God bless old cookbooks and vintage advertisements. God bless Jell-O molds. God bless America's post-WWII bounty and our faith in science to “improve” hearty, classic foods by replacing them with elaborately stylized fare. It was often done in the name of modernity, in the name of artistry. Here, where misguided aspirations of high-class Continental fare meld with a uniquely American sense of pragmatism, we find the brilliant Flickr photo pool, Gee, That Food Looks Terrible!

A crown roast of frankfurters topped with shredded cabbage. A long, pale cabbage roll laying on the platter like a limpid phallus. Turd-brown beef aspic molded into a Bundt-cake form. A cold ham mousse in the shape of a birthday cake. You might want to wait until after lunch to look.

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