In 1958, Ludwig Bemelmans, the author of the beloved Madeline children’s books, illustrated this ad for Tabasco sauce–in a Hong Kong setting.
This colonial dinner, complete with paper lanterns, a harbor view, and Chinese servants, looks like something from The World of Suzy Wong.
Headlined as a “well seasoned traveler’s guide”, this ad recounts the secret behind a couple of tasty Chinese dishes (recipes included!):
After a dinner I’ll always remember, my host introduced his chef, a courtly old man who has served his apprenticeship in the kitchens of the last empress. When I complimented him on his Foo Yoong Shea Daahn–a sorcerer’s masterpiece–he replied with simple dignity, “Gracious sir, I cannot claim this honor. Your own native Tabasco gave my little omelet its magic touch.”
Following this exotic omelet is a recipe for sweet and sour sauce:
The feast that evening was preceded by cocktails and Sun La Chu Chien, subtle hors d’oeuvres flavored with the mysterious East…and Tabasco, too.
That’s funny. Cantonese food isn’t spicy and I can’t picture the Empress Dowager or Pu Yi’s wife requesting Tabasco, but what do I know.
As for the sweet and sour sauce recipe in this ad, that’s as American as apple pie.
how funny! i have this exact same ad framed in my kitchen ;). i bought it on ebay some years ago firstly because i LOVE tabasco – and have been known to carry a bottle in my handbag just in case the place i am eating at hasn’t got any; secondly i was born in 58 and lastly, there is something very quirky about the snobby set on the peak with the chinese lanterns and man-servant.
Oh, you’ve just given me a great idea! First I steal your fantastic photos on FB and now your design ideas! I found this image on eBay, too, but now I think it’ll look great in my kitchen, too! The text in the ad is so Ancient Chinese Secret and mysterious Orient. I could swear, though, that our canteens at Chinese U had Tabasco bottles on every other table. That and Sriracha.
Susan-
Funny, but when Karin and I and her parents visited the Tabasco plant down in Avery Island, La, in 1989, no one mentioned Hong Kong. Hmmm..
I’m sure! From what I can gather, I think Tabasco had an ad campaign back then for cuisines around the world, Hong Kong only being one.