Sangria

Two World's Fairs

Still life by Vicki Smith

Hello,

Digging through a covered basket of buttons my mom had saved I discovered a pin from the 1939 World’s Fair that read “Anthracite Boosters, I Belong”. I knew my mom’s older brother Walter had taken her to the fair, but I don’t know what other family members might have been there or what she remembered from the outing. When I looked up the pin online I found many for sale on eBay and Etsy, but no information connecting anthracite coal to the fair. Flushing Meadows Park, the site of both the ‘39 and ‘64 World’s Fair was built on a “valley of ashes” as described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, so perhaps that is the connection to coal. If you have ever watched the sitcom King of Queens you may remember Doug and Carrie, the two main characters, frolicking beneath the iconic 12-story stainless Unisphere that still stands today and came to symbolize the ‘64 World’s Fair and the beginning of the space age.

Pin from the ‘39 World’s Fair and glasses from the ‘64 World’s Fair

FDR introduced the ‘39 fair with the theme“The World of Tomorrow” to showcase new technology such as RCA’s television, color film, air conditioning, and advances in food science that seem to have led us to the processed foods of today. The Continental Baking building was designed to mimic a loaf of Wonder Bread with its iconic blue, red, and yellow polka dots. Borden’s Dairyland published 108 World’s Fair Recipes From Borden’s! with a cover illustration of Elsie the Cow in a gingham apron to promote products such as malted milk to make a hot nightcap. The Kraft food exhibit featured machinery with working parts that resembled human fingers housed in a building with the appearance of a gleaming spacecraft. There was no shortage of places to eat with forty sit-down restaurants and food demonstrations all over the park. It’s hard to imagine that all of this was opening shortly before Hitler invaded Poland.

LBJ introduced the ‘64 World’s Fair with the theme “Peace through Understanding” at the height of the Cold War. Ford unveiled the Mustang, AT&T the Picturephone, and the staff of the Port Authority gave lectures about the coming World Trade Center. My parents took my brother and me to the fair where we were joined by two of our Long Island cousins and my aunt and uncle. If I were to go back through some of the family slides I would find images of us in front of the Unisphere. I can recall Pepsi’s “it’s a small world” pavilion, designed by Disney, perhaps because of the iconic theme song that is so apropos of the fair’s slogan. Proceeds from ticket sales to Pepsi’s pavilion went to UNICEF. The life-sized and very real-looking audio-animatronic Abe Lincoln speaking directly to the audience and reciting his speeches is also etched in my mind, possibly a sight that would not impress today. I also remember seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta with the realization that we were seeing something truly special. Both the ‘39 and ‘64 fairs buried time capsules filled with contemporary everyday items, such as copies of Life magazine, a Sears Roebuck catalog, cigarettes, and vegetable seeds to remain unopened for 5,000 years. My brother and I promptly returned home and buried our time capsule in the backyard. I wish I could remember what we felt was important to include.

Juicy Fruit gum and Cracker Jacks debuted at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, peanut butter and ice cream cones at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, and Belgian waffles and sangria at the 1964 World’s Fair in Queens. TikTok and Instagram are probably the source of most food trends today, but they don’t offer any samples to taste. I had not tried sangria since college but decided to give it a whirl during this current heat wave using a crisp white wine and plenty of fresh fruit.

Sangria with White Wine

Ingredients

3 large oranges, cut into wedges

1 lemon, cut into thin slices

1 lime, cut into thin slices

1 mango, cut into slices

handful of blueberries

1 (750 milliliters) bottle of white wine, ( I used sauvignon blanc)

1/4 cup of brandy, optional

1/2 cup white sugar

ginger ale or club soda, optional

Directions

Squeeze the juice from the citrus wedges into a pitcher. Remove the seeds and toss in the wedges. Add the slices of mango and the blueberries. Pour the white wine into the pitcher over the fruit. Add the brandy and sugar. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved. Refrigerate for at least four hours. Add a splash of ginger ale or club soda for some extra sparkle before serving.

Spruce Eats was my inspiration with just a couple of changes. Their site also provides some of the history of sangria.

Does anyone have memories of the “64 World’s Fair to share?

Thanks for reading!

Vicki