The 1939 Golden Gate Expo was supposed to be a “Pageant of the Pacific,” celebrating the diverse cultures represented in the United States, Latin America, and Asia. This is shown in the two buildings on the cover of this menu. The tower in the background is an Italian renaissance style that might be found in U.S. places such as the University of California at Berkeley. The foreground building, which was designed by San Francisco artist Donald Macky, is an “an eclectic mixing of Oriental and Mesoamerican design.”

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In contrast, this lunch menu, which was dated May 1939, made little attempt to encourage dining car patrons to try foods from different cultures. Entrées on the table d’hôte side include lamb chips, club steak, creamed chicken Delmonico, an omelet in brown sauce, and pork sausage with Spanish rice and apple fritters. The a la carte side adds the usual assortment of fish, poultry, and red meats. The only “Pacific-oriented” item on the menu was Hawaiian pineapple for dessert.