What's New In Special Collections

Snapshots of America by Kyle Gagnon

Over the course of sorting and processing thousands of historic menus, I have come across nearly identical looking menus from completely different restaurants. These menus featured a design of visually stimulating patterns of dots that created a sort of optical illusion effect in the background of the interior, and even more interesting patterns on the back. Inside, different sections of the menu were neatly squared off and organized, with some of them accompanied by charming and detailed illustrations of food. But why were these menus practically the same, when one is from Sanford, North Carolina, and the other is from Ville Platte, Louisiana?

Cover of menu depicting green grass and tree

Palomino menu, approximately 1970-1980, UNLV University…Read More

If You're Game by Mary Anilao

In the early stages of the menu project, I came across a menu that had nothing on the front except the text “If you’re game.” The black text stood out from its white canvas background, but other than that, there was nothing exceptional about this menu. Until I opened it.

If You're Game menu, approximately 1980-1990, UNLV Universities Libraries Collection of Menus, MS-00436

The first item on the menu is octopus soup. I knew then that the menu was not as simple and normal as the cover led me to believe! The food described in the menu includes bug-centric meals such as roast locusts with mutto grass as well as Spanish worms in butter and wine sauce. Other options include various and unique meats including camel curry and saute badger. Other dishes on the menu…Read More

An Unexpected Memory by Paola Landaverde

From sewing music scores in the preservation lab to categorizing and identifying menus in the menu collection, working in the Special Collections and Archives division of the UNLV University Libraries has enriched my knowledge. This summer, I have been working on the menu project with four other undergraduate students. Coming across menus from old Las Vegas casinos such as the Stardust or the Desert Inn, as well as menus with elaborate designs and food items from different states, has sparked my curiosity about the evolution of gastronomy. Seeing menus from a diverse array of countries including France, Australia, Benin, and even Kuwait has been amazing, but I never expected to come across a restaurant guide from El Salvador, my home country!

The Restaurant of the Counterculture by Chriziel Childers

The 1960s was an era of counterculture, rejecting  the conservative norms and the social conformity of the earlier decade. From the anti-war movement, civil rights movement, to second wave feminism, the 1960s left a mark in the history of the United States. The psychedelic movement that occurred during the 1960s influenced music, art, literature, and even fashion of the decade.

As one of the Archival Assistants arranging and describing Special Collections and Archives’ large collection of menus, I come across menus that date from the late 1800s to early 2000s from all over the world. One particular menu I stumbled upon dates from around the late 1960s, with intricate artwork that caught my attention immediately.

Scanned full page image of Trident menu

Trident Menu…Read More

Latinx Voices: Monserrath Hernández

Monserrath Hernández
Monserrath Hernández

Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada is an oral history project collecting the stories of our regions diverse Latinx citizens. This series highlights the UNLV students who are working as oral historians on this UNLV Oral History Research Center project.

When her family moved to Summerlin in 2007 from the predominantly Latinx neighborhood of East Hollywood in Los Angeles, Monserrath Hernández went through a period of culture shock.

"I had never really felt out of place before, until we settled in Summerlin. For a long time I had trouble feeling like I…Read More

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