Unhealthy/Gross foods growing up

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  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!
  • pearso21123
    pearso21123 Posts: 351 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    We still have them at the fairs here (Michigan), but they're called elephant ears. My kids love them.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
    Options
    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    We still have them at the fairs here (Michigan), but they're called elephant ears. My kids love them.

    I feel like I've had something they called elephant ears in Wisconsin but they were big round flat pieces, rather than the tube-shaped funnel cakes. Sounds very similar though!
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    In New England its called Fried Dough (sometimes funnel cakes) and if made right, it's delicious! Every fair and outdoor event has at least one Fried Dough vendor. Very popular.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,085 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    We still have them at the fairs here (Michigan), but they're called elephant ears. My kids love them.

    I thought the coiled or squiggly appearing ones were funnel cakes, and the ones made from a flat-ish solid hunk of dough were elephant ears. Whatever. I like the French fries with vinegar and the unsanitary lemonade better, anyway. Or those deep fried dough balls with pudding or pie filing in them - forget what those are called
  • pearso21123
    pearso21123 Posts: 351 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    We still have them at the fairs here (Michigan), but they're called elephant ears. My kids love them.

    I feel like I've had something they called elephant ears in Wisconsin but they were big round flat pieces, rather than the tube-shaped funnel cakes. Sounds very similar though!

    Ah, I didn't realize that your version was rolled up. That would explain why they're called "funnel" cakes. :) They often use cinnamon and sugar instead of powered sugar here, but I've seen them both ways. Last summer was the first time I've seen the version with pie filling. Because they weren't already unhealthy enough.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    Kst76 wrote: »
    This souns gross but its not.
    BLOODPUDDING!!
    Its a Swedish thing. Soooo good.

    That's what I'd call black pudding (I'm English) and it is delish. Especially as part of a full English breakfast after a night on the beer.

    Hmm. Not sure its the same...but probably very similar. I ate it with lingonberry jam and cold milk.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    We still have them at the fairs here (Michigan), but they're called elephant ears. My kids love them.

    I feel like I've had something they called elephant ears in Wisconsin but they were big round flat pieces, rather than the tube-shaped funnel cakes. Sounds very similar though!

    Ah, I didn't realize that your version was rolled up. That would explain why they're called "funnel" cakes. :) They often use cinnamon and sugar instead of powered sugar here, but I've seen them both ways. Last summer was the first time I've seen the version with pie filling. Because they weren't already unhealthy enough.

    Yeah I think they actually make them with a funnel shape so they are all coiled like brains :smile:

    I first saw 'em with the pie filling when I was in my twenties and I was just shocked even though back then I made zero attempts to eat healthy, it was just...exactly like you said, because they weren't already unhealthy enough...haha
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
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    Funnel cakes got their name because the pancake batter is put into the hot oil through the hole in the bottom of a funnel.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    Kst76 wrote: »
    Kst76 wrote: »
    This souns gross but its not.
    BLOODPUDDING!!
    Its a Swedish thing. Soooo good.

    That's what I'd call black pudding (I'm English) and it is delish. Especially as part of a full English breakfast after a night on the beer.

    Hmm. Not sure its the same...but probably very similar. I ate it with lingonberry jam and cold milk.

    @kst76 You're right. Not quite the same. The Swedish version is spiced and sweetened, and I really want to try some.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    We have funnel cakes every year at our state fair in October. I've never seen them with globs of jelly, but people do put gobs of powdered sugar on them. We ask for it plain and shake just a little sugar on it ourselves.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
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    Kst76 wrote: »
    Kst76 wrote: »
    This souns gross but its not.
    BLOODPUDDING!!
    Its a Swedish thing. Soooo good.

    That's what I'd call black pudding (I'm English) and it is delish. Especially as part of a full English breakfast after a night on the beer.

    Hmm. Not sure its the same...but probably very similar. I ate it with lingonberry jam and cold milk.

    @kst76 You're right. Not quite the same. The Swedish version is spiced and sweetened, and I really want to try some.

    You should. Just slice it in thin slices and cook on stove,using regular frying pan. Yummy!
  • CeciliaBobilia
    CeciliaBobilia Posts: 246 Member
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    These are so fascinating! I haven't read them all yet, but here's my contribution:

    Kool-Aid: We had a rule that whoever finished the last of the Kool-Aid had to make more. If you did not physically pick up the sugar bag and dump it in, you weren't making it correctly. I swear, we had to be using at least 5 cups of sugar and 2 packets of mix per pitcher.

    Chef Boyardee Ravioli: My grandmother invented The Ravioli Diet, which consisted of eating nothing but Chef Boyardee Ravioli for an entire week. It was meant to be punishment for repeatedly not eating enough at dinner, but my siblings and I were always jealous of whoever was on The Ravioli Diet (unless there was dessert that night).

    Poop Soup: The same grandmother made a vegetable soup out of undrained(!) hamburger meat and mixed canned vegetables. She served it in a coffee mug and called it Poop Soup. Grease blobs were always floating on the top and it was really quite vile, but she was a terrible cook (though she loved to cook), so we happily slurped it up.

    Dorito Nachos: I'd carefully arrange Doritos on a plate, lay slices of American cheese on top, and microwave them for a few seconds. As an adult, I discovered I much preferred to scoop cottage cheese with Sweet Chili flavored Doritos. I still crave Doritos and cottage cheese on occasion, but I haven't eaten it in years.

    Aunt Iris's "Chili": My great-aunt Iris would make spaghetti one night then add a can of beans, cumin, and water to it the next night and call it chili. It tasted like a spaghetti soup...with beans and cumin.... I'm not sure if she even knew what chili was.
  • CeciliaBobilia
    CeciliaBobilia Posts: 246 Member
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    My parents made the worst potato soup. It was just boiled potatoes and onions and then they would add globs of mayo to it.

    @crazykatlady820 OMG, you win. This is awful.
    My step mother made a potato soup once a week that smelled exactly like vomit. I never ate it, but the smell filled the house and I would bury my head in my pillow and try not to throw up. But globs of mayonnaise?! No. Just no.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited April 2018
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    We were really poor, so my parents had to get inventive sometimes. We had a side dish they made several nights a week. It was one of those packets of ramen noodles, but instead of making it a soup they would drain the water, put in some margarine, and then the seasoning packet. So, it became like a noodle side. It actually wasn’t the worst tasting thing ever, but as an adult I do not like ramen noodles (even with the broth).

    I lived on that in university, to the point that I could no longer eat it without feeling ill about it. I think I ate it once after university. LOL

    I felt the same way about apples, rice and broccoli once I could afford better food.
  • no1racefan1
    no1racefan1 Posts: 277 Member
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    Oh boy, I can't think of a single healthy thing that I ate as a child. We were poor, and somehow that translated to living off a combination of boxed/processed foods (whatever was on sale) and canned veggies from my grandma's garden. Meat was usually just venison that my parents killed, with an occasional pork chop for good measure. My most memorable 'poor' meal was a box of macaroni noodles mixed with a jar of canned tomatoes and sprinkled with salt and pepper. That's it. I actually loved eating that as a kid.

    We could have bought stock in Kool-Aid. Things like Kraft mac and cheese, hamburger helper, etc. would go on sale 10 for $however much and my mom would stock up. Little Debbie snacks in our lunch boxes. Tons of sugary cereal, and if the sugary sale isn't on sale and we ended up with corn flakes or something, that was okay--just pour some sugar right on top! We drank a TON of soda as teenagers. I remember when I moved in with DH and brought along my soda stash. He was flabbergasted. I almost never drink soda now and certainly never buy it to keep in the house.

    We did the white bread and butter thing. I actually still like this, especially when I don't feel good and want some comfort food.

    I honestly can't remember ever buying fresh produce, aside from big bags of potatoes and sometimes apples or bananas--whatever fruit was cheapest. I kid you not, I never even ate fresh broccoli until after I was married. All my veggies as a kid were frozen or canned--whatever was cheapest (notice a trend?), and the only veggies I was really familiar with were potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, green beans....and that's about it. Now, fresh steamed broccoli is one of my favorite things to eat.
  • New_Heavens_Earth
    New_Heavens_Earth Posts: 610 Member
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    I remember funnel cakes at amusement parks. They were hot fried oily disasters, covered in powdered sugar. I guess they are pretty common? I never see them anymore though I remember going to one of my childhood favorite amusement parks (Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO) and instead of the funnel cakes I remembered, they had them with huge piles of what looked like cherry or strawberry pie filling (?) ALL over them, in addition to the powdered sugar. I still love sweets including things like danish and donuts...but that...no thanks!

    In New England its called Fried Dough (sometimes funnel cakes) and if made right, it's delicious! Every fair and outdoor event has at least one Fried Dough vendor. Very popular.

    Reminds me of zeppolis- fried bagels of dough sprinkled with powdered sugar. Usually served in a brown paper bag.
  • crosbylee
    crosbylee Posts: 3,450 Member
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    Thought of some more. When I was younger, I loved squirrel season. We would have squirrel a couple of ways, either fried or with rice , like chicken and rice. Had some friends who thought that was the worst. A girlfriend of mine introduced me to macaroni and tomatoes. Just elbow macaroni with a can of diced tomatoes. Later I wanted to up the protein and added a can of tuna. That was only good when you first made it. Once it was cold, gotta toss it. When I was in college, I remember living off of Lipton noodle side dishes I would cook in my electric water kettle. For some reason I didn't want to be bothered to go to the cafeteria for food.
  • beaglady
    beaglady Posts: 1,362 Member
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    . My most memorable 'poor' meal was a box of macaroni noodles mixed with a jar of canned tomatoes and sprinkled with salt and pepper. That's it. I actually loved eating that as a kid.
    .

    We had this pretty often too. I loved it too, especially with a little dab of margarine.
  • kimothyschma
    kimothyschma Posts: 209 Member
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    So many memories!

    spreading peanut butter on a plate, sticking jumbo marshmallows in it, and covering it all with maple syrup

    microwaving a jumbo marshmallow until it blew up huge and then eating the twisted, chewy remains

    velveeta mac and cheese mixed with a can of tuna and frozen peas

    american cheese melted on white bread

    saltine crackers with butter

    noodles with butter and kraft parmesan cheese

    easter ham & butter on a biscuit

    mixing hot chocolate with the tiniest little bit of water possible and then eating it with a spoon

    freezing capri suns, then cutting off the packaging and eating the resulting popsicle with a spoon, which would slide around the bowl, impossible to pin down!

    miracle whip & american cheese sandwiches on white bread

    braunschweiger liverwurst on saltine crackers… mmm! Sometimes I still buy it for the nostalgia :smile: