Posted on 10/26/2007 1:01:28 PM PDT by Eepsy
Peg Bracken, a Portland writer who taught a generation of homemakers how not to cook, died Saturday at age 89.
Bracken was best known for "The I Hate to Cook Book," published in 1960. Bracken threw down the oven mitt to a generation of women who had been taught that their destiny was to be Suzy Homemaker. Her sharp wit and irreverent attitude made the book an immediate sensation. It sold more than 3 million copies.
Bracken unashamedly embraced the then-new convenience foods, mixes and canned foods, with cans of mushroom soup a stalwart to many recipes. But most of all, she was funny.
A sample from her recipe for Skid Road Stroganoff: "Add the flour, salt, paprika and mushrooms, stir, and let it cook five minutes while you light a cigarette and stare sullenly at the sink."
Although the recipes appear old-fashioned in our arugula-strewn, post-Julia age, there is a streak of sophistication. A recipe for "coupe royale" calls for kirsch, and she champions fruit for dessert. A pea recipe includes lettuce and thyme similar to Julia Child's classic French recipe. Bracken's, however, is for canned peas.
Bracken followed "The I Hate to Cook Book" with eight other books, including "The I Hate to Housekeep Book" and "I Try to Behave Myself," on etiquette, through "On Getting Old for the First Time," published in 1996. She also wrote columns for The Oregonian, the San Francisco Chronicle and Family Circle and articles for diverse publications, including Atlantic Monthly. She wrote a lot of humorous verse, her first love.
After the success of the books, she was a featured guest on national television shows, including "I've Got a Secret," and was in demand on the lecture circuit. She was a television spokeswoman for Birds Eye in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
She was a published writer and career woman before the "I Hate to Cook Book." Among other things, she wrote advertising copy for Jantzen and Pendleton and co-wrote a syndicated cartoon called "Phoebe, Get Your Man" with Homer Groening, the father of "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.
But "The I Hate To Cook Book" was written from the standpoint of the homemaker. There was no question in those days that working women were supposed to be responsible for feeding husbands and children.
A group of friends who called themselves the Hags traded complaints and recipes over martinis after work before hauling themselves home to start dinner. Bracken's recipes were notorious for their editorial comments. One of the Hags, Connie McCready, later Portland mayor, twisted Bracken's arm into writing the book and getting it published. It is dedicated to McCready. Bracken's husband at the time, who also was a writer, was famously negative on the project. "It stinks," was his often-quoted encouragement. They divorced a few years later.
Peg Bracken always wanted to be a writer. She was born Feb. 25, 1918, in Filer, Idaho, and raised in Clayton, Mo. She graduated from Antioch College and moved with her husband to Portland in the mid-1940s. She later lived in Bolinas, Calif., and Hawaii before returning to Portland in 1988.
Bracken was married three times before marrying John Ohman in 1991. He survives her.
Also surviving are a daughter, Johanna Bracken; stepdaughter, Ann Fragale; stepsons, Jack Ohman, the Oregonian's editorial cartoonist, and Jim Ohman; and 11 grandchildren.
There will be no service. The family suggests remembrances to Kaiser Hospice. Arrangements are by Autumn.
Joan Harvey: 503-221-4355; joanharvey@news.oregonian.com
... challenging them instead to be Worthless Wandas, Polly Parasites, and Floozy Buckmakers.
She wrote one successful joke cookbook. That’s about it.
"A friend of mine uses the following rule to determine how much to drink at a party. 'After the first drink, I realize what a nice party it is and what a nice time I'm having. After the second drink I begin to realize what a wonderful sense of humor all my friends have. After the third drink I start to realize what a wonderful sense of humor I have, and then I know it's time to go home.' "
Rest in Peace, Peg Bracken, and may no one ever ask you to cook again.
Wrong, Crisco breath! Her “A Window Over the Kitchen Sink” is a wonderful memoir, and scarcely mentions cooking at all.
Excuse me?
Consider it done.
What a wonderful writer.
I love her “I Hate to Cook Book.” It is one of my favorite of all cookbooks.
I’m guessing the author of this piece never actually read any of her books. She was extremely witty and had little interest in make-work housekeeping or Martha Stewart-style cooking but she appreciated good food and a well organized life.
Most of her recipes are still very workable today since most of us really aren’t any more interested in arugula than she was.
Many thanks. /s
I don’t remember her but here’s an old commercial - it’s about 1/2-3/4 down the page. (this is a COOL website)
http://www.roadode.com/eat_1.shtml
May she rest in peace. I got her I Hate to Cook Book at a used bookstore a few years back. I loved it...so witty, sarcastic and endearing. I didnt realize she other books...I will look for them :)
There were some better obituaries, but they all required excerpting, which I despise. You can find them on google news. Even the better ones were mainly quotes from her books. I suppose that’s a compliment to her witty writing style.
She wrote a number of enjoyable books, which is a darn sight more than many published authors can say. She was no Julia Child, but then Julia Child never made me laugh, or helped me clean house and put on a dinner party for six on two hours notice for that matter.
I once bought a first edition of “The I Hate to Housekeep Book” from a used bookstore. Inside was a note that said “From Martha, to Mary” LOL
Thanks for the link! I’d never seen that before. It’s amazing what you can find on the internet.
I have never heard of her.
She sounds funny.
But serving canned peas is yucky.
It sure brings back memories, not that I would know. ;-)
Now that's a funny line!
I'm still trying to morph in the opposite direction (from Worthless Wanda to Suzy Homemaker) ... though hanging out on the FR instead of making dinner isn't helping matters much.
RIP.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.