Eating straight out of the can

When I was a kid, we didn't have a lot of money so we ate out of the pantry a lot. A lot of canned pastas and beans and vegetables. Now that I'm an adult, and the whole world is clamoring about locally grown this and that, I find that I rarely keep any canned foods in the house, with the exception of tuna and cat food (sometimes they seem interchangeable if my wife buys flaked, store brand tuna).

I actually feel kind of grossed out by canned foods now. I remember Fraser Farm meatballs and gravy as a kid. Warm them up and pour over fries, delish. However, I saw them at a store a few months ago and bought them to try again for the first time in 20 years, and when I cracked the can, I realized that I had suppressed the memory of them, because there was a nice thick layer of congealed beef fat sitting on the top of the food in the can. Ugh.

I also used to love Chef Boyardee Ravioli. I still can tolerate it as a very occasional trip down memory lane, and even enjoy it somewhat with a nice cold can of Pepsi (which was my parents soft drink of choice growing up). However, my wife enjoys them right out of the can which makes me kind of gaggy and puts me off the bowl I've warmed up.

Yeah, no... call me a snob but I will not eat anything from a can or drink from the can or bottle.
Why?
Because I will most likely not die of starvation/thirst while I properly prepare food and sit down and enjoy it with family or friends... To me eating is not about stuffing my face, it's about enjoyment.

GillianLF wrote: »

I just eat beans, grapefruit and pineapple from the can.

grapefuit comes in cans?

andrikosDE wrote: »

Yeah, no... call me a snob but I will not eat anything from a can or drink from the can or bottle.
Why?
Because I will most likely not die of starvation/thirst while I properly prepare food and sit down and enjoy it with family or friends... To me eating is not about stuffing my face, it's about enjoyment.

Just honestly curious, but what about when you were younger? I don't eat the stuff I've mentioned now, but when I was younger and didn't know any better I did.

Sweet corn. I just use the lid to drain excess liquid off, sprinkle with salt and pepper and dig in.

jennifer_417 wrote: »

beaky1980 wrote: »

MasterVal wrote: »

This, yes. Or peanut butter. At least half a jar with a spoon. No wonder I was so overweight.

Ok, but to be fair, that's a jar.

That's ok too.

beaky1980 wrote: »

andrikosDE wrote: »

Yeah, no... call me a snob but I will not eat anything from a can or drink from the can or bottle.
Why?
Because I will most likely not die of starvation/thirst while I properly prepare food and sit down and enjoy it with family or friends... To me eating is not about stuffing my face, it's about enjoyment.

Just honestly curious, but what about when you were younger? I don't eat the stuff I've mentioned now, but when I was younger and didn't know any better I did.

Truthfully no.
I was fortunate to grow up in a very rich food culture that celebrates freshness and seasonality of ingredients.

I never eat anything out of a can/jar etc. without heavily modifying it.
Tuna for example, at the very minimum I'll add finely chopped onion, parsley, EVOO, lemon, black pepper and hot sauce to say I "ate tuna out of the can".
canned pineapple, I'll make a fruit salad with a bunch of stuff and top it with creme freche.
Even in the rare occasion that I'll make frozen pizzas for the kids, I load them with a variety of caramelized onions, mushrooms, roasted peppers, jalapenos, kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes (all squeezed of their juices), parmesan and fresh mozzarella...
What can I say... for me food is a celebration.

ninerbuff wrote: »

andrikosDE wrote: »

Yeah, no... call me a snob but I will not eat anything from a can or drink from the can or bottle.
Why?
Because I will most likely not die of starvation/thirst while I properly prepare food and sit down and enjoy it with family or friends... To me eating is not about stuffing my face, it's about enjoyment.

Enjoyment to everyone is subjective though. Many drink wine to whom it may be enjoyment, while others detest it and would rather drink hard liquor.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yeah... For example, the ice cream I enjoy the most is the one I eat with a spoon in my kitchen. Because I'm not doing anything else, I can fully enjoy every bite.

And we all have different tastes. When I was eating raviolis out of the can, it was very satisfying to me. Besides, I personally enjoy my food more if I'm eating it alone in peace than with family while having to participate in a conversation.

beaky1980 wrote: »

MasterVal wrote: »

Its in a jar and yeah I can eat this by the spoonful. My papa used to buy us our own small jar every Christmas.