Not Your Mother's Kitchen Cupboard!

One night this past summer, Tom and I were eating dinner and talking about how funny it was that so many of the foods we eat every day . . . were never on the table when we were kids!  (Or even young adults, for that matter.)

Part of that, I think, is that we were kids in the 60s -- an era that brought us instant everything:  instant mashed potatoes, Shake-and-Bake, instant oatmeal, Hamburger Helper, cake mixes, Tang, and Space Food Sticks! 

 

Yeah.  Space Food Sticks.  ("Find them next to "Instant Breakfast"!)  I used to have Space Food Sticks in my school lunches.  (Right in there with the olive loaf sandwich, the Lays bar-b-que potato chips, and the Hostess Twinkie.)

(It was all about fast back then; forget flavor!)

It's funny to think about all the things we eat NOW . . . that we couldn't have imagined THEN!  Here are 10 things in my pantry/refrigerator today. . . that you'd never have found in my mom's kitchen:

1. Balsamic vinegar
2. Arugula
3. Feta cheese
4. Artichoke hearts
5. Madagascar vanilla
6. Green lentils
7. Herbes de Provence
8. Greek yogurt
9. Steel-cut oatmeal
10. Salmon (let alone sushi-grade salmon!)

How about YOU?  What's are you eating now . . . that you didn't eat then?

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Comments

[Patty]

Instant mashed potato! What a horrible invention! We ate the same way. Devil Dogs rather than Twinkies ;-)

[Sallee]

Great list! And that steel cut oatmeal should have made it to mine, too! Lots and lots of foods I eat now that I didn't...

[The-ravelld-sleave.blogspot.com]

I just love this topic! Compared to some others, my parents were pretty adventurous, but oh the instant this or that ...

[bonny]

I had completely forgotten about Space Food Sticks; "lasting energy to feel alive" cracks me up! Your yogurt looks delicious. Thanks for a great topic!

[Jo]

Remember Tang? My grandmother, who was a great cook, loved that stuff for some reason. It was another product from the space program.

[Vicki]

TANG! Man, we loved that stuff. I don't remember the space food sticks, though -- may have been too exotic for my mom!
;)

[Marilyn]

Don't know space food sticks...haven't ever heard of them! But all the rest...yup. Mom made something called Russian Tea out of Tang...

[Carole]

We had feta cheese when I was growing up because there was a very popular Greek restaurant in our community so Greek salad was a thing. The rest of the stuff on your list - not so much.

[Kim]

I never heard of Space Food Sticks. That sounds like a crazy food. :) I remember the obsession with what astronauts ate, though. If it was good enough for them, it must be good for us!

[margene]

I grew up in the era of Campbell's soup "ethnic" foods. "Spanish" rice, Chicken ala King, etc. Fast food was a sandwich in our lunch. Nothing on your list was known to me as a kid. We didn't even know what plain yogurt was. I love the variety of good eats we have available today!

[Stacey]

I would have died had my parents made me eat artichokes, brussel spouts, cabbage or heaven forbid sauerkraut. Let's not even talk about squash. Why just in the past week, I ate 3 different kinds. I would blow their minds.

[kmkat]

I forgot about balsamic vinegar -- my go-to ingredient to liven up a food -- and lentils. Good list!

[Chloe]

Fresh basil, lemon zest, gourmet coffees and any herbal tea besides chamomile (which was the go-to for whatever ailed us back then). We weren't much for Tang but always had Campbell soup and Kraft Mac n' Cheese (my guilty pleasure) in the kitchen cupboard. Still around, of course, in all their salty splendor.