Soup Is Good Food
If you think "shrinkflation" is bad...
In A Moral History of the Inflation, Hans Ostwald (1873–1940) describes some of the scandalous methods that food producers used to to reduce costs during the Weimar Republic’s hyperinflation crisis, and how business owners and managers were treated when they were found out. From pages 102-103 of my translation:
The overwhelming greed of those years led to incidents reminiscent of the Middle Ages. People caught up in these rackets lost their consciences entirely, as Maximilian Harden relates in the report from Hamburg that he wrote for Die Zukunft in July 1919:
The Heil factory, which produced goods for mass consumption, made its canned food from the flesh of dead rats, dogs, and cats. The pestilent smell gave them away, and then it was too late. The gathering crowd discovered the reeking carcasses, and raised their fists in fury at the greedy factory owner who had turned a profit in such an ignominious way. A local correspondent describes what happened next:
In Hamburg, the town hall square and Jungfernstieg were filled with angry people. They were pulling a cart in the midst of them. An older, pale-faced man was standing in it and, with trembling hands, held a sign in front of himself that read: “I am the manager of the Heil plant.” Behind him was a man with another sign: “The Foreman.” The people were holding pieces of rats, cats, and dogs in both their hands. Now and then the cart stopped and the men had to eat from a pot. I could not see what it contained. Some said it was raw cat meat, others described it as “Heil Soup.” The thing was the absolute essence of popular justice, and the masses enjoyed the show.
If you would like to know more about this title, you can watch this brief video or read this review in the Times Literary Supplement (paywalled). There’s also a PDF e-book.
25% Off, While Supplies Last
I have a few “imperfect” hardcover copies on hand that I am selling at 25% off; the text on the spine was printed a little too high, otherwise the book is fine.
☞ To buy an imperfect copy click here and then add the book to your cart — the coupon code for 25% off should be applied automatically.
If not, just enter the IMPERFECT code in the coupon box during checkout:
If the IMPERFECT coupon code stops working, it means I’ve sold them all.
Note that, under the USMCA, Canadian books remain exempt from tariffs. American customers will not face any additional taxes or fees.
I may have lost my appetite!