When examining cookbooks as historical documents there are a number of factors to consider. Cookbooks serve as excellent primary-source material from authors who lived in the culture and time period that is under research. Examination of “Say Cheese Please” offers even more insight than other cookbooks as not only is it a corporate-funded product, its author achieved a level of fame and fortune. These attributes provide greater information than what might have been previously gleaned. The involvement of the Liberty incorporation in the production of this cookbook is evident from the text itself. Firstly, the company’s official logo is on the title. Secondly, the introduction clearly states that the recipes “have been developed to use Liberty high-quality products” and that they were tested with specific Liberty products in denoted amounts. The fact that this cookbook was published by a dairy corporation with little fanfare and attention drawn to that fact suggests such collaborations were not unusual during that time period. Given the explosion of corporate power and prestige seen in North America in the 1980’s this is not surprising in the slightest. Indeed, Gilletz’s involvement with this cookbook had little to no impact on her supposed integrity as a culinary artist. It is telling that her credited works often omit this particular cookbook.

While the corporate ties of “Say Cheese Please!” are undeniable, the contents of the cookbook itself serve as historical windows. An important factor to consider when analyzing historical cookbooks concerns the ingredients and dishes included. Oftentimes they are not indicative of the foodstuff of the general population. They are often stylized and idealized versions of a variety of meals. Keeping that in mind, it is doubtful that the listed recipes are consistent dishes enjoyed by the majority of Canadians at that time. However, they do provide evidence as to what ingredients and cooking tools were available. All recipes require no more than a stovetop and an oven to complete, indicating the possession of these in most Canadian households. Essentially all ingredients included in the cookbook are staples of European cuisine. Spices, fruits, and vegetables of East Asia, India, Africa, and the Caribbean are absent. Given the known history of the author, a practicing Jewish woman with an Ashkenazi heritage, it is unsurprising that this is the case. What is surprising is the inclusion of a number of Italian-inspired recipes. Whether these inclusions are more reflective on the author’s upbringing or the culture at large is unclear. There are a number of other ingredients conspicuously absent in this cookbook. There is no poultry (outside of recommended chicken stock for Leek and Broccoli Soup), no beef, and no pork. A reason for this is the authors’ adherence to Jewish dietary restrictions known as Kashrut. For a recipe to be kosher, it cannot contain any pork, nor can it contain any combination of dairy and meat products with the exception of fish. “Say Cheese Please!” being a dairy-based recipe book would certainly not contain any recipes containing meat products if the author intended it to be Kosher. The recipes of the cookbook follow other laws of Kashrut such as a ban on shellfish; no shrimp, crab, or lobster is present in the book. The author’s first written work that propelled her into fame, “Second Helpings Please”, was expressly meant to be a kosher cookbook. There is no indication that “Say Cheese Please!” was intended to be a similar endeavour. Nowhere in the text does it mention strict adherence to kashrut. Rather it is more likely that this cookbook was intended to be accessible to both those who adhere to the dietary restrictions and those that do not.

The accessibility of “Say Cheese Please!” is an interesting topic in and of itself. The cookbook contains both an English and French version in the single physical book. The language and wording of a cookbook offers unique insight into the history of the period. The bilingual nature of this book allows it to appeal to both Anglophone and Francophone communities in its province of publication and beyond. It is not the first Canadian cookbook to include bilingualism as a reflection of the Canadian culinary landscape. Since this is a corporate-sponsored piece the most likely explanation for this decision was for the product to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. While the motivation for the bilingual nature of this cookbook is unclear, it is undoubtedly a reflection of the Quebec origin of the book itself and of the Liberty company.