When I was a kid, I read a book about the Wright Brothers that included a scene in which, dining at a friend's house, Wilbur found the host's gravy unsatisfactory and was allowed to go into the kitchen and make his own, because it was understood that he was very particular about gravy. Was this completely made up or is there evidence that Wilbur Wright was a man of very strong gravy preferences?
Thanks.
It appears he was particular about his gravy. Here is an article I found from the now defunct Sarasota Journal that quotes his niece, Ivonette Wright Miller.
"Wilbur taught Carrie how to make gravy. He happened to be in the kitchen when she was having difficulty, and he said, 'Carrie, let's dump this out and start all over.' He went through it step by step, and it came out perfect."
Carrie Grumbach from my brief research is the maid employed by the Wright family for decades after their sister got too busy. So this particular incident wasn't at a friend's house but shows he did have gravy preferences. I've found no evidence he did this at any friend's house but as they say "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."