Good morning all.
We all need food and water to survive. But what we need for nourishment and what we put in our bodies is another thing. We have all become accustomed to eating 'junk' if you will - from time to time. I love a potato chip or taco chip or two or three - on occasion. Sometimes they are part of a meal.
Back in the day - that wasn't so much the case. What we ate was fresher and healthier. We didn't have all the fancy modern things available now. I know some of you are younger, and probably grew up with snacks and junk food around, but at my age - that just wasn't a thing - unless it was made at home!!!!!
Now the brown bread thing - we considered that something of a luxury. It was purchased in a can, if you could find it at the store - it was mainly an east coast thing. But mom made her own version.
Raw fish would never have been a consideration - and still isn't for me!!!
We had spaghetti and macaroni - NOT a thing called pasta!
Mom did freeze a lot of our own foods - I don't think we ever bought any.
We did have rice now and then for dinner - but rice pudding WAS a thing!
I was a teenager before I ever had pizza - a Chef Boyardee pizza kit I begged for! (ONCE)
Chips were made at home, or we had popcorn or homemade sweets
So MANY of these were true. It was just a different time. Many of these things could never have even been conceived in our brains back then!!!!
We ate foods we grew, traded and bartered - it was all local. Grocery stores were not on every corner, and there were only a couple chains to choose from. Standard and A & P around my area. Both gave stamps, which you could use to 'purchase' things. Many an item in the house and given as gifts came from green stamps!!!!!
There was no 'fast food', except White Castle - that only happened a couple times that I can ever remember - until I could drive!!!!!
There was A & W - which was once a summer for a frosty mug - daddies idea always!!!!! LOL
Oh sure, we had our little mom & pop corner stores - as that was all there was for years. They lasted most of my childhood.
Of course, everything about life in the 50's was different. We played with our friends outdoors. We used our imaginations to make up games. We would sit under the apple tree for long periods of time eating apples. We would go riding our bikes and knew when to be home! Our parents weren't overly concerned. Shoot there were enough of them keeping an 'eye' open - it was hard to get in trouble.
Daddy worked a lot - Mom even worked part time in the evenings at the local bakery (sis babysat me), so it wasn't because 2 parents were home all the time. It was because it was a way of life and we sure weren't rich (w/money) at all.
There is much to be said about fresh fruit and veggies. I am a meat eater, but I am careful what I buy. Sure I have canned meat on the shelf - just in case!
I do like frozen fruit and veggies as well - most are just what they say they are - not much if anything added. (buy unseasoned).
But today there are so many preservatives and chemicals in things, that we shove in our bodies - it just can't be healthy. I know that is a whole other conversation - but we sure need to be more mindful of what we eat and especially what youngsters eat. OK I will get off my soap box about that!
Life is just hurry up and get there, or do that - that no one really sits down and truly enjoys their meals anymore. No one truly enjoys the TRUE taste of food.
JUST ME - we have too many choices!!!!!!!! Yep, I really think that is a problem - too many choices of stuff that actually isn't food or nutritious!
For those coming up on the end of garden season - just another quick reminder. If you have a lot of green tomatoes still hanging and the threat of frost pops up - you can - can them!!!!! I also leave many to ripen on their own in the house.
Here are the instructions again for canning green tomatoes to fry! YUM
I love to make a green tomato relish sometimes too. They never go to waste!
OK, just my walk back in time and reminiscing about REAL food.
Maybe it brought back some memories for you as well.
Have a wonderful day!!!!!!
OMGoodness, how funny! My mama was from the south and we had rice very often with dinner. My daddy was a yankee and "health conscious" so we had brown bread. I don't remember beans at home except green ones. For frozen food, we had orange juice and some frozen veggies - I'm thinking Fordhook Lima Beans (& they were green). We didn't eat much macaroni or spaghetti because my daddy thought that was foreign food. Pizza did not come into my life until my teens.
ReplyDeleteOh the memories! :)
MaryB
We had soup beans, lima beans and green beans. Mom made stuffed peppers a lot - and chicken and rice - that was about all I remember with rice.
DeleteFunny - foreign foods!! LOL
Glad you went back in time a little!
I was born in 1956 and lived on a farm. I say we were the original organic farmers: if we didn't pick it, grow it or kill it, we didn't eat. There was homemade everything. We were talking about popcorn the other day; I can't remember the first time I ate popcorn or had it in the house to make. There was no such thing as junk food or fast food. Going out for a meal in a restaurant was unheard of. Even my son can't believe how we lived, never mind the grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteFunny how people think that maybe you were deprived! That was just how it was. My dad used NO chemicals whatsoever on the garden - so he was different from he neighbors. We grew most everything, except meat (when I came along). Then they bought 1/2 cow. Neighbor had chickens. Mom & dad had chickens before I came along and rabbits and goats.
DeleteIt was just the way things were. I love hearing you guys stories.
Things sure have changed. Now the "elites" want us to eat bugs and manufactured meat. I have a strong feeling they will continue to eat their filet mignon. We garden to have fresh, chemical-free veg. We know how our chickens live and what they are fed. I remember going to a little root beer stand in Lebanon and of course we had Dog 'n 'Suds. Best of all was the Guernsey which had the very best ice cream. I vaguely remember going to John's Hot Stew as a child. My Aunt Beatrice worked in the Blue Boar cafeteria in Louisville KY and I remember going there when we would visit. My dad was the popcorn maker. For reference I am 76 so all this was a while ago.
ReplyDeleteMy great-nephew Jonathan is waiting for a kidney transplant. I pray that it is soon. He has been without properly functioning kidneys for over 5 years.
Gloomy day. The temperature is near perfect, however.
Yeah, the bug thing aint happening for me!!!!!! Nope.
DeleteYes, just knowing where your food comes from and how it is prepared is so much.
I was in my 30's first and only time I went to John's Hot Stew.
We had a milk man in my younger years and that is how we got ice cream whenever we did.
Daddy always grew popcorn and regular corn.
Love the temps today!!!!!
Donna prayers for your nephew. I sure hope he gets a 'gift' soon.
DeleteGood morning! Interesting and thought-provoking read. Hubs is 63 and I'm 61 (62 at the end of the year). Our mothers both worked much of our childhoods. By the time we were adolescents, chips and sodas and things were pretty common in most households. Frozen (TV) dinners were rare, but widely available. We both grew up drinking Kool-Aid. Fast food was beginning to be more popular, but was still a rare "meal". I do remember plenty of canned ravioli and spaghetti-os.
ReplyDeleteMy (original) parents divorced when I was 13, which is when I started doing much more cooking for the family. What I learned--and the way I learned--was simple home cooking. Nothing fancy. And meals contained foods from the 4 basic food groups (I got a girl scout badge for nutrition and another for cooking a few years before). We at a lot of store bought canned vegetables and fruit. We ate a lot of tuna casserole and other casseroles; most used a can of cream of something soup.
It wasn't that many years between how many of you grew up eating vs. how the next kids grew up eating if you think about it. Which is why this is so interesting of a topic. and yes, I believe it all plays into some of the health issues of today.
Praying for Jonathan, Donna. Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone.
--Elise
Oh, my... it just occurred to me... my life reflects the timeline of changes in eating in America. I started working in high school when I was 15 at a nearby A & W. We moved again. Mom married Pop when I was 16 and I got other jobs. In my junior and senior years of high school, they ate at restaurants most nights of the week, which is what my younger brother (he's 6 yrs. younger) remembers most.
DeleteFast forward a few years; I married at 23, had our oldest son at 25. By the time our youngest was born (I was 31) I was reading Tightwad Gazette and *everything* was homemade, including youngest's baby food. My own kids grew up with fresh or frozen vegetables. Plenty of roasted meats that became soups, stews or casseroles from any leftovers. As a SAHM when most other women were working outside of the home, we didn't have money to eat out... even FF. I made burgers and oven fries at home. Chips and sodas? Not in the budget.
I've said for decades that I was born in the wrong era. LOL! Honestly? I think folks have just done the best they can with the circumstances they had. My mom and MIL were career women. Not a lot of time in the evening, then, to get a traditional, homecooked meal on the table. I've always felt for working moms. They don't really get to "have it all", so much as they get to "do it all". --Elise
Yeah your memories and mine are so different and I am 68. Not too many years apart. Soda pop war a rarity ALWAYS in my house - even as a teen and I was working and had my own money.
DeleteMom and dad started their business when I was 14 and were gone until about 6PM - 6 days a week. Some days I made dinner for them - other times mom would cook. She still had a hot meal on the table every night. We did not do restaurants at all.
Daddy stilled gardened then and mom still canned and froze - they really worked hard.
I love how everyone has such diverse memories. Pretty cool.
It is fun hearing how others grew up.
Someone mentioned it might have to do with where you grew up. Maybe it does. I lived all over the U.S. growing up, but we were in CA when Mom, Pop and brother would go out to eat 3 out of 5 weeknights. I worked nights/weekends then. If I was home, we ate at home. I cooked, or Pop did. Hubs said they never ate out, but from the time they were teens, each of the 4 kids had their night in the kitchen, meaning cooking and cleaning up after the family meal. Usually, though, the girls teamed up and the boys did the same. I always thought that was a GOOD idea. --Elise
DeleteThank you, Elise. He is wanting to go back to his pulpit.
DeleteLoved this...I was born in 1947 and I am amazed at the things we didn't have then...never heard of kale or arugula or yogurt, for instance.Milk was only from a cow or goat if the child was allergic to cow's milk. No almond or soy or oat milks! Our cereal choice was grape-nuts or corn flakes. The only frozen food I remember is chicken pot pies. When my dad was away at the Korean war, my mom served these often to the 4 kids. Ugh. We never went hungry and Mom was a good cook.
ReplyDeleteYes, the new 'modern' foods were not a thing back then!!!! People would have thought you were crazy had you mentioned something like almond milk!!!! LOL
DeleteI don't remember having pot pies but every once in a while I would convince mom to get a box of packets of dry chicken noodle soup (like onion soup) I thought that was the neatest treat!!! Like you - I never went hungry.
Very interesting Cheryl, some of this I think could be even in what part of the country you grow up in. My Italian grandparents called pasta; *pasta*. Haha. All the Italians in the city called it pasta too. When they served dinner with the sauce, it was not sauce it was pasta *gravy*. In our small town we didn't have White Castles, only independent burger, shake etc. drive up places like Sonic is now, just more old fashioned. Ours was called "Dairy Palms". My mom always had frozen orange juice, store bought chocolate ice cream and always had green frozen veggies in freezer, spinach, broccoli etc. My mom also took the time to peel and cut carrots in long thin sticks and put them in cold water in the fridge for snacks. I'm tickled to read that some thought spaghetti was a foreign food. Oh my goodness! : ) My German grandfather always had pumpernickel bread he and his Irish wife, my grandma Jeannette would pass politely at the table with bread and butter pickles and other stuff. He had a fancier house, my Italian grandparents had a more simple home but filled with love and laughter on the bay, my Italian grandpa was a shrimper but had been a young opera singer in New York before moving to the south. He was discovered hanging his laundry up in the tenement apartments in New York as a lady from the opera walked down the street. He moved to the south to be with the rest of the family who came from Bisaquino, Sicily later. Many Italians in the city still feel it necessary to drive very fancy cars and wear extravagant jewelry because of the way they were treated (I think that's dumb) my grandparents never did that or cared but I get it though. There is a famous bread company, many of you would know. They would not hire Italians. Well, my great aunt ended up owning the property in downtown that the bread company rents from. lol
ReplyDeleteAs far as junk food, my mom once in a while would have shoestring potatoes in the cardboard can container and sometimes we would have rippled potato chips, popcorn was popped at night as we watched the Flintstones, Beverly Hillbillies and Lucy. It was always a treat to have my moms homemade french fries! Very rare but oh so delicious! My mom ate 'Hollywood' bread, anyone remember that? She would also many times buy 'Mellorine' chocolate ice cream, both of those were lower calorie. My mom liked corn flakes in her coffee too in a cup, she would add milk and sugar to that and eat it with a spoon. That was an Italian thing, my mil loves dipping garlic bread in her coffee. Is it any wonder this Italian/German gal married an Italian? : ) I guess we kind of "get" each other on all this stuff. Italians in the south, yes indeedie. I'm 62, hubs is almost 70, my bday is at the end of the year coming up.
Interesting post, yes indeed. I love hearing how it was for everyone growing up! Good stuff. Have a good one Cheryl! Thanks for sharing!
Sincere prayers for needs expressed here.
~Amelia
Amelia, Interesting bits on the Italian foods. I married an Italian too. So I'm familiar with the tomato gravy and polenta. Never heard of polenta before but I love it. Interesting on the garlic bread dunked in the coffee. I love garlic bread.
DeleteGrowing up I have to say my Mom wasn't an adventurous cook, we ate pretty basic meals. Meat and potatoes at our house.
Hi Laurie, Oh that is great that you married an italian too! : ) You can always tell a true Italian, if they call it: Gravy. My grandparents never did polenta but I like it too, my German dad did polenta though, haha. Funny.
DeleteOh for those simple days right? I used to love the Reminisce magazines but sadly they closed down, kind of a reflection on our country. But I think when Cheryl posts these reflections it's a bit like having Reminisce magazine but more personal with interaction. I've always been old fashioned...Listened to elevator music driving along with the poppy music. : ) I'm an old soul, so are our daughters, hubs too now. He used to be a rock n roller playing in horrendous bands! lol But no, no hint of that now. He's right with me, also an old soul now...Thank God. We met at an Italian wedding after he became a Christian.
Thanks for sharing Laurie! Love that!
Cheryl, on my comment I should have added that it was my *Italian* great aunt who owned the property she rented to the bread company.
DeleteAlso, yes, I sure do remember those stamps! : ) My mom would sit at the kitchen table filling the books and I would help her. My mom still has some little metal mini platters painted with fruit on them she got with her stamps when they were going out of business.
It is funny that both of you mention pasta gravy. Until it was mentioned on here before - I had ever heard that phrase. It was sauce at our house. I think of gravy as something milk based.
DeleteI love Polenta LAURIES. I like fried slices.
We always had carrot slices waiting in the frig too. That was a healthy snack. I remember when mom would fix broccoli - I would always ask for a 'tree' while she was cutting it up. I loved it raw (still do).
Corn flakes in coffee and garlic bread dipped - those are new to me too.
It was always fun sitting down and filling the stamp books.
Yes, it does have to do with the regions we came from for sure. Lots of meat and veggies and potatoes here. We had German, Swiss, and Irish in our bones - many German folk in my city as well.
Oh, I'm sorry, I had forgotten to remember that my grandpa was *singing* as he hung his laundry. (I get in a hurry and leave out important details that make my story make sense). Gah.
DeleteYes, trees! I just told my grandson to eat his "trees"! : )
Thank you, Amelia.
DeleteYou can get Reminicse books and magazines on Ebay. I bought some and they were in excellent condition.
DeleteCorrection: at that time, there were still only 3 kids :)
ReplyDeleteSeaweed is not recognized as a food in our household! Argh! Gives me the shudders to think of eating it.
ReplyDeleteTuna noodle casserole was a favorite at my childhood table. My Mom was big on serving the Midwestern staple of meat, potatoes and gravy with some sort of bread product. Vegetables were from the garden.
Fresh peaches from the tree....oh, so good! Your trip down memory lane brought some good memories for me as well. Thank you.
Prayers for gr nephew!
Ellie
Central Az
PS We got green and blue stamps.
No - no seaweed for me either. LOL
DeleteYou grew up with the same kind of cooking as me - Midwest staples! Good old wholesome food - nothing fancy.
I remember green and yellow stamps here. Neat how even that was different places!
Thank you, Ellie.
DeleteOh, don't get me started ... It's one of the reasons I can my own tomatoes, sauces, jams, fruits, and veggies. That way I know what goes into it. Nothing I can't pronounce.
ReplyDeleteMy younger sister worked as a nurse in an emergency room for years and told stories of situations where, for example, grandma was brought in by an ambulance and the entire family gathered in the waiting room with all their children -- barefoot babies walking and crawling around the floor, and teen and young adult parents went for McDonalds for dinner for the kids. And if they got a hamburger instead of chicken nuggets, the world knew it. That a 2-year-old knows the McDonalds menu by heart is telling. A Happy Meal is NOT a balanced dinner for ANYONE!!!! OK, rant over. But know that I could go on and on. And that we don't eat together as a family, and everyone expects to have an individualized meal and now what is prepared for the family, no wonder this world is in the state that it's in. OK, rant #2 over ... I'm just going to shut up now. Have a great day!
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DeleteLori I am with you. Some topics it pays to stay away from, because it gets us riled!!!!!! LOL
DeleteWe just know what real food is! I am like you and what things that are good for my body - not all the junk.
ELISE - I know a lot of young moms who work, raise families, do sports and still cook their families meals today. It may be with a crockpot or an instant pot or an air fryer, but they still eat at home and eat REAL food. Sure there are some, that just can't do that - but for the most part, many can - if they want it.
Many don't even think about working and buy and eat all the junk too - it is easy. There are a lot of people who don't want to work today. This is one point we will probably disagree a lot on.
Lori - it also riles me when the kiddos decide what they will eat and demand something different. I sure would have gone hungry a lot had that happened in my house!!!! You either ate what was prepared or you didn't - nothing else was fixed.
DeleteI cringe when I see little ones eating that stuff - nothing at all nutritious about it and people are putting it in their babies bodies.
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DeleteNo problem. You didn't mention them not wanting to work - my point is that many don't and still use the same excuses as those that do.
DeleteYou provide thought and conversation - my point is we all don't necessarily agree. We have all had experiences in life that others know nothing of as have our families.
I guess I just get tired of excuses - and they seem to abound in todays world. You are just fine dear!!!!!!
I totally agree, Elise, and believe me, my daughter ate her share of fast food growing up. I guess at least part of where I'm coming from is that I see (as does my sister) that many young families don't have the knowledge of nutrition guidelines, undersand food groups, or even have basic cooking skills. In many communities, the one who held that information (grandma, mom) is either gone or not living close enough to pass on that knowledge to the younger generation. So, they're no longer getting it at home, and it's not being taught in school. I often think that I should develop and offer instruction in meal planning, budgeting, grocery shopping within your means, patry building, and cooking. I want to be part of the solution but am not sure where to begin.
DeleteLori - so true. People just don't have a clue to what is good and bad. There sure should be a class in school - remember home ec? It could teach about food, finances, daily real-life stuff!!!!
DeleteIf you get food stamps - you should have to take a basic class on how to stretch the food dollars and basic cooking. Perhaps churches could offer classes. Libraries. There has to be a way to help and be part of the solution.
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DeleteHow cool on the cookbooks and their re-release. That is neat.
DeleteThere have been so many shows - 30 Minute Meals, Semi-Homemade, etc. that gave so many neat and easy ideas and many times healthy.
No they don't know any better. But I do think many would not change even if they had the knowledge. JMO.
Elise, very neat on the cookbooks! : )
DeleteCheryl and LoriK what we did as a homeschool family was our second born daughter in highschool and beyond held a monthly class called VOH, it stood for 'Vessels of Honor'. We had sometimes 40 plus girls come to learn about cooking, nutrition and sewing etc. I don't understand why mothers don't teach their kids this stuff. I don't think we can depend on government schools to do this for us really, at least not anymore. If you can read you can cook. Crockpots are simple. You just plink, plink plink a few ingredients in and you're good to go. And homeschoolers aren't perfect either, I've seen moms get so into "busyness" with classes and such they too are not teaching their kids this stuff and drive thru many evenings. I know a lady that comments here from time to time who has written wonderful books on the subject, her name is Mrs. White. She has struggled with sickness and her husband is disabled, she offers much encouragement on the subject. I think she may have commented recently if anyone would like to look her up. : ) In her books she describes making homemade pizzas, lasagnas and muffins etc.before noon for her family.
We lived on one income and my husband worked straight commission and owned the business so bills to pay too. I stayed home and went without a car for a while. When I would save money I would say to myself, "Well, that just added to my husband's paycheck." I remember going through the house getting change and putting it in a fruitcake can for some of our daughters needs. We were happy and lived a sweet life. God will do a lot more than people think. : ) It's a shame our culture has gotten so far out there and bought the lies of bondage in feminism. I just can't believe sometimes how some moms needlessly bought the lie.
That's my soapbox for the day! lol Please oblige, my dad was a city councilman and had to stand alone many-a-day.
God bless All here. : )
P.S. And please understand, yes, of course we drove through sometimes. : ) My husband still loves picking out his storebought frozen pizzas or eggrolls. But it's not every day we eat that although I do enjoy frozen veggies from the store, the plain ones that I season myself. For 99 cents a bag, why not? : ) They are picked form the field. I make peas and pasta with canned peas too. ...Just saying. I'm not a stickler either. ; )
DeleteAmelia, I was a homeschooler for awhile, too. It can be a busier life! LOL! One thing I insisted on was teaching them to cook. Which began at the grocery store. I taught them you buy what's on sale and plan meals around that. Both are very good cooks today (at 36 and 30). Youngest, especially, can really stretch his grocery dollars far. He's a saver and almost never eats out. Oldest likes to eat out about once per week, but budgets for it. Anyway... I've gone on about this enough. (blush) and from now on will refrain from the subject.
Delete--Elise
P.S. I believe you and I were blessed, Amelia, in being able to make the choices we made. Not all have that luxury. (((Hug)))
Amelia, I believe you'll appreciate this prayer from a devotional book today: "Lord Jesus, help me to learn from Your silence. Help me to trust You more so that I don't feel the need to explain myself. Amen."
DeleteWe like to go out to eat at a couple of local restaurants, too. Early Bird pricing. There are some benefits to being part of the silver set. ;-) And I've got a good stock of canned veggies, beans, etc. Frozen pot stickers from a particularly good company, loaded with veggies; they make a great, quick meal stir fried with some extra (also frozen) veg. We always have burritos in the freezer, too. Along with pre-cooked homemade for fast heat & eat. I'm grateful for ALL of it while I'm not able to cook at the gas stove.
100% agree on crockpots, etc. Maybe that hasn't been communicated well enough. My point is a question of whether or not we ought to be weighing in on the choices of others whose situations we don't really know about. Should we not, instead, be focused on our own kitchens, budgets, etc.?
But YES. To the prayer, I need to learn once again to be silent on topics that cause such strong feelings. I can't fix the world. Heck, I can't even fix problems in my own community. I can do my best to look after my own household and trust God with the rest.
Thank you! --Elise
Elise, I so hear your heart.
DeleteWonderful prayer! I think it's good to weigh in when the Holy Spirit nudges, but I do know and greatly understand what you're saying. I'm personally learning certain things not to go into, many don't know the whole story and I can't expect them to. It's unfortunate; I think sometimes we just need a good shoulder to cry on. : )
It's very true, we all need to take care of our little worlds at home in the best way possible and pray, pray, pray. Amen.
Big hugs! ~Amelia
I have fond memories of A&W! Ours had tiny mugs for kids that were free but it wasn't much in there!
ReplyDeleteOh that would be neat - I don't remember those.
DeleteCool.
That was where I worked my 1st job, Lana. :-)
Delete--Elise
Ooh, i missed good discussion here today!
ReplyDeleteI was in my 20s, living alone, and doing yardwork. My neighbor was pulling out and I waved. She rolled down hr window and asked if I wanted her to bring me some dinner. I asked where they were going.
(Her and 2 kids under 7). She names THREE fast food places because she wants this, he wants... I was so shocked that I declined and spent the rest of the night stunned that any mom would agree to such insanity!!! I was 26 or so. In our house, it was simple. On the very rare occasion that we got McDonald's, we were given a hamburger. Two large fries, today's small, were split among 5 of us. We drank milk. None of us peeped a word of complaint about anything, not even those onions we hated lol. That was maybe twice per year on Open House night at school lol. My dad loved fried chicken and my mom hated chicken so my dad would bring home a bucket of KFC about once a year. No sides. We didn't really care much for it. Most of it was wasted.
A & W was a huge and rare treat. We passed one when we went camping. We would occasionally stop for 5 small root beer floats. The car was never so quiet as when we were all sipping on pure heaven!!!
I've joked about it here a lot. Being Hispanic, we ate beans, tortillas, red chili sauce, green chilies, etc. every single day. At breakfast there would be eggs, lunch there might be ground pork in a burrito, and for dinner there might be a hominy or cabbage soup, but the basics were always there. Everything was completely homemade and home cooked. My grandma would buy 50# bags of pinto beans and sort thru them to remove rocks. She would have her wedding band repaired about every 5 years because the gold would wear down where she rolled tortillas and it would eventually break on the underside. Nobody weighed more than 140, men included. My mom was 105 at 5'4". My thigh weighs 105 😂😂 😂.
Crazy how people make so many stops and buy so many different things. I would still be amazed at that and I am 68! Shows you had a good head on your shoulders even back then.
DeleteI think once we got KFC for some gathering so mom wouldn't have to fry it. Well, no one fell for that!!!!! Moms was so good. I am still not a fan of KFC - too greasy.
I would love to eat your grandmas cooking today!!!!! I am a huge fan. Maybe not growing up - but today!
I still know a lot of people who buy those 50 lb. bags and roll those tortillas - I LOVE IT!!!!
Reminds me - about time to make posole soup! Mmmmm
My husband and I were both born in 1958 and were from families who grew fruit and veg and ate home cooked food. My family used to eat macaroni cheese a lot in the summer with salads. The only spaghetti we ate was from cans in tomato sauce. We had prunes and custard for dessert along with canned pineapple. Mum and Nan who lived with us ate brown bread, my sister, Dad and I are white, we always had butter, margarine was for baking only. We lived in a small village in a rural area so had our bread, milk and meat delivered by vans. Raw fish and seaweed were not heard of as good groups lol.
ReplyDeleteFish and chips (fries) was something my Dad would cook every couple of weeks and were fillets of fish with home made batter. Soda, or as we called fizzy when we were young was a Christmas treat. Potato chips, we called them crisps were plain with a small blue bag of salt to add separately.
I found this post and the replies really interesting. I don't remember there being many fast food outlets locally, even in the nearby towns. I now live three miles from where I was brought up and our small town has so many take aways and fast food joints, you could eat different foods each day of the week, not that we do.
We all come from different places and grew up differently, yet so many things are the same! Fast food didn't come about much when I was little - but it would never have been considered a meal for us. I bet your dads fish and chips were wonderful. Being rural made things different as well for you I bet.
DeleteWe had some things that were reserved for holidays as well and were special treats.
I remember eating Roman Meal "Brown Bread" at my grandmother's. She also had sugar cubes for the coffee :) Not sure if that made her poor or rich :) hahaha. The only snacks I remember having in the house were Doritos or Pecan Sandie cookies. We ate a sandwich every single day for lunch and never complained. We had toast for breakfast or cold cereal. People expect too much these days. There are way too many choices and that's probably why we all have "decision fatigue".
ReplyDeleteToo many choices - agree 100%!!!!! Life was just simpler. Not a thing wrong with a sandwich for lunch or cereal for breakfast. You ate what you were given and didn't question it. Same here. Things sure have changed.
DeleteDecision Fatigue is a great way to put it, Debbie. My grandma essentially made the same meals day after day, but some things only differed if there was a sale. We mostly ate lean pork, but occasionally a beef roast. I imagine that was a sale thing. I think that is so much easier and much less expensive than trying to create a new meal everyday. It also allows for bulk shopping like those beans. I definitely suffer from decision fatigue.
DeleteThis is the first column here that has made me feel uncomfortable. We give grace to people who may not feel like preparing food at home because of life changing situations or medical issues. How about the same for working moms, over whelmed families, folks who may have less advantage due to circumstances they didn't create. Until I walk a mile in their shoes.........
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DeleteElise, you're far nicer than me. I don't know of a single person that hasn't been thru some trials. No, we can't know every situation and I don't presume to. But if you're eating out nearly every night without a choice, you must be homeless. And then, well, eating out is probably the least of your problems.... I'll ask my brother about that if I ever talk to him again... No pity, just fact.
DeleteThere was never an intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable. We have (as I said above) been through many things in our own lives that no one here knows about. I am somewhat open about my life - but not everything is public knowledge. I do not mean to judge. Circumstances are different for everyone. You do you, and I do me - that has ALWAYS been my motto on here - no matter the subject.
DeleteJudgement comes in all forms - from agreeing to disagreeing. I like to think we can have conversations about things in an adult fashion - and it be just that - a conversation.
We are a diverse group and we all have opinions and for the most part we help one another. No judgement intended.
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DeleteI think those situations were all addressed and I don't think anyone has been in a position where life didn't go cattywampus occasionally.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth, I've been all those people you mentioned except the working mom. My mom covered that. That was the nights I mentioned that we got McDonald's. She got home from work at 6pm and Open House was at 7pm. Twice a year. She cooked every night, did laundry, etc. I have no idea how she did it. But eating out wasn't optional. I've joked that she hid a can of tuna for the times food nearly ran out. Creamed tuna over drop biscuits and canned peas.
But if eating out every night is a way of life, something is wrong. If an overwhelmed family or mom is picking up Wendys regularly, a change is in order. Fast food is expensive. PB&J is cheaper and healthier than fast food. I worked 3 jobs and commuted roughly 3 hrs. Per day M-Sa. When my family cracked up, I was left with 4 cats and 2 dogs to care for. Not cheap! I can't even tell you how many apples with pnut butter I ate in parking lots lol. If I had an extra minute, I'd mix 8n some raisins. Some of the sports venues I worked gave us free hot dogs and popcorn. I occasionally had the popcorn because...well, ick to eating so much junk.
Please don't assume that we all waltzed thru life easily. I've worn many shoes and some nearly killed me. But those shoes came with life lessons that I was determined to learn from.
Cheryl, go ahead and delete this last comment.
ReplyDeleteNo need. My life at times was the same. Many a night I had free crackers and a glass of water from the snack bar when going to my second job. I ate a ton of macaroni with ketchup on it. Ground beef or cheese was a luxury I didn't have.
DeleteI mentioned about - we all have parts of life we don't talk about. We are all different. THAT is what makes the world go round!!!!!!!
No judgements intended - just individual opinions because of the things we have experienced.