Since ocean voyages are supposed to be romantic, Valentine’s Day was a natural holiday celebration during the winter cruises of Canadian Pacific steamships. Here are three dinner menus used on different Empress ships.
Click image to view and download a PDF of this menu from the University of British Columbia Chung collection.
The first was used on an around-the-world cruise of the Empress of Scotland in 1927. Musical selections included a waltz for couples to dance to. The only menu item that makes a nod to the date was a dessert called “souffle pudding, eros.” Maybe it was in the shape of a heart.
Click image to view and download a PDF of this menu from the University of British Columbia Chung collection.
The second menu is from a 1928 voyage of the Empress of France to South America and Africa. The cover picture shows an apparently lonely young woman dreaming of love — note that the sun is really two hearts. There is no musical program, but several of the items on the menu are named for the day, most of which are a puzzle. What is “cream cupid”? Isn’t “sugared green peas, sweetheart” redundant? How is “salad amourette” different from any other salad? Who would want to eat “granite, my lady”? Apparently a granite or granita is a frozen dessert, but unless someone has a Canadian Pacific steamship recipe book there are probably no answers to the other questions today.
Click image to view and download a PDF of this menu from the University of British Columbia Chung collection.
Today’s final menu comes from the 1929-1930 around-the-world tour of the Empress of Australia. This one does have a musical program with six numbers, most of which were to be sung, which makes me think the ship had singers as well as a band or orchestra. The name of the first composer, Straus, is misspelled Strauss — except that his name really was Strauss but he left the last “s” off of his compositions to avoid confusion with other composers named Strauss. Other than canapés Valentine, none of the foods listed on the menu seem to have a love theme.
Surely on the ‘27 voyage of the S.S. Empress of Scotland, they made a decent effort. After the Cupid Frivolities come the Potage Romeo and Consommé Juliet, naturellement! And sweetbreads with asparagus tips Sir Galahad? When knightly chivalry, heroism, and valor are embodied in someone such as Galahad, can romantic love be very far away?