bump
only because I listened to a great podcast recently about food gangsters and the "egg cream wars" were mentioned
http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/a-taste-of-the-past-episode-134-food-gangsters/Aired: Thursday, May 2nd 2013
33:36
Did you know that gangsters controlled nearly all of the food distribution in Depression-era New York City? This week on A Taste of the Past, Linda Pelaccio invites Andy Coe to talk about racketeering in New York City food history. Learn how something as innocent as an egg cream was the cause of major crime. Find out what products were controlled by specific gangsters, and how the food rackets weren’t eliminated from the Big Apple until the days of Giuliani! Learn about Murder Inc., and how competition was dealt with in the 1940s. Calling all fans of The Godfather: you don’t want to miss this installment of A Taste of the Past!