If you enjoyed the first part of our interview with our favourite YouTubers, the lovely Kyle and Andrea Moonbeam from Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove, then read on for the second part of our very first An Extra Slice of Pie feature.
NAME: Andrea & Kyle
AGE: We remember rotary dial telephones (So do I! - Angel!)
FROM: Pennsylvania, US
LIVES: Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove, NY state, US
OCCUPATION: Andrea – Storyteller, Pie Wrangler, Personal Pup Assistant
Kyle – Storyteller, CCO (Chief Cocktail Officer), Personal Pup Assistant
FAVE PASTIME: Watching old movies, enjoying cocktails, and eating pie (Me too - and all at the same time! - Angel!)
That really is very inspiring and hopefully it'll inspire others who want to start a channel (me included!) to get started! One of my most favourite events of the year is Bonfire Night; a British tradition that isn’t as popular as it once was back in old England but it’s one that my American friends in New England have grown to love. I’ve noticed you also have a fondness for another tradition that hails from the British Isles - Burns Night. Tell us more!
Andrea has a bit of Scottish ancestry in her family tree and we both would love to visit Scotland one day. We also feel that there are not enough celebrations in life, so we seek out and enjoy all the holidays that catch our fancy. In fact, we’ve even been known to create our own holidays to celebrate. And let’s face it, a holiday involving Scotch whisky, haggis, and Burns’ poetry… what’s not to love!
I really love your reason for celebrating all the holidays that take your fancy. That's such a great way of looking at things. Especially as now I want to celebrate Burns Night - you've really sold it to me! Haha! And I hope you do get to visit Scotland - it's an amazing place. I recently bought a fabulous vintage cookbook from your Etsy store to add to my ever-growing collection. I know about your love of creating delicious looking treats in the kitchen with that gorgeous chocolate and cherry cake that you baked for Andrea’s birthday being the most recent. Are there any vintage cookbooks that are firm favourites?
Andrea – I have two favorites that I often use. One is a 1930s Household Searchlight Cookbook with terrific recipes including one for Waldorf Salad that we featured in our About That Waldorf Salad video on Youtube. The other is a 1950s Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook that I inherited from my Grandma Elverna. Our most oft-used recipe from that book is “Oh Boy” Waffles (on page 87 of my copy) and we highly recommend it!
Kyle - I love any old cocktail manual. I think that counts as cookbooks, lol. (It does in my, er, book! - Angel!) There is an aura of joy in those old books… the recipes, the wonderful illustrations, and the generally playful editorial tone. I think this joyful conviviality is not just about the drinks, but also the social nature of drinking in those times. People actually looked forward to the company of others back then. Nowadays, with the level of social disintegration we experience and the world as it is, who even wants to spend time with other people? Another fascinating aspect of old cocktail manuals is how, at one point, they served to teach an entire country how to relearn their own culture, after legislated morality (prohibition) wiped out generations worth of our cultural customs. At the end of the day, for me, these books encourage people to create a playful outlet in their adult lives, which is one of the most important lessons that present-day society tries to hide from us.
I totally agree with you, Kyle, especially with regards to vintage cookbooks having a particular charm - hence why I collect so many! What has been the vintage find that has had you both jumping up and down with joy?
That would have to be our 1959 Faema Faemina espresso machine! In fact, it has us both jumping for joy nearly every morning!
Haha! I can imagine. And it does sound like a fabulous find. One of my biggest regrets is not holding on to certain items from my younger years. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m now spending a fortune buying back lost reminders of my childhood! Are there things you regret not hanging on to?
It seems to us that everyone goes through a period of nostalgia for one’s own childhood. Since our tastes have evolved over the years, we tend to let go of things as often as we acquire new things. There came a point in our lives when we both realized it was time to “be the person you are, in the moment, without regret.”
I am trying to practice the art of letting things go as I acquire new things. Maybe one day, I'll get the hang of it! My husband certainly hopes so! It’ll soon be National Retro Day here in America (February 27th.) Are you familiar with this day and do you plan on marking it in some way?
Oddly, we’re not familiar with this, but now may have to add it to our calendar.
It is a relatively new day. It was four years before I knew it existed! Where National Retro Day is concerned, those wishing to participate have to be - oh dear lord - offline for the entire day! That means no laptop; no scrolling on your phone; no checking for likes or follows - no use of any devices that require Wi-Fi connection. (Though I’m guessing an exception will be made for work-related reasons!) The idea is to live as simply as we did back in the day. How difficult will this be for you? How easy do you think it’ll be for you to steer clear of modern day gadgets and gizmos that require WiFi now that you’ve become so used to it all, and revert back to old-school technology for this one day?
We live in an area that has somewhat frequent power outages, so it seems we’ve already been observing National Retro Day on a semi-regular basis. Lol. (Haha! - Angel) We’re accustomed to using our 1900s oil lamps and 1920s cookstove… and, pulling out our ukuleles for a delightful fifteen minutes of entertainment (we only know three songs). Add to that, we don’t need Wi-Fi to make a fine cocktail! It probably also helps that we both grew up in a time without much of the technology that people are dependent upon today.
You make having power outages sound like so much fun! There are many things I love about being a nostalgia blogger. People might think I’m being my usual dramatic self when I say it’s been life-changing for me but it has. What has been the best part of your vintage journey so far?
Making the conscious decision to improve our lives in a way that is meaningful to us is very empowering. The result is that we enjoy being able to live in an old house surrounded by wonderful treasures of the past.
Angel: That does sound good!
This or That (Individual answers from both Mr. and Mrs. Moonbeam!)
⦁ 1950s or 1960s?
Andrea – College me would say 1960s, but today I prefer earlier decades. At the time, I was much enamored of hippie culture and folk singers, like Arlo Guthrie.
Kyle - I’d have to say the 1950s were a more energetic era of industrial design, and I’m speaking of a more global view than just here in the US. There seemed to be a surge of creative energy in response to the emerging needs after the war, that was truly innovative at its core. The sixties style, to me, seemed to be an attempt to cover over or escape from the mounting social anxieties of the time.
⦁ Margarita or Martini?
Andrea – Martini, of course, with a twist of lime. And that would be the traditional martini made with gin.
Kyle - The Martini is the only cocktail when you get right down to it. Perfect for every occasion, including what you take to the proverbial deserted island. Tequila, on the other hand, tends to make me fight inanimate objects, sans apparel. If only there were martinis as large as margaritas with mardi gras bead garnishes. A Gauche-tini, if you will.
⦁ Nancy Drew or Miss Marple?
Andrea – Nancy Drew (with me portraying Miss Marple and helping solve the mysteries – lol)
Kyle - Miss Marple, Nancy Drew is underaged. (LOL! - Angel)
⦁ Spring or Fall?
Andrea – Fall – I love autumn leaves, pumpkins, apples, chilly nights, crisp impossibly blue skies, finally being able to wear wool and flannel clothing again. (Same here! - Angel)
Kyle - I like how alive the air feels in the fall. In most of the places I have lived, Spring was known as mud season.
⦁ Film Noir or gothic romance?
Andrea – Yes. Lol. Film noir to watch and gothic romance to read.
Kyle - Film Noir! Or better yet, BOTH! When you get right down to it, the only difference is peignoirs vs. fedoras, right?
⦁ Pancakes or waffles?
Andrea – Waffles! And pancakes! And more waffles! But only with real maple syrup, you savages!
Kyle - Are you asking which one first?
⦁ Glam rock or heavy metal?
Andrea – Hmm… I’ll choose glam rock here. But I’d much prefer sea shanties or electro swing.
Kyle - Glam Rock! Heavy Metal tends to take itself too seriously.
⦁ Theatre or movie theatre
Andrea – If I must choose to go out amongst the people… movie theatre. Otherwise, my living room.
Kyle - I live in a cultural desert, so I could see a movie if I really wanted to travel a ways.
⦁ City break or country getaway?
Andrea – Between these two, country getaway. However, Kyle and I have tried to create a life here at the Cottage that we don’t need a vacation from. (Bliss! - Angel)
Kyle - I don’t like to leave the house, lol. Maybe “window shades open or closed” would be more appropriate. (Hahaha! - Angel)
⦁ Dallas or Knots Landing?
Andrea – Neither… in that late 1970s timeframe, Little House on the Prairie… or Happy Days.
Kyle - Fantomas (1964) or Danger Diabolik (1968)?!
And Finally…
The four of you are being transported back to another decade in which you’ll live there for the entire duration of the decade! Which one would you choose and why? And yes, you’ve both got to decide on only one!
We’d choose the 1930s. Prohibition ended early in that decade, it was between world wars (in the US), there was amazing machine age design (Raymond Loewy!), fabulous clothing design (Orry Kelly!), madcap mystery movies (Nick & Nora!), and terrific pulp novels.
Kyle and Andrea, you've been your usual witty, entertaining selves. It's too bad we've come to the end. Thank you so much - it's been an absolute pleasure!
If you'd like to follow the fabulous Kyle and Andrea; check out their YouTube channel (you'll be hooked!) or visit their store, here's how to do it:
COMPANY/STORE NAME: Moonbeam Cottage on Martini Cove
STORE ADDRESS: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MoonbeamCottage
EMAIL: moonbeammartini@gmail.com
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Photos: Kyle and Andrea Moonbeam; Angel Noire; Wix and Unsplash
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
In the age we live in, it's so bloody difficult to be offline even for a day. Don't forget you need to be online for so many things, work, banking, classes. So I applaud anyone who can make being offline look like so much fun!
For me it's got to be a Porn Star Martini as I adore passion fruit. I admit it's a bit of an embarrassing name and I do feel awkward having to order one but the taste more than makes up for it!