New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Food

Theophilus Roessle: From Celery King To Hotelier

by 1 Comment

an Erie Canal packet boat, possibly, as was often the case overcrowded with immigrantsTheophilus Gottlieb Roessle was born in Stuttgart in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, on March 19th, 1811. His father was a successful market farmer and builder in the community. Like many of the children in his homeland, Theophilus received a good quality education that his father supplemented with a solid training in agriculture.

While still a young boy, Theophilus learned the peculiarities inherent in the cultivation of plants. [Read more…] about Theophilus Roessle: From Celery King To Hotelier

Burbot: New York’s Misunderstood Cod Cousin

by Leave a Comment

burbot courtesy Achim R. Schloeffel In the midst of winter, the ice-covered lakes of the Northeast seem quiet. It may, however, be a bit noisy below the ice. Winter into early spring is the spawning season for burbot, when males produce sounds to attract mates. [Read more…] about Burbot: New York’s Misunderstood Cod Cousin

Genesee Country Village Maple Sugar Festival Begins March 18th

by Leave a Comment

Genesee Country Village Maple Sugar FestivalIn celebration of the return of maple sugaring season in New York State, Genesee Country Village & Museum in Monroe County will host its annual Maple Sugar Festival on Saturday and Sunday, March 18th and 19th, and Saturday and Sunday, March 25th and 26th. [Read more…] about Genesee Country Village Maple Sugar Festival Begins March 18th

New York Pork: A Porcine History of the Big Apple

by 3 Comments

Members of George Waring’s ‘sanitation army’ cleaning the streets of New YorkIn 1895 New York City’s newly appointed reformist Mayor William Lafayette Strong nominated engineer and Civil War veteran Colonel George Waring to take on the demanding post of Sanitation Commissioner.

A native of Pound Ridge in Westchester County, Waring had fine-tuned his skills as a landscape and drainage (sewage) engineer having been involved with the construction of Manhattan’s Central Park. [Read more…] about New York Pork: A Porcine History of the Big Apple

Why We Should Blame New England’s Fish for Capitalism

by 4 Comments

Vermont Historical SocietyDebates and protests over the toxic traits of capitalism are not uniquely modern phenomena. Eighteenth-century New Englanders were torn over what type of society they wanted to live in: a more traditional moral economy, or the increased wealth and comfort of the emerging market economy. For example, public debates over preserving the annual fish runs versus damming the rivers to power large mills were frequent. [Read more…] about Why We Should Blame New England’s Fish for Capitalism

Adirondack Town Gets Community Composter

by Leave a Comment

CfG’s John Culpepper inspects the newly manufactured compost systemAdkAction and the Compost for Good (CfG) team have announced that they have selected the Town of Newcomb in Essex County as the recipient of a high flow drum composter as part of a USDA Rural Business Development Grant (RBDG).

Newcomb was selected upon recommendation from a local advisory committee through a competitive application process based on the Town’s long standing interest in community scale composting, its strong collaborative team, and the educational opportunities it will provide. [Read more…] about Adirondack Town Gets Community Composter

Chinese Restaurant History in New York City

by Leave a Comment

Canton RestaurantThe first known Chinese restaurant in America, Canton Restaurant, is believed to have opened in San Francisco in 1849. Today, according to the Chinese American Restaurant Association, more than 45,000 Chinese restaurants operate across the United States, more than all the McDonald’s, KFCs, Pizza Huts, Taco Bells and Wendy’s combined.

Their story begins with Chinese immigrants to California in the mid-nineteenth century — mostly from Canton province — drawn by the Gold Rush of 1849 and fleeing economic problems and famine in China. Though some headed to the gold fields, most Chinese immigrants to the San Francisco Bay area provided services for the miners as traders, grocers, merchants and restaurant owners. [Read more…] about Chinese Restaurant History in New York City

The Sugar Act and the American Revolution

by Leave a Comment

The Sugar Act and the American RevolutionThe initial Sugar Act of 1733 — also known as the Molasses Act — was designed to secure and encourage the trade of British colonies in the West Indies by placing prohibitive duties on the products of competing foreign colonies. The dramatic revision to that act in 1764 imposed duties for both revenue and trade regulation, in addition strengthening the laws of trade so as to tighten the connection between Great Britain and the colonies. [Read more…] about The Sugar Act and the American Revolution

The Queen of Greenwich Village: Romany Marie Marchand

by 6 Comments

Au bistroThe coffee habit was introduced into Western Europe in the mid-seventeenth century. The emergence of the London coffeehouse transformed various aspects of intellectual and commercial life. Lloyd’s insurance, the postal system and the auction house are some of the institutions that trace their origins back to the coffeehouse.

At a time that journalism was in its infancy, the coffeehouse provided a center of communication and news dissemination. It served as a forum of discussion, often becoming a hotbed of political strife and faction. Coffeehouse culture helped shape the public sphere of the Enlightenment. [Read more…] about The Queen of Greenwich Village: Romany Marie Marchand