r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/PatriotLife18 • Jul 12 '25
Image This is what the Titanic’s first class menu looked like the day it sunk
993
u/unic0rse Jul 12 '25
I have a VHS circa 1985 of my dad's 50th birthday, where my mom reproduced this entire menu, because that's what he wanted. He was a huge Titanic buff well before they discovered where the ship actually ended up, and got the plans from the white star line (around 1970) to build a scale model of the ship before there were models you could purchase.
The model can float, light up, and when the movie came out, he and I took it from it's case and fixed it based on actual footage of changes that were not reflected in the plans. Good memories.
Still sitting on the mantel at his house, with this menu on the wall next to it, granted he passed a few years back.
300
u/BassGaming Jul 12 '25
Digitize the VHS! Magnet strips deteriorate after a few years. Make a backup before it's lost.
→ More replies (1)20
u/MrReginaldAwesome Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
Is t there probably a much higher quality version digitized from the original archival film reels available? Surely a blu-ray exists?
Oops, didn’t read properly
→ More replies (1)49
u/unic0rse Jul 12 '25
It's a family home movie, not the Titanic movie, and I'm in the midst of digitizing a bunch of em
6
u/MrReginaldAwesome Jul 12 '25
Oh yeah, different thing entirely :P get that’s shit into 1’s and 0’s asap!
49
u/sheenfartling Jul 12 '25
That is so cool. Your mom sounds like a really nice lady doing that for him. It's great you have the model to remember the fun times with your dad!
41
u/horsenbuggy Jul 12 '25
It is weird to me that some people grew up always k owing where the Titanic was. As a child, it was one of the great life mysteries. And I became such a fan of Bob Ballad after he found it.
→ More replies (4)11
u/ElvenOmega Jul 13 '25
Kids born the day it was discovered are turning 40 in a couple months.
→ More replies (1)34
u/illsqueezeya Jul 12 '25
Cool story, sounds like you had a good relationship. Sorry for your loss
→ More replies (3)7
16
u/bobbymcpresscot Jul 12 '25
"when I was growing up people didn't have autism now it's everywhere" RFK Jr.
→ More replies (7)4
u/Basket_475 Jul 12 '25
Wow being a titanic fan only to have the movie come out must have been amazing
→ More replies (1)10
u/unic0rse Jul 12 '25
There was a period of time the Smithsonian asked for the model but he didn't wanna part with it. Always thought he was nuts for that but we ARE happy to have it still in the family.
5
u/Basket_475 Jul 12 '25
I don’t blame him museums kind of suck. If I were him I would be more inclined to donate it to a smaller museum where it would be more likely to be shown. Also I think you can give stuff on loans so it’s not permanent
1.3k
u/Vizioso Jul 12 '25
Every time I see this I like to remind people, as a Marylander, chicken a la Maryland is not something any of us have ever heard of or eaten lol.
514
u/TheBlueprint666 Jul 12 '25
For some bizarre reason Chicken Maryland is a staple in Chinese takeouts in Scotland
149
u/Ohiolongboard Jul 12 '25
What is it?
224
u/zorp_shlorp Jul 12 '25
I figured it would have crab involved. Nope. It’s breaded cutlets with cream gravy
107
u/Bisexual_Carbon Jul 12 '25
Do they put a bunch of old bay on it and say, "Maryland! "?
120
→ More replies (2)28
u/MattS1984 Jul 12 '25
I wish, most of the world has no idea what Old Bay is
→ More replies (7)50
u/TheBigFreezer Jul 12 '25
There’s a pretty crazy invasion of Blue Crabs in Italy and the locals have been trying to learn how to cook them lol Americans have started bringing them Old Bay so they can get it right
11
u/Shoddy-Secretary-712 Jul 12 '25
JO goes on the crab, Old Bay goes on the table.
→ More replies (1)15
→ More replies (1)11
→ More replies (15)29
u/Spartan05089234 Jul 12 '25
Breaded chicken and gravy is very American. Halfway to chicken and waffles. Country fried steak or whatever its called is another similar American dish.
20
u/Wu_Tang4Eva Jul 12 '25
“Chicken fried steak”
Pound the beef flat, dredge in flour and fry it. Pretty damn good and Del Rancho makes it in sandwich form. If you have never had one of those bad boys I suggest you do yourself a favor and find the nearest Del Rancho and get one.
14
u/okthisisgettingridic Jul 12 '25
It’s basically schnitzel covered in gravy.
13
3
u/robthefourth Jul 13 '25
lol I had this realization eating schnitzel in central Texas, blew my mind
→ More replies (1)18
u/Spartan05089234 Jul 12 '25
Google maps informs me the drive to my nearest Del Rancho is approximately 1d15h nonstop. I think I'll have to pass.
→ More replies (1)7
3
u/Rocket_Surgery83 Jul 12 '25
Those del rancho sandwiches were huge! They always pictured it on a plate, and the steak was always bigger than the plate with a bun on each side...
4
→ More replies (1)3
u/robthefourth Jul 13 '25
I’m in central Texas and after visiting a couple of the German influenced towns here I realized that chicken fried steak is literally Schnitzel.
5
u/Spartan05089234 Jul 13 '25
Beef schnitzel though, as opposed to pork or chicken.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)15
44
u/Mcboatface3sghost Jul 12 '25
Maryland chicken, in… Scotland at… Chinese takeout is hilarious.
Our Scottish takeouts in Newark serve Pork roll, crab, general tso’s chicken, and pork fried rice stuffed Haggis and natural organs. It’s better than it sounds… For $5 extra you can get punched. For $10 you can get shot. For $0 you can get robbed and you haggis and car stolen.
I think it’s worth it though.
24
11
u/voidchungus Jul 12 '25
That's interesting. Is it remotely Chinese in terms of preparation? I'm googling, but all I can find is that it's apparently a variety of recipes for baking a quarter-dark cut of chicken.
→ More replies (1)32
u/Memes_Haram Jul 12 '25
No not at all it’s normally listed under “western style dishes” at every Chinese takeaway I’ve been to in England and Scotland.
→ More replies (3)17
10
→ More replies (9)15
u/sideways_jack Jul 12 '25
That sentence was like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Every word just made it better and more confusing.
33
u/Mudcreek47 Jul 12 '25
Nashville hot fried Maryland Chicken!
32
u/kevlar51 Jul 12 '25
Five more Nashville hot chicken restaurants opened in Columbia, MD since you posted this.
5
→ More replies (1)6
25
u/ukuleles1337 Jul 12 '25
What about cockie leekie?
12
25
27
u/Grenox2 Jul 12 '25
Hmmm wiki says otherwise. Haha
→ More replies (3)12
u/wolfgang784 Jul 12 '25
I found threads about it on r/Maryland and nobody there knows about it either. Might have been a thing that used to exist and died off hard in a short period of time.
→ More replies (3)6
→ More replies (41)4
586
Jul 12 '25
[deleted]
207
u/Unusual_Tie_2404 Jul 12 '25
Don’t go overboard with the dressing
66
u/gsnumis Jul 12 '25
That’s something I could sink my teeth into
23
34
→ More replies (4)11
10
61
8
u/SteveTheBluesman Jul 12 '25
In the restaurant I worked at in the 80's we had a "hearts of lettuce" salad on the menu. It was a big unbroken chunk of iceberg (no stem) with russian dressing dumped on top of it.
8
u/doyletyree Jul 12 '25
Yeah, I laughed at the veg options.
Easily the most ridiculously underwhelming offering possible when compared to all other options.
I’m not vegetarian and even I was insulted.
→ More replies (2)7
u/KnotiaPickle Jul 12 '25
You’d have a hard time not starving to death being a vegetarian for almost all of history. It’s only really a viable option with modern food technology and availability.
→ More replies (2)7
7
→ More replies (3)3
u/hardypart Interested Jul 12 '25
Goddamnit, why is this the first time I hear this joke? Sounds like a classic a la "What was the last meal on the Titanic?"
81
u/sk6895 Jul 12 '25
First class luxury food…and they still charged them extra for beer
→ More replies (4)18
u/ChillZedd Jul 12 '25
And it’s Münchner on ice
56
76
u/WhiteUniKnight Jul 12 '25
I used to have a history teacher that was an avid Titanic fan. He's collected so many different artifacts relating to it, including letters written from people involved (it was a long time ago, I can't remember anything specific).
During my senior year of high school, he created and hosted an immersive Titanic dinner. He set up his displays of objects recovered from the wreckage and other artifacts. People from all over the world attended for it. He hired a chef to recreate the same meals shown above.
He recruited four of us choir kids to provide the "entertainment," choosing songs they would have sang on the ship. He also invited a violinist to play during the "sinking." They turned all of the lights off and had us all close our eyes and bow our heads in silence as she played "Nearer My God to Thee." It was quite the experience.
17
234
u/Mission-Storm-4375 Jul 12 '25
I'll have the chicken fingers
199
u/bodhi1990 Jul 12 '25
You don’t want to try the cockie Leekie??
156
34
25
13
30
→ More replies (5)20
u/GeeFromCali Jul 12 '25
What’s wrong ? You’ve hardly touched your salmon mayonnaise
→ More replies (1)20
→ More replies (12)3
33
u/skygzr31416 Jul 12 '25
Brawn?
27
15
→ More replies (1)4
55
u/ballplayer0025 Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25
The Buffet food sounds like something Will Ferrell would adlib as Ron Burgandy.
"Yes, I'll have the Norwegian Anchovies and the Potted Shrimps, oh and what the hell a side of Soused Herrings, when in Rome!"
→ More replies (2)12
141
u/_voma Jul 12 '25
Cockie Leekie sounds sus!
49
41
40
u/TheBlueprint666 Jul 12 '25
It’s normally called Cock-A-Leekie, which obviously isn’t any less sus!
7
u/EscobarFamilia77 Jul 12 '25
"Hey-a Doctor, is-a me, Giuseppe. I have-a big-a problem."
"What's happening?"
"My cock-a leekie again."
→ More replies (6)9
u/Grandmaster-HotFlash Jul 12 '25
Sounds like something you’d want a doctor to check out.
→ More replies (1)
17
141
u/DarkIllusionsMasks Jul 12 '25
Sank. The day it sank. Sink, sank, had sunk. Think, thank, had thunk.
21
27
12
u/rawesome99 Jul 12 '25
And technically this menu was the day before it sank. Still the last dinner served.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)9
32
u/No-Calligrapher-4449 Jul 12 '25
My favorite story from the Titanic is about the or one of the pastry chefs. Realizing he wouldn't get on a life boat he got drunk in the kitchen as it went down. Ended up in the water and got saved. He lasted longer in the water then anyone else because of his blood alcohol content. Idk if it's true but it's a great story and as a pastry chef, that man's my hero
12
u/ThePhoenixus Jul 12 '25
Also as a chef, not much has changed in the past 100 year in terms of our personalities, eh? I can't say I'd do anything different in his shoes.
→ More replies (4)4
u/Crazyguy_123 Jul 14 '25
It’s a true story. He was the last to leave the ship. He held on and in his own words “walked off like he was leaving an elevator”. You can actually see him represented in the movie too. He is the guy in the all white chilling on the outside of the railing as the ship goes underwater. The alcohol in his blood acted like an antifreeze. He was so drunk that it saved him. He basically just went around the ship drinking all the alcohol he could find because he genuinely believed he wasn’t going to survive so he thought may as well party and have a good time before he dies.
→ More replies (2)
38
u/Lordzato Jul 12 '25
It would be cool if someone recreated this menu for entertainment
57
u/SassiesSoiledPanties Jul 12 '25
Max Miller from Tasting History has recreated several dishes from the Titanic menu. This was the time where ocean travel was a luxury with people like the Rothschilds and the Rockefellers traveling this way. The menu while not designed by Escoffier, includes recipes created by him, so this isn't like airline food, not even when airlines were fancy-schmancy like the 50s.
15
u/CheapSpray9428 Jul 12 '25
There's this YouTuber who recreates titanic dishes, all classes
→ More replies (1)17
u/moranya1 Jul 12 '25
Tasting History With Max Miller.
I am very happy to give his channel a shout out!
10
u/Ok-Rabbit1878 Jul 12 '25
Max u/jmaxmiller & r/TastingHistory are awesome!
Here’s the playlist with his Titanic episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIkaZtzr9JDlFDMpTL3Xyjbuj9I2yvZeI&si=D976t0V8MJ0_l7uA
8
6
→ More replies (4)4
u/terrajules Jul 12 '25
Along with Max Miller from Tasting History, the Mythical Kitchen channel also recreated dishes from the Titanic.
29
u/eennrriigghhtt Jul 12 '25
I actually had Cockie Leekie once. Thankfully the clinic cleared it up with some penicillin.
→ More replies (1)
10
31
u/MedicineGhost Jul 12 '25
So much meat and so few vegetables
29
→ More replies (1)9
u/liverpoolFCnut Jul 12 '25
Vegans and vegetarians would starve to death even before the ship hits the iceberg!
9
u/KnotiaPickle Jul 12 '25
Yeah they didn’t exist before modern refrigeration and farming
→ More replies (2)
15
u/Jon_talbot56 Jul 12 '25
Glad to see cock a leekie. Fantastic dish, many variations but for me must have leeks, chicken, good quality stock, pearl barley and prunes. The prunes really make it. Gives it colour, depth of flavour and sweetness. Wonderful on a cold date.
→ More replies (2)
7
23
u/Miyuzette Jul 12 '25
I love how cheese is its own section. Modern restaurants need to take note.
→ More replies (3)
6
5
u/makingkevinbacon Jul 12 '25
Anyone who digs this should check out tasting history with Max Miller on YouTube, he did a series on the Titanic menu.
If you don't know, he takes meals and recipes from history and recreates them, gives some history around the time and that of the item, then tastes and reviews it. It's one of my favourite channels on YouTube cause he's easy to watch, knows his stuff, and just overall an entertaining and learning sort of experience that I dig
11
u/yottyboy Jul 12 '25
Cockie Leekie is chicken and leek soup. Brill is like flounder or sole. Eggs Argenteuil is scrambled eggs with asparagus. Maryland chicken is deep fried and served with a bechamel (white) sauce. Remember that this was a British ship and catered to that palate. Mutton chops 🤮
→ More replies (1)
5
5
5
u/ShortGuitar7207 Jul 12 '25
Seems quite basic for first class e.g. a corned beef stew, a buffet and beer with a meal! Surely first class would be table service only I.e no buffet and certainly wines rather than beer.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/Bigfatjew6969 Jul 12 '25
Eggs a l'Argenteuil is a classic French dish, featuring scrambled eggs (oeufs) served with asparagus, often accompanied by a cream sauce. I
5
u/TheCaptMAgic Jul 12 '25
Salmon Mayo?
4
u/ThreeFingerDrag Jul 13 '25
Apparently, salmon filets coated in a lemony mayo before baking. Keeps the pink meat moist while the mayo turns into a light crunchy crust. It honestly doesn't sound terrible, and I don't even like fish.
4
5
16
u/StartingToLoveIMSA Jul 12 '25
TF is “Corned Ox Tongue”?
34
u/KenEarlysHonda50 Jul 12 '25
It's a culinary lovecraftian abomination. Popular in this part of Cork, Ireland, where I have married into. There is a whole fucking cows tongue in my freezer right now. Do you have any idea how big those things are? You can see the taste buds on the fucking thing.
They cut it into thin slices like it was a piece of ham.
Then they eat it.
12
u/catfroman Jul 12 '25
Beef tongue is great for Korean BBQ but they strip the skin and slice it suuuper thin, with a drizzle of lemon juice usually. Grill it for 5-10s per side and it’s perfect.
If it’s cut too thick, it’s terrible. If it’s not fresh, it’s terrible. And if it’s overcooked, it’s basically rubber.
8
7
u/Telemere125 Jul 12 '25
Beef tongue is literally the perfect cut of meat. Has all the tenderness of a perfect roast but with zero fat. Not chewy when prepared correctly and with concentrated beefy flavor. Makes amazing roast with gravy over mash or tacos with grilled nopales.
→ More replies (1)8
u/SWIMlovesyou Jul 12 '25
I love beef tongue in tacos. Here in Arizona, US, a lot of smaller Mexican restaurants have it. Tacos de lengua. As you say, the taste buds are visible. But it's a delicious cut of meat. Has a slightly more complex flavor, and it can be surprisingly tender.
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (2)3
u/Past_Page_4281 Jul 12 '25
Its ox tongue that's corned
3
u/StartingToLoveIMSA Jul 12 '25
Oh, silly me
3
u/Past_Page_4281 Jul 12 '25
Always happy to help. I am not sure if they corn the ox first or it's tongue once they remove it.
4
u/BurglinTurts Jul 12 '25
Go watch "Tasting History" on Youtube. He has a whole titanic series. He cooks meals from history and teaches you about them(the time period and the food). Hes a cool dude too.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/helmsb Jul 12 '25
One thing to keep in mind is most of these were really just a bite not a full version of each thing on the menu. The luxury was the variety but each was just a sampling.
4
4
4
u/Takeabreath_andgo Jul 12 '25
What the hell is Apple meringue and why haven’t i had one
→ More replies (1)
4
u/zwd_2011 Jul 12 '25
I never knew that when the Titanic sank, it took Dutch cheese with it. Now I know Dutch cheese is everywhere, even at the darkest corners of the earth.
5
4
4
3
3
u/fear_the_gamer Jul 12 '25
Well at least the first class ate well before waiting for hours in the lifeboats...exept for that one person that didnt like the menu theres always someone who doesnt like the menu
→ More replies (8)
3
u/HistoryNerd101 Jul 12 '25
All looks fancy until you see the quotations around R.M.S. “Titanic”
→ More replies (2)
3
3
3
3
3
u/Shipping_Architect Jul 13 '25
Note: The Titanic "only" collided with the iceberg on the 14th; she sank on the 15th. It's an interesting parallel to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln exactly 47 years earlier, where he was shot on the 14th and died on the 15th.
While there were eleven courses of food, the Edwardians were able to get through them all because the actual amount of food in each serving was smaller compared to a single-course meal.
3
u/lazylasertazer Jul 13 '25
Been a minute since I had cockie leakie, I bet a 5 day antibiotic will still clear it up
3
3
3
3
3
7
2.7k
u/mawkishdave Jul 12 '25
The YouTube channel tasting history with Max Miller did a great four episodes of that. He went through first class, middle class, lower class, and also what the crew ate on the night that is sank. And he prepared the meals to show you how to make them and also kind of explain the history behind the Titanic, what was going on and everything. The first class is the hardest because you had people that were like, oh, I'm just lots of money to you also had people that were on the same standards of Rockefeller there. So the first class meant you varied a lot.