Unhealthy/Gross foods growing up
Replies
-
MistressSara wrote: »CricketClover wrote: »Pear Salad: canned pear halves, a dollop of mayonnaise or cottage cheese, and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar on top of each half. I remember eating this a lot and I guess it isn't necessarily "unhealthy", the idea of it now is disgusting.
You're reminding me if a recipe for "candle salad" in a children's cookbook I had: Pineapple ring base, chunk of banana stuck upright in it, mayo dressing "wax drips", maraschino cherry "flame" on top.
Also, I grew up in the era of truly horrific gelatin salads, 1950s-60s. They were considered fancy for ladies' luncheons in a certain social milieu, sort of a faux aspic.
Usually they started with lime or lemon jello (I think it may've been less sweet then, not sure), but it seems like there were some made with plain gelatin and things like tomato juice or V-8. There were vegetables in it, usually shredded; they were varied, but I remember carrots, celery, black olives in some. It could have cottage cheese mixed in, and/or things like salmon or tuna or something. Scary, especially to children.
ETA: Mayo or other dressing, sometimes on the side (or in a dish in the center of the gelatin ring sometimes, with a fancy spoon), or drizzled artistically on top. There were special jello molds for savory salads, in the shape of fish and such.
Aspic scares me. Meat jello yuck.
You realize all jello is meat jello, right? The bright-primary-colors pseudo-fruity sweetened ones are just disguising it better.
Yup. Here's more on gelatin for those unfamiliar with the origin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin
3 -
The food I considered grossest as a kid was liver. I've been meaning to try making it with bacon to see if that will make it come out better than what Mom did, but haven't gotten around to it yet.0
-
kshama2001 wrote: »The food I considered grossest as a kid was liver. I've been meaning to try making it with bacon to see if that will make it come out better than what Mom did, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
Trust me, it's still gross.4 -
I always hated when we would have roast, boiled potatoes mashed with salt & butter, and carrots cooked to death. This was one of the more ambitious "actually cooked meals" my mom made, and I detested it. As an adult, I still absolutely hate it, even though I do really like carrots and potatoes cooked other ways. To me that is the worst way to cook carrots & potatoes, it makes me shudder.
One childhood "actual cooked meals" I liked was marinated steaks cooked on the grill, frozen corn, and instant mashed potatoes with butter inside them to make a volcano of butter as you ate the potatoes. I really don't eat any of that now except corn (other ways). I have no idea how my dad marinated the steaks but it was a special treat we didn't have often (even though we went out to lunch & dinner MANY times per week!?) and it was delicious. I have ordered steak in a restaurant maybe TWICE in my adult life & hated it.0 -
CricketClover wrote: »Pear Salad: canned pear halves, a dollop of mayonnaise or cottage cheese, and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar on top of each half. I remember eating this a lot and I guess it isn't necessarily "unhealthy", the idea of it now is disgusting.
You're reminding me if a recipe for "candle salad" in a children's cookbook I had: Pineapple ring base, chunk of banana stuck upright in it, mayo dressing "wax drips", maraschino cherry "flame" on top.
Also, I grew up in the era of truly horrific gelatin salads, 1950s-60s. They were considered fancy for ladies' luncheons in a certain social milieu, sort of a faux aspic.
Usually they started with lime or lemon jello (I think it may've been less sweet then, not sure), but it seems like there were some made with plain gelatin and things like tomato juice or V-8. There were vegetables in it, usually shredded; they were varied, but I remember carrots, celery, black olives in some. It could have cottage cheese mixed in, and/or things like salmon or tuna or something. Scary, especially to children.
ETA: Mayo or other dressing, sometimes on the side (or in a dish in the center of the gelatin ring sometimes, with a fancy spoon), or drizzled artistically on top. There were special jello molds for savory salads, in the shape of fish and such.
This is why Aunt Edna's jello mold was so gag-worthy in National Lampoon's Christmas.2 -
We used to make sandwiches out of anything, miracle whip, ketchup and mustard. Mother also made butter and onion sandwiches. She cooked all the time so we ate well. I loved when Daddy made SOS: left over roast and gravy on toast like he had in the Air Force. And Nestle's Quik powdered chocolate in milk. Yum!
My Air Force dad made that, too.0 -
lolothedragon wrote: »I don't ever remember eating anything especially weird, except maybe butter. I would eat with a spoon in allowed.
I feel kind of weird about cinnamon sugar toast now...I never thought it was strange. I still eat it on occasion. I think it's delicious. lol
I'm kind of wondering about that as well! What's unhealthy or gross about cinnamon sugar toast?! We never had "American" (???) white bread (as in Wonder Bread or the like); I'm not even sure if I've ever eaten that kind of white bread. So, our cinnamon sugar toast was always on wheat. As an adult I rarely eat it, but that's because I want a generous amount of vegan butter and cinnamon sugar. Calorie wise, it's a treat because it's just not very filling.
Husband loves cinnamon sugar toast. He was telling me that as a child they would buy jars of this pre-made cinnamon/sugar spread and asked me I would keep an eye out for it. He loved it as a kid and wanted to have it again.
Well after several weeks of looking I finally told him I can't find it anywhere. He looked online for it and found out it was taken off the shelf in the late 80's as it's a carcinogen
They still make a cinnamon-sugar spread because I've bought it within the past couple of years.
My childhood was fairly healthy, my mum cooked everything from scratch (of course I wanted Kraft Dinner mac 'n cheese like all my friends had), very little reliance on prepared foods, and there was always veg with supper. Organ meats were common, so was fish and seafood. There was probably too much gravy and too much fried food by today's standards. We never had fast food, our only takeout was occasional Chinese. But for some weird reason, in foreign countries my dad would spot a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut and we'd have to go there.
Dad has to eat low sodium and today buys Wonder bread because it is one of the lowest in sodium.1 -
kshama2001 wrote: »The food I considered grossest as a kid was liver. I've been meaning to try making it with bacon to see if that will make it come out better than what Mom did, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
My grandmother used to give me chicken livers, which I liked. The only time I had beef liver was when I was staying at a friend’s house overnight, I was probably 10 or so, and her mother made liver for us for dinner. We ate outside in her yard at a picnic table, and both of us threw our liver into the bushes. It was gross!1 -
Thanks to this thread, I have now googled wtf "Little Debbie" is, and I think I have learned something about American culture
My mom was a health nut before her time, but this resulted in several dinnertime fights trying to get me to eat liver because it was "so nutritious". bleeaaggghhhh4 -
There are many things I did not like as a child, including liver. I have tried and re-tried them all over the years, and I can not get myself to like liver no matter how it is prepared. The only way I have ever been able to tolerate it was livermush. Livermush is basically a bastardized liver loaf thing that is deep fried and dredged in maple syrup. It was apparently a popular dish during the great depression, and my grandparents liked to make it from time to time.0
-
A lot of people mention cinnamon toast, but we usually had tortillas on hand instead of bread. But I would take the tortillas and make my own version of cinnamon toast with them in the oven. They would puff up and get crispy. My brothers begged me to make them for them every single day. They were delicious!2
-
MishMashMisha wrote: »We had "bread and butter" with spaghetti which was just a slice of untoasted wonder/white bread with a generous slather of butter on top. It was my favorite meal as a kid just for that bread lol I know this isn't very far from garlic bread/toast, but the thought of just plain untoasted white bread makes me want to gag!
Haha! Yes, we had the same thing. We'd also make spaghetti sandwiches (spaghetti with meat sauce on white bread, sometimes with a slice of american cheese)-- I guess in a effort to make spaghetti as unhealthy as possible. I don't think it's gross though. I still do it (very, very) rarely as an adult, for the nostalgia.
I've had this spaghetti sandwich as well. OMG I used to love it and probably would hulk smash today if I didn't care and it was placed in front of me.0 -
I remember my stepmom serving franco american canned spaghetti, because apparently boiling noodles and throwing some jarred sauce over it was waaaaay too much work.0
-
newheavensearth wrote: »Back with bread.... toast pizza. Spaghetti sauce, cheese slices, and lunch meat on toast grilled under the toaster oven.
Ramen with Ritz crackers and fifty cent juices or sodas.
Jamaican beef patties. Even with the little chunks of gristle.
I actually think pot pies are pretty good. They're my sick day food.
I like pot pies also. Growing up I remember eating the little banquet pot pies. I love the crust. When I first started losing weight, I avoided eating pot pies from the store because of the calories. Now I will have one of the Marie Callendar pies every now and then and they are so good.3 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »Brussels sprouts.....like little plant testicles. Only bearable if you slather them in butter and bacon grease at which point you might as well just be eating bacon.
My mom made me eat these as a child. She is a good cook, but she would buy the frozen ones and cook the life out of them. I rarely eat them as an adult. I do enjoy the raw ones in a slaw though.0 -
crabbybrianna wrote: »Bread balls! Squish up a piece of white sandwich bread into a little ball and eat it. As kids we thought they were great!
Ha! I forgot about this. We weren’t allowed white bread in my house, and when I was 11 I started babysitting the kids across the street. Their house was always full of candy and snacks that I wasn’t allowed to have, but the one thing that I was obsessed with was eating their white bread because I had never had it before. After the kids would go to bed I’d sneak a piece, and before I ate it I’d squish it up into a ball. I didn’t know that anyone else did this!
I do not think we were not allowed to have white bread, but all I remember my mom buying is wheat bread. As an adult I will not buy white bread. I will eat it if I get it with a barbecue dinner or something, but in my mind it is weird to eat white bread.0 -
lightenup2016 wrote: »I just had a recall of eating lots of those canned Vienna sausages when I was little!
Twinkles, snowballs, etc. Little Debbie and Hostess, all the way!
I still occasionally eat Vienna sausages. They are the best. My grandmother used to buy the Snowballs and freeze them and eat them frozen. They never were my favorite.0 -
DeadliftsAndSprinkles wrote: »I just remembered this. When I was a kid, my grandmother would make hog brains and eggs. I ate it! She would also make souse, which was basically hog head cheese. They didn't waste any of the pig.
I saw your username and I had to click on this thread to see what you said.
"hog head cheese" sounds revolting.
I love hog head cheese, especially the hot kind with saltine crackers. It is the best.0 -
I show myself as an ice cream... I read the stories and then I realize that we didn't have bad meals... we had junk when we left the house... my mom was a great cook and she'd make sure that everything was balanced. She tried recipes from around the world. I must say that she really cooked things that nobody should ever think about eating because it was in the cookbook. There are a few worst dinners and when they did happen we had the option to have corn flakes for dinner.. so if you think your spaghetti sandwich is weird well here goes
a roasted pig.... boiled kidney, tripe, brains.... but nobody would even think about touching that stuff with the exception of my father and grandmother.... so all of the goodies were limited and thats why i think I'm fat now because when i was of age to buy it unfortunately i never stopped.......0 -
My mom and sisters and I used to bake Pilsbury biscuits and dip them in margarine mixed with light (clear) Karo syrup. Oh my, that was awesome!! I tried again several years ago, but it wasn't as good as I'd remembered. It might be because we use butter now, not margarine, and maybe we used unsalted butter? I'd be willing to try that again...0
-
crabbybrianna wrote: »Bread balls! Squish up a piece of white sandwich bread into a little ball and eat it. As kids we thought they were great!
Ha! I forgot about this. We weren’t allowed white bread in my house, and when I was 11 I started babysitting the kids across the street. Their house was always full of candy and snacks that I wasn’t allowed to have, but the one thing that I was obsessed with was eating their white bread because I had never had it before. After the kids would go to bed I’d sneak a piece, and before I ate it I’d squish it up into a ball. I didn’t know that anyone else did this!
I do not think we were not allowed to have white bread, but all I remember my mom buying is wheat bread. As an adult I will not buy white bread. I will eat it if I get it with a barbecue dinner or something, but in my mind it is weird to eat white bread.
I agree. I remember buying it a few times once I moved away from home, but always went back to the whole wheat bread. We also never had plain whole wheat bread, we had the whole wheat bread that was full of grains and seeds and sometimes nuts. It’s still the only kind of bread I buy. My husband eats white bread, and I’ve never even been tempted to eat any of it.
The only exception is Hawaiian sweet rolls. I make them myself and if we have hamburgers or hot dogs that’s what we use.1 -
I remember being jealous of this girl in my grade (elementary school) because in her lunch she always had a can of Coke, string cheese, and a Kudos bar (any 80s kids remember those?)
2 -
midlomel1971 wrote: »My mom used to make Kraft Mac n Cheese from the box...you know what I'm talking about. I'm not sure where the cheese part came in because it's nuclear-orange colored powder. And even though now I make homemade mac and cheese with real grated cheese, sometimes I love me a box of the Kraft!! Comfort food!
How could anyone woo Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese? Lol2 -
christineengel13 wrote: »I still remember the 2 cups of white sugar into the clear pitcher with the small packet of Kool Aid mix. And we always had boxes of Tasty cakes in the cupboard.
Yes my parents gave us that sugary Kool Aid drink too. Now in my own family we'd never buy that stuff.0 -
Mr. Noodles (aka ramen noodles) with the beef seasoning. I used to eat the full package (apparently the serving is half. who knew?) = 380 calories and 1140 mg of sodium. Still scares me haha but I crave them every once and a while .. so I make rice noodles with my own sauce to kill it
Yes the pack is labeled as two servings, but that's ridiculous. I have them occasionally, but use the whole pack for myself.0 -
emcclure013 wrote: »On the butter note.... my mom used to put butter with any sandwich. Ham sandwiches had butter, turkey sandwiches had butter, pb&j had butter. The one I did like, and I still enjoy, is a toasted English muffin with butter and jelly with a slice of cheddar cheese in the middle. Rarely have it these days, but it's nostalgic!
Interesting!! I married an English wife, and the first thing she taught me was that you put butter in every type of sandwich. Actually, I'd heard it once before from a teacher at school who migrated from England. He said "butter is the foundation of every sandwich". I didn't grow up that way, but I certainly had times when butter was the thing in the sandwich. Never butter with something else.0 -
My mom was always a pretty good cook, and made an effort to always put a balanced meal or at the very least something green on our plates. The"gross" foods didn't really come around until I moved out and realized no one was gonna stop me if I ate McDonald's three times a day, or four Pizza Pockets in one sitting! I also drank an obscene and embarrassing amount of Dr. Pepper. Which oddly I don't even like anymore.
When I tried to eat sensibly on my own, my idea of a "healthy" meal was canned red beans, microwaved with melted cheddar cheese gooed throughout. Uh, wtf was I thinking?? *gag*0 -
I loved sugar as a kid (and still its my weakness in adulthood) but as a kid I made syrup sandwiches which is exactly what it sounds like plain untoasted bread with lots of syrup. so good then I would toss my cookies if I ate that now though lol. I also remember eating Doritos and plain Philadelphia cream cheese together sounded nasty but was actually really good. haven't done it in years so not sure if I would now.
No, that does sound amazing! We sometimes eat barbecue potato chips with cottage cheese as a dip, so I can see how Doritos and cream cheese would work.0 -
I was a skinny finicky kid, but we ate some stuff that wasn't great for you- Little Debbie's, Koolaid, potato sticks, popsicles, were snacks that were always around. We always had a constant supply of coke to drink and drank it with every meal. Though 6th grade my lunches consisted of a half sandwich- peanut butter and butter on white bread, a bag of chips, a Debbie Cake (usually swiss rolls), and an apple with whole milk. I didn't like hot dogs or bologna growing up but we had a lot of that around, and dinners were lots of starchy vegetables, potatoes, rolls with butter or white bread and butter and some kind of roasted meat, spaghetti and garlic bread, hamburgers and chips, sloppy joes with Kraft mac and cheese, etc. We were all thin kids growing up because we were constantly outdoors running around. I do remember having a lot of fresh fruit as snacks too such as apples and oranges, and even carrots sometimes. We didn't eat out a lot, but when we did it was pizza or fast food usually. As for things that seem weird or gross now- maybe the cream of chicken soup on toast. But no wonder we were thin- sometimes we ate a bowl of cereal at breakfast, a bowl of Campbell's vegetable beef at lunch, and a pear as a snack. In between eating we'd be constantly playing a game of tag, hide and seek or something like that. Then it was a dinner of one of the usual things mentioned with coke to drink and then outside again until it was time for bed.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions