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Monday, August 24, 2020

Opening a Can of Beans or How to Feed Your Characters

by Patti Sherry-Crews
A brief history of the can opener might not be the most romantic topic for a blog post to be written by a romance writer, but as a writer of historical fiction stopping my narrative to ask questions such as "how did people in the old west get their food out of the can?" is part of my process.


When I sit down to craft a story I probably spend as much time researching as I do writing—if not more. Especially if I'm working on an historical novel. I might start a line of dialog and then wonder if a certain word or phrase was in use at the time, so I have to open a new tab on my laptop to look up the etymology of said word or phrase.

Likewise, dropping in historically accurate details requires research. The minutiae of my characters' lives is what brings depth and texture to the story. They don't just sit down to eat, they have to eat something and it better be something available during that time period.
So, I spend a good amount of time looking up details about clothing, food, medicine, etc.

When I wrote my first historical western, Margarita and the Hired Gun, the two main characters spend most of the book out on the trail—for weeks on horseback. They had to eat, and though they did live off the land to some extent, they mainly had to rely on food they carried with them. This presented a problem for me because how would they keep food from spoiling on their long journey?

In researching this question, I was surprised to find how early canned food became available. Canned food has been around since 1810. It would have been one of the foodstuffs Michael and Margarita carried with them in their saddlebags in the late 19th century.

While working on my most recent project, I once again put my characters out on the trail. In one chapter they sit down together to share a can of beans....but, wait....how do they open that can of beans? I never thought about that before.
 Hero and heroine stare mutely at one another across the campfire holding a can of beans aloft and wondering how to open it. Author, help us out here, their bewildered eyes seem to say.
* the author opens a new tab.

I quickly looked up when the first can opener was made to see what this handy tool would have looked like. In 1858, Ezra J. Warner designed the first can opener. Warner's design consisted of a pointed blade with a guard made to puncture the can. Then a second, curved blade would be worked around the top of the can in a sawing motion.

But, pay attention: Peter Durand got a patent from King George III for his canned food process in 1810. Notice that? Canned food was out there 50 years before anyone could figure out how to get the food out of the can!


That's like building a garage around a car before envisioning the need for a door the width of a car to drive out of the garage. So how did folks open a can of peaches before 1858?

 Briefly, let's look at canned food, the need for which was a by-product of war. Needing to move troops great distances for long periods of time, Napoleon offered a reward to anyone who could solve the problem of feeding an army on the move. In 1809 Nicolas Appert first preserved foods by putting them in hermetically sealed and heat sterilized containers. Unfortunately these early containers were made of glass, which is not the ideal for rough travel.

The first cans (short for "canisters") made by Durand were of wrought iron with a tin lining. In order to open them, the use of a chisel and hammer was recommended. As you can imagine canned food did not immediately take off like it was the best thing since sliced bread. 

Then came the American Civil War and canned foods once again kept moving armies fed. Canned foods like oysters, meats, fruit, and vegetables made their way from the battlefield to the general stores at this time. 

But early can openers were not user-friendly. The threat from the sharp blade and the jagged edges left on the open can frightened the customers, so store clerks would perform the service of opening cans for them during purchase.

Now, back to our romantic campfire dinner now completed and recently published story, His Unexpected Companion. Since Kit and Olivia are traveling after 1858, I was able to provide them with a Warner can opener.

Excerpt:
They worked together around the campfire. He kept a deliberate distance from her all the while. He levered open the can of beans with a firm grip on the wooden handle of the can opener, slicing the curved blade through the metal. Because it was so new, the blade was very sharp.
“Watch your fingers.” Her voice so close to his ear startled him, causing him to
jerk his hand. 
He took in a sharp breath. He could have easily sliced his hand open. It was a narrow miss.
“You might want to give a warning before a man picks up a sharp object. Not while he’s using it.” He finished opening the can of beans and dumped it into the skillet with the bacon already cooking and filling the air with its fragrance.
She clicked her tongue. “Kind of jumpy aren’t you?” her sights fixed on him as he cleaned off the can opener with his kerchief. “I see you got one of those fancy openers.”
“I bought it in town. No sense in wrestling with a can. How do you open them?”
“With my knife.”

You can see the can opener plays a small part in the story. It gets mentioned a couple more times, and the reader probably doesn’t think anything of it. But from the author’s point of view, a lot of behind-the-scenes work went into this simple passage. The exchange also tells us something about the hero and heroine.


Authors, have you come across any interesting facts while doing research? How much time do you spend researching versus writing? Do you have any go-to places to search out your facts? Readers, do anachronism stop you dead in your tracks while you’re into a book?

About His Unexpected Companion:


Olivia Darling is her own woman—self-sufficient, intelligent, and wise to the ways of the world. She’s also beautiful enough to rile other women and garner unwanted attention from men, which could bring more danger down on her than living the outlaw life she’s taken to. Headed home to Colorado, she’s ready to put her past behind her—but what kind of reception will she get?
Kit Traver is headed home to Colorado, giving up his law practice back East to return to the place he loves—and the woman he intends to marry. His life neatly planned, this journey will give him the time he needs to be alone with nature before he takes on the responsibilities of practicing law again and being a married man. 
When Kit and Olivia meet in Denver, it’s not the best first impression—for either of them. But, they are traveling the same trail, so it’s only natural they ride along together. It’s obvious to Kit that Olivia needs his protection—if only from herself!
But traveling together ignites a fire between them that can’t be ignored, especially once they arrive, only to discover that everything has changed while they’ve been away. With her father mysteriously murdered, Olivia has her hands full trying to keep the big ranchers from pushing her off her family’s small spread. Can Olivia and Kit make a home together? Will Kit walk away from his socialite family for the love of HIS UNEXPECTED COMPANION?

To see more books by Patti Sherry-Crews visit her website http://pattisherrycrews16.wix.com/author-blog


20 comments:

  1. Love these historical details. They add such veracity when sprinkled lightly over a story. One of my favourites is that the jock strap was invented in 1891, but the sporting helmet came much later. Just shows male priorities, huh?

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    1. Of course the jock strap before the device to protect the brain, LOL. Thanks, Christine. And as you know the author hopes to sprinkle in historical details without sending the reader to the dictionary every other page!

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  2. Loved the posts. I'm always reading old newspapers from the time I write, if available. The stories and the advertisements give me a feel for what and who were important or the 'next big thing'. If the news doesn't give me all I want, then it's down the rabbit hole to find the rest of the story. Sometimes that's books, especially old ones from the the time period, or just experimentation. Doris

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    1. Looking at old newspapers is an excellent idea!!! I can see going there too when trying to come up with a storyline, because truth is often stranger than fiction. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Lovely excerpt, Patti and deft use of historical detail to develop the romance and relationship between hero and heroine.
    I remember the comic scene in Jerome K Jerome's 3 Men in a Boat, where the lack of a can opener like yours led to trouble.

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    1. Can you imagine having to open cans without a can opener! Who would have thought it would have taken so long for someone to come up with a device for that? And thank you for the complement! Writing medieval romance as you do is a whole other ball of wax!

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  4. In my own lifetime I have used several different instruments to open cans from the hand held opener that did, as you mentioned in your article, leave a jagged edge on the can and cut my hand, all the way to an electric can opened (my parents had) which was all the rage back in the day--until the power goes off after a storm. I have used a butcher knife (similar to the use of a knife mentioned in your excerpt) to open a can, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The hammer and chisel you mentioned in your article seems most unpleasant to deal with. YIKES! Imagine those instruments casually lying around on your kitchen counter.
    The campfire cooking scene seems like such a pleasant way for a hero and heroine to meet and get to know each other. I enjoyed the excerpt and the way the conversation flowed between your characters and it did help to bring into the scene a little historical detail.
    I wish you the very best, Patti...

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    1. I'm at Prairie Rose Publications today talking about researching and adding accurate details to historical novels, and then weaving those details into the narrative. Included is an excerpt of my new release, His Unexpected Companion, showing how the author (me) accomplishes this task. In this case, opening a can of beans 19th century style.

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  5. A knife blade was the alternative (and dangerous) means of opening cans before the handy opener became available. Enjoyed this post and your excerpt.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I can only imagine the number of can-opening related injuries!

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  6. Very interesting, Patti! I honestly never thought about how they opened those cans of beans lol.

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    1. Hi, Kristy! I was very surprised to learn how early canned foods were available. Then sometime down the road I wondered how they opened them!

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  7. Interesting post. When I was researching THE CLAIM, I was surprised how available canned foods were for those trekking to the Klondike.I hadn't thought about the time that elapsed between the first canned foods and the invention of the can opener. Great point!

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    1. Hi, Ann. When I was writing my first HWR and put the characters on the trail for weeks I had to wonder how they would have eaten. I didn't think I could pass over that detail of life on the trail, and that's when I found out how long canned food had been around and commonly available. It wasn't until my this book that it occurred to me they would've had to open those cans somehow! The Klondike sounds like a fascinating setting! Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. Patti,

    Interesting how such a small invention made life so much easier. I've opened many cans with a knife and hammer or a screwdriver and hammer. Tedious. lol I also remember the first clamp-onto-the-edge-of-the-can with the twisty mechanism to move the roller blade around the lid. It left the edges of the lid scalloped like a saw blade. I opened a can of peaches with this can opener (at about 10 yrs old), didn't take the lid clear off, just bent it back. My mom threw the can into the trash, and I later shoved something else in, and the lid sliced my wrist. I still have the scar. When people notice it, eyebrows go up. The truly curious will ask how it came about. I assure them it was done via a peach lid, but it's obvious they think it came about through self-harm. Darn old-fashioned can openers. lololol

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    1. Oh, wow,Kaye! Maybe you need a tattoo next to your scar explaining yourself, LOL! It has never occurred to me that there is any other way to open a can then with a can opener. But I do remember the hand-held openers that left a jagged edge and I remember many bloody fingers on account of it. Thanks for stopping by!

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  9. I never would have thought of a supper of canned beans as romantic, but I agree that texture and detail are so important in writing a historical. Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Thanks, Cate! Yes, can of beans not so romantic, but Kit is dashing...and it this point in the story he is trying to quell his urges so maybe downing a can of beans will help keep everybody in their places.

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