I learn something new every day
by chuckofish
“Never grow a wishbone, Daughter, where your backbone ought to be.”
–Clementine Paddleford
I read this quote on a blog (of course) and then looked up Clementine Paddleford on Wikipedia to see if she was a real person. Well, yes, she was a real person.
Clementine Paddleford (September 27, 1898 – November 13, 1967) was an American food writer active from the 1920s through the 1960s, writing for several publications, including the New York Herald Tribune, the New York Sun, The New York Telegram, Farm and Fireside, and This Week magazine. She was born in Stockdale, Riley County, Kansas and graduated from Kansas State University in 1921 with a degree in journalism. She then studied at New York University’s school of journalism and lived most of her life in New York City, where she introduced her readers to the global range of food to be found in that city. She was also a pilot, and flew a Piper Cub around the country to report on America’s many regional cuisines.
Paddleford’s book How America Eats, published in 1960, was the culmination of her career.
It was eclipsed, however by The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne, published in 1961, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Mesdames Beck, Bertholle and Julia Child the same year.
The afore-quoted admonition, although attributed to Clementine Paddleford, actually was something her mother used to say to her (according to her memoir called “A Flower for My Mother.”) I’m sure they both were fascinating women.
You can read all about Clementine here in The New York Times. I must say I was glad to discover her.
The world is more than we know.
dual personalities 
I wish Clementine Paddleford was my name.
I know, right?
It’s an awesome name — but a grocery store checker once told me my maiden name sounded like something out of a novel. She obviously had good taste.
So glad you found Clementine (pronounced Clem-en-teen) Paddleford. She was a woman ahead of her time. Her editor asked her twice to buy her name so they could continue her columns after her death. She said no. Because of throat cancer she could not do radio or television. Yet, she came way before Julia.