Came across this bit in Dorothy Sayers’ 1933 novel Murder Must Advertise* The following conversation takes place in a British ad agency:
“I think this is an awfully immoral job of ours. I do, really. Think how we spoil the digestions of the public.”
“Ah, yes - but think how earnestly we strive to put them right again. We undermine ‘em with one hand and build ‘em up with the other. The vitamins we destroy in the canning, we restore in Revito, the roughage we remove from Peabody’s Piper Parritch we make into a package and market as Bunbury’s Breakfast Bran; the stomachs we ruin with Pompayne, we re-line with Peplets to aid digestion. And by forcing the damn-fool public to pay twice over - once to have its food emasculated and once to have the vitality put back again, we keep the wheels of commerce turning and give employment to thousands- including you and me.”
Well. I’m all for supporting the economy. But the wheels of commerce will have to do without me on this one! I’m sticking with real food! 
*I am currently totally addicted to Lord Peter Whimsey novels. Ohhhh are they good!!
Hee hee! I love Dorothy L Sayers. Haven’t read any Peter Wimsey novels in ages. Did you know she worked in an ad agency for a while?
Comment by Bekki — May 15, 2007 @ 2:05 am
I love Peter Wimsey too
Comment by elly — May 15, 2007 @ 3:32 am
That is so interesting!
Comment by Brandi — May 15, 2007 @ 7:38 am
Real food is the only way to go. I recently watched “Super Size Me” and it was VERY interesting. It’s made me NEVER want to eat fast food again and I LOVE McD’s double quarter pounder. Also reading a book on the changing face of school lunches in America - food really does have a bearing on our physical and psycological make-up. Better to eat things as close to their original form as possible!
Comment by Sarah — May 15, 2007 @ 8:04 am
yay Lord Peter Wimsey is great. Working my way very slowly through ‘Have His Carcase’ at the mo. Slowly cos i’m a slow reader plus reading gets squished out of my schedule atm
but brillaint books none the less
Comment by HP — May 15, 2007 @ 11:33 am
Let’s see…in the past week and a half I’ve read Lord Peter Wimsey (a book of short stories), Five Red Herrings, Busman’s Honeymoon, and am now plowing through the aforementioned Murder Must Advertise. Gaudy Night, Have His Carcase and Clouds of Witness are all in the mail from Paperback Swap. When I get hooked, I really get hooked!
Comment by blest — May 15, 2007 @ 1:52 pm
You are probably a bit confused by the order you are reading them in. busman’s honeymoon is one of the later ones if not the last one. I am afraid I am an ordered mathematical person who likes to read things in chronological order for the first time at least.
Comment by elly — May 15, 2007 @ 3:13 pm
Oh I would have much preferred to do it that way. But I ended up buying a few at the used bookstore - not knowing what came first. Then I started grabbing them up from Paperback Swap. Doesn’t really confuse me though. I know I’ll fill in the pieces eventually. (Because, being an inveterate collector, I will have them all on my bookshelf at some point - beside all the marvelous Wodehouse books, I think.
)
There is a hilarious story at the end of the Short Story volume about a mystery involving Peter and Harriet’s oldest son and some stolen peaches.
Comment by blestwithsons — May 15, 2007 @ 3:38 pm