. On and off diets all her life (sound familiar?) Mom stuck to cottage cheese and carrot sticks mostly, which is why she was more off a diet than on. But from time to time she'd eye her little box, dust it off carefully, flip through it reverently, sigh to herself and say, "I wonder if the Jewel has red cabbage or olives on sale this week. I JUST might try and fix this elegant gorgeous beautiful fancy salad .... "

McClure's paperback is a collection of over two hundred Weight Watchers recipe cards, circa 1974. She originally published a subset of the cards, accompanied by her mocking comments, on her web site in 2003. Her web site disclaimer reads, " This site is not affiliated with Weight Watchers International, Inc., whose present-day recipes are very nice and do not look like a-- at all." The book is a terrific complement to the online version, which only offers a few dozen of these delightfully kooky recipes.

Ever wonder how "diet" food got a bad rap? Look no further than these full-color pictures taken with "a prop department that was clearly out of control." The dated dishware and table accouterments top off recipes such as Spinach and Egg Mold, Rosy Perfection Salad, Mexican Shrimp-Orange Salad, Fish Balls, and Frankfurter Spectacular. Any criticisms that McClure had an easy job because she just happened upon a recipe card bonanza are way, way out of line. Sure, Weight Watchers provided some great base material, but this book is a terrific success because of McClure's narration, puns, and critical commentary. I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun flipping through a box of recipe cards without the commentary.

McClure even inspired me to dig out a 1970's Good Housekeeping book and email around the best photos of molded salmon puree and exotic "Mexican" food.

The recipes shown are truly disgusting, and Wendy's commentary is nothing short of hysterical. If you grew up in the 70s, or even in the 80s, you'll love this book.

Made the mistake of reading this alone. Laughed so hard I couldn't catch my breath. I got a little panicked. I strongly suggest reading only when someone is nearby, listening for choking sounds.

Although I don't know that my mother ever had these cards, I know she was a member of weight-watchers from way back, and I just wish she was around to see this book - she'd find it as hilarious as I do. I loved the commentary. There are some reviewer for this book that said that the humor was low-brow; but to be honest, their reviews are somewhat coarse and harsh. Some of them are are offended by the fun being poked at the past. This is one of a many books out now that lets us have fun with the past.

And, yes, someone will make fun of things we do now 30 years from now. I'll buy those books, too. If you can't laugh at yourself, then you need to reexamine the life you're living and try not to take things too seriously! If you have a mom who may have made any of these recipes way back then, buy this book for them as a stocking stuffer. They'll probably enjoy it.

This book just hit me. My 17 year old son and I were nearly on the floor. You know how some things just catch you the right way. This woman and I would definitely get along. I would recommend this to anyone and am planning on sending it to many of my Weight Watcher friends. I think it helps that in 1974 I was 12 and I do remember these kind of sets and the sort of "Galloping Gourmet" gone wrong, sleezy 70's cuisine. I had suppressed these memories and thought that was for the best, but now that I've read Wendy's book I know that keeping these memories bottled up is not the way to go. I can't recall the last time anyone ever mentioned eating mackeral to me. As everything old is often new again, I can only hope that by exposing this sort of dietary hell to a new generation we will prevent further tragedies. We needed a modern feminine Upton Sinclair to expose the dark underbelly of diets in the past and the horrendous, misguided and downright sad home decor as well. A gem, pure and simple as frozen coffee on a stick. Thank you Ms. McClure!

This book absolutely cracked me up. I'm literally still laughing. The photos are...unbelievable, and the text, written by the very amusing Wendy McClure (check out her memoir, "I'm Not the New Me"), is hilarious. Apparently, she used actual Weight-Watchers recipe cards from the 1970s,
which are so horrific as to be mind-boggling, and captioned them with sharply funny, mocking descriptions of the "food." Some of the photos pretty much speak for themselves. What can you say, really, about "Surprise Chowder"? And can you guess what "Cabbage Casserole Czarina" is? Do you even want to know? Aren't you dying to try "Fluffy Mackerel Pudding"?

One of my favorites is "Jellied Tomato Refresher." There's a picture of some...creepy red goopy stuff decomposing in glasses, which are placed, mysteriously, in front of a clock. Wendy writes: "Yes, let's have these in BRANDY SNIFTERS. Let's just tip our heads back and let the chunks in. The time you spent eating these is time you'll want back at the very end of your life. That's why they're served with a clock."

You have got to get this book! Get a bunch of them to give away! Makes a perfect gift for anyone with a sense of humor.

This is the most hilarious book...ever. Any page leaves me in stitches. And its not just me...at a holiday get together people who picked up the book would read just one page and start to giggle. Two pages and the chortles would come. Just don't do three pages -- that's when the hiccups and eyes watering and choking start! If you love the humor of exaggeration, this book is for you. If Dave Barry leaves you cold, leave it for someone with a funny bone. By the way, the fact that these are diet recipe cards isn't really the issue. It's the 50's presentation that these 70's cards featured that combine with the unappetizing ideas in this funny way. But who cares, just enjoy. Me, I'll give away my extra copy to the next person who needs a laugh.

This book is funny. I saw some of the cards on the author's website, and I had to buy the book. The comments on the recipes are especially witty. This little treasure is best enjoyed *after* a meal, lest it put a damper on appetites.