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Sunday, August 7, 2011

A Bit On The Side



From an era when Women’s Lib meant utterly debasing oneself to the worst stereotypes imaginable comes the New Generation Cook Book, produced by the Coffee Production Council, whatever that was. You could burn your bra without a care in the world because you could wear kaftans and big paisley shirts to work to hide your swinging boobies and tie all that hair back with a headband.


Let’s break it down: young, naïve Samantha wants to make the leap from the typing pool to the glamorous world of television, but it’s 1969, so her only entre into it is by making herself useful by fetching coffee for the crew and looking pretty while doing it. Then she’s called upon to work long hours doing the catering. She develops a crush on the Director who exploits her by showing up at her flat demanding food which she dutifully prepares. Meanwhile her chubby flat mate decides she’d like a piece of this action but frets about not being able to attract any of them film crew’s men due to her size, so attempts to diet while helping to cook all the food. Sure enough, Samantha’s perseverance is rewarded by being given a catering job and getting fucked by the Director. Much coffee is drunk. It’s groovy, man. 

New Generation Cook Book, Tessa Bridger, Hamlyn, 1969

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