Something Unexpected

I was looking at a digital copy of a Life magazine from 1971 and there’s a striking photo of a woman’s face. The photo, like the rest of the magazine, is in black and white. Beneath the picture is the headline “My man likes something unexpected now and then. That’s why I serve him rice.” The second sentence of the headline completes removes the mystery and the hook of the ad.

The copy begins with “Rice is full of tasty surprises.” Again, copy with mystery that immediately devolves into a list of things that can be added to rice. Chives, cheddar cheese, bacon.

And since someone thought a list of add-ins makes a great booklet, the reader – or homemaker – can write for one entitled “Rice Ideas Men Like.”