By the early 60s, Gel-Cookery had fallen into a rut. It seemed as if everything that could be done had been done. Molds? Yes. Tomato aspics? Yes. Molds? Um, yes. But then someone got a bright idea: what if we frame all the steps of the Gel-Cookery process in the shape of a cathode ray tube? Might this not give our product new credibility, vault it into the modern age of Telstar, of Dumont, of J. Fred Muggs?
And so this completely new guide to Gel-Cookery was born. But what was Gel-Cookery, exactly?.Simply put, Gel-Cookery was a process wherein simple foods were suspended in a chilled solution of horse-hoof powder. Imagine meaty Jell-O as the main course, and you get the picture. Best of all, it built strong fingernails, and it was good for dieting women who yearned for that Twiggy-skinny look.
We'll get to the Cookery and the on-camera part in a moment - first, consider the aesthetics of the set.
Blonde wood trim on powder blue doors. Delft crocks sharing a shelf with brass fondues. Tables that look like - well, actually, I'd like that table, but I know it's cheap, falls apart when bumped, and leaves big dents in the soft linoleum - particularly when the linoleum has been heated to the temperature of the sun's surface by the television lights, which were powerful enough to leave a burned outline of the woman on the cabinet. Took an hour to scrub them off every day.
Notice how Mr. Cameraman doesn't bother to look through the viewfinder. God gave me two good eyes to frame up Gel-Cookery, and I'm gonna use ‘em.
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