Travel Missive #4

I've been eating a lot of prefab food, another invention of engineers and it got me thinking about another traveling engineer. You know Duncan Hines as the brand name on that box of cake mix that even engineers can make cake from. I'm not saying Engineers make bad cooks, I'm just saying we get kind of caught up in the measuring...

Duncan Hines was a real man. And a long time ago, he was on the radio. He was born in 1880, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He studied at Bowling Green Business University and accepted a job out west as a traveling salesman just before graduation.

Form his experiences eating on the road, in 1936 He published his first book “Adventures in Good Eating.” This came at a time when the automobile had found its way into the hearts and homes of most Americans. For the first time, Americans were taking road trips, after the car radio and before television.

In December 1948 Hines-Park Food Co. was formed. Hines took a hands-on approach in marketing these products. He went on the road again attending store openings, promotional events and often appeared on local radio programs. He was featured on the Mutual Radio Network on a daily basis, Stations like KEX did massive promotions, He even squeezed in an appearance on the Lum & Abner serial ... visiting their restaurant of course.

I however have been eating a lot of Subway after a bad experience at a Shoneys In Tennessee. I really wish his guide to good eating was still in print.