It was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic this weekend and the History Channel on DSTV dedicated several hours to documentaries about that tragic day for the past few weeks. Some historians and experts were trying to analyse and understand the wreckage to trace back the events that occurred between hitting the iceberg and the ship landing at the bottom of the ocean, while other shows were trying to finally put common misconceptions and conspiracy theories to bed. As it turns out, the sinking of the Titanic wasn’t as dramatic as James Cameron makes it out to be in his epic big screen version (which you are now also able to see in stunning 3D at Nu Metro and Ster Kinekor).
A few months ago, we had a feature on the blog asking about #yourlastmeal if you knew the world was to end tomorrow. We received many suggestions and placed them all onto our Pinterest page – have a look! While it may have been fun to plan our last meal, I doubt the passengers on the Titanic knew that the lunch & dinner they had on the 14th April 1912 would be their last.
Lunch Menu
The original lunch menu for the midday meal served on the 14th April 1912 was auctioned off for around $160,000. The menu belonged to Dr. Washington Dodge who was one of the 700 passengers that survived. It is regarded as one of the rarest pieces of Titanic memorabilia.
The menu offered up 40 choices including eggs Argenteuil, chicken, beef, grilled mutton chops, eight kinds of cheese, Norwegian anchovies, chicken a la Maryland, corned beef, vegetables, dumplings, and more. The third class passengers had a much different offering which was limited to bread & butter, potatoes, oats, corned beef and cabbage, currant buns, pickles and cheese, and peaches and rice.
The First-Class Dinner Menu
2 days ago, the Mount Nelson recreated a menu inspired by the last dinner on the Titanic with tickets costing R1,200 per person. The event sold out in 40 minutes! (Reference: Spill.co.za) I’ve added the original last dinner menu that was served in the first-class dining saloon of the R.M.S. Titanic below – I think it comes pretty close to the best #mylastmeal I can think of.
1st Course
Hors D’Oeuvres
Oysters
2nd Course
Consommé Olga
Cream of Barley
3rd Course
Poached Salmon with Mousseline Sauce, Cucumbers
4th Course
Filet Mignons Lili
Saute of Chicken, Lyonnaise
Vegetable Marrow Farci
5th Course
Lamb, Mint Sauce
Roast Duckling, Apple Sauce
Sirloin of Beef, Chateau Potatoes
Green Pea
Creamed Carrots
Boiled Rice
Parmentier & Boiled New Potatoes
6th Course
Punch Romaine
7th Course
Roast Squab & Cress
8th Course
Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette
9th Course
Pate de Foie Gras
Celery
10th Course
Waldorf Pudding
Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly
Chocolate & Vanilla Eclairs
French Ice Cream
