Isabell Hoeh - The Church's" Julia Child" who helped us All Eat Like Herman!

This isn't going to be a typical critical post. This one's more of a retrospective look at one of the figures that made life in Armstrongism what it was in a way that most necessarily did not influence apart from Atonement and the Dietary Laws - our stomachs! 

You see - Sometimes, when you are researching things involving the Church, you can get yourself into a tangent that you never knew where it will take you. Today was just such a day, when perusing articles, I noticed there was one person who never really gained all that much personal attention - but nonetheless, had a huge and dramatic influence on the lives of most old-timer WCG members and children. The person I am referring to is the wife of the infamous Dr. Herman Hoeh - Isabell.

Isabell Hoeh was your classic Church of God cook and homemaker. You may have varying opinions on that - but she was more than likely the benchmark of what most ladies in the church at that time looked up to, and who most college girls at AC wanted to be most like.

Starting as one of the original Church of God members, by the name of Isabell Kunkel, she spent her college years with Herman "The Brain" Hoeh - and they eventually got married. As Herman quickly moved up the executive ladder of the Church,  she had the unique job of doing her best to help the Church women learn how to cook the way that she felt was proper. In the Good News Magazine of the 50s, there were constant articles that were published to help ladies of the Church at that time with the cooking.The side effect?

Many of the Church began not only getting their spiritual meat from the Hoeh's, but they also began to eat what Hoeh ate. Isabell was running the unofficial Church of God Diner - via Publication and Media.

Isabell would post everyday recipes like Beef in Spicy Sauce, Carrots and Beans Au Gratin, and Apple-Cottage Cheese Salad. She would do a "Meat for the Meal" planner, where she would explain how to cook meats. Of course, pork wasn't on the menu! And she even taught about the use of vegetables and how to cook them. She also wrote an article on honey.  She even was the ONLY Female who wrote an entire Ambassador College Press Booklet. 

You probably made many Unleavened Bread Recipes that Isabell inspired.

Isabell wrote a column on recipes for busy days, too. We got to see what Herman would eat on those days when Isabell, no doubt, was stuck with the washing and the vacuuming and everything else a 50's Church of God housewife was expected to do. Like Hamburger filling, or the amazingly delicious Wheat Germ Wafer! Apparently, Herman loved a good peach. Isabell's Peach Mallow was a hit, apparently. And Miracle Whip or Hellmans' (were these even out at that time?) were not popular in the Hoeh House. She made her on mayo.

That was in the 50s. After a few years of not writing, Isabell came back in 1960 with much more to say about eating.

She advised church members to buy and grind your own grain, and promoted the use of cornmeal, and to avoid cream-of-wheat and hominy grits, and not to smother breakfast cereal under a layer of sugar. She advised cooked brown rice for breakfast. And she gave many recipes for the Church's Days of Unleavened Bread celebrations, like Cottage Cheese Pancakes. Sounds.....delicious? And prune diamonds. Prune Diamonds. I wonder how long Herman spent in the can after eating prune diamonds! I certainly wouldn't want to go into the bathroom after Herman was in there for half an hour after those Prune diamonds!!! Maybe Isabell had an all-natural deodorizor for Herman's Hunkers.

Now, Isabell wrote an article on Food Specialty Items. Meaning the sweets! She would make whole-wheat graham crackers, brown sugar marshmallows, honey marshmallows, and candied pineapple. Herman must have had quite the sweet tooth!

Through most of the 60s and onward, Isabell was mainly absent from the Good News magazine. It makes sense, due to the push the Church was doing for money and funds of the building fund at that time. No room for food articles - gotta get the master plan done and the Auditorium built!

Isabell passed away in 2007 - preceded by her husband Herman in 2004. Her daughter said she "is remembered for a skip in her step and a songbird's "hello" for each of us." 

Without a doubt - The Hoeh's were extremely influential in the lives of the members of the Church - and all of us have our opinions on them. But this post isn't about Herman - and there's a lot to be said about him, his person, and his beliefs that has been the source of controversy for many decades. This post is about the "Church Mother" who influenced the stomachs and appetites of the thousands of members and families who grew up in the Church. 

I often wonder exactly what the point was for all of the food related posts that Isabell published. I guess I could easily go into some off the wall theories - was she told to help the members be cost-conscious so more money can go into the work? Or to help the new members with diverting their previous love for pork and seafood? Or maybe we all were just supposed to "Eat Like Herman". Even though "Wheat Germ Wafers" had to taste like Hoeh...sorry, Hay. 

Since we all had the idea that we were going to live in an agri-utopian paradise we in our unique jargon called "The Wonderful World Tomorrow" in the next 3 to 5 to 8 to 10 to 20 to 40 to 70 years (yes, that clock is STILL ticking for a few out there, thanks to Prophecitus Armstrongitus! (see previous post!), I suppose that the push to eat COG-style had something to do with that. I can remember very well the lasting influence of the push for carob, whole wheat bread, no white bread - and a family push for Alfalfa - the WORST - and I mean worst - tasting thing I ever ate and can still taste to this day. Okay. Not the worst. There was this ginger cube.....

Yet from all that I have read, under the pressures of a minister's wife (and not just any minister's wife, we're talking Herman Hoeh here), she seemed to have tried very hard to meet expectations in the food department. But with all sincerity from the bottom of my stomach - 

You will never get me to try her Wheat Germ Wafers. Because of my health situation -  My diet is restricted enough!