After the great Wall Street stock market crash that occurred in October of 1929, a period of extreme economic uncertainty began, which would become known as the Great Depression in Canada. Reaching its lowest point in 1933, the Great Depression resulted in extreme poverty for many families in North America. Along with a devastating drought that affected agriculture on the Prairies, in other parts of the country Canadians were left jobless, homeless, and starving due to high unemployment rates. It is widely debated when the exact ‘end’ of the Great Depression was, but many argue that it was the start of the Second World War in 1939. Others, however, believe the end did not occur until 1942 once employment levels bounced back.

We Entertain: With Salads, Sandwiches, Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, Supper Dishes was written in 1935. Within the cookbook's pages, there is a lot of evidence of the struggles that Canadians were going through at the time. Specifically, there are several examples of how to present an image of wealth and success without spending a lot of money. We can see this in many of the recipes as well as some of the advertisements sprinkled throughout the book. For example, in an advertisement for Milady Fashion Shoppe on page twenty-four of the cookbook, it is stated that the hats at the shop were “hats of distinction at popular prices.” Another example can be found on page twenty-eight for the Pollock’s Family Shoe Stores where “quality and economy meet.” At a store called Ines Ladies Wear, they advertised their merchandise as “exclusive but not expensive.” The language used in these advertisements emphasized that style did not necessarily have to be expensive, and acknowledges that many families were struggling with buying basic necessities. These businesses also reinforced that just because times were tough, one did not have to look impoverished, which was a common fear among middle-class Canadians especially.