1 week Ago
Food trends seem to come and go so quickly these days that I can barely keep up with them. But before the days of viral TikTok recipes and reservation waitlists, there were staple dishes that almost everyone who grew up in the '70s and '80s had encountered at some point. Recently, the BuzzFeed Community and the r/AskOldPeople community on Reddit shared a few of these nostalgic old-school meals they grew up eating.
Here are some of the once-popular foods they mentioned. 2. "Tuna noodle casserole with canned soup.
" — desertgemintherough "This is in regular rotation at my house. We jokingly call it our gourmet meal." — VoraciousReader59 4.
" Chicken à la king ." — lwp775 "When I was an Army cook, it was on rotation every month. Then again, that was a couple of decades ago.
" — chefnee 6. "I rarely hear about corn beef hash, and I love it, especially with an egg on top." — ketzcm 8.
"Liver and onions." — ellcoolj "I'm from Texas, and I love liver and onions! We used to have it at least once a week when I was a kid. My wife refuses to cook it for me and does not even want me to cook it because she can't stand the smell.
" — TexanInNebraska 10. "Olive loaf lunch meat sandwiches." — Hook166 "I used to love olive lunch meat on white bread with Miracle Whip.
I would make those and bologna sandwiches out the back of the family station wagon when on road trips. I still want a bologna sandwich on white bread with Miracle Whip and crisp lettuce every once in a while. So nostalgic!" — oldmotormouth 12.
"Watergate salad." — courggg "My grandpa died last year, and I flew back home to the Midwest in a tiny rural town full of old people for the funeral, and there were no joke, five different flavors of Watergate salad during the lunch. They were all delicious, and I felt so at home.
We had a gallon-sized tub of it and got sick of it by the end of the week." — Leviafij 14. "Tapioca.
" — toweringcutemeadow "I have memories of my mother stirring a pot of tapioca slowly cooking on the stove. The smell was intoxicating. When it cooled enough to eat, I had already licked the spoon and bowl.
Today's tapioca does not have the flavor or taste of what my mom cooked." — CompetitionJust143 16. "Fondue.
I only had it a couple of times, but I could really go for a fondue party!" — reldnam "We have it every year for either Christmas or New Year's, and we do all three: oil for the meat and mushrooms, cheese for bread and veggies, and chocolate for fruit and pound cake. It's tons of work to cut up everything, but worth it." — Aphid61 18.
"Goulash." — ASingleBraid "I still make it. My mom was Hungarian, and I learned from her.
It’s my comfort food." — bde75 20. "My mom used to make brown bread with molasses.
It was so good with real butter." — Eatthebankers2 22. "Swiss steak.
A staple here, but I never hear of anyone else making it." — Caseyjoenzz "We would have this when I was a kid. I don't think I've seen it since!" — JustDontDelve 24.
"Watermelon rind pickles ." — Chemical-Cut1063 26. "Chocolate soufflé.
I rarely, if ever, see any sort of soufflé anymore. They used to be on a lot of higher-end restaurant menus. Savory or chocolate — they're so good.
Except for a few French restaurants here and there, they're nowhere." —Anonymous 28. "I'm on the West Coast.
Clam chowder in a bread bowl was so popular here. We don't see it on menus any longer." — psychicprincess498 30.
"From menus in the '60s: pizza burgers! They were to die for." —Anonymous, Indiana 32. "Spinach salad with hot bacon vinaigrette dressing.
It was a popular salad course choice in supper clubs and German restaurants in the Midwest." —Anonymous, 53, Wisconsin 34. "Brains and eggs.
It's exactly what it sounds like: scrambled calf's brains and eggs. The last place I saw it was a little restaurant in Missoula in the late '90s." —Alfred, 44, Montana 36.
"As a child in the '50s, I remember having a glass of tomato juice with pieces of lemon as an appetizer." —Barbara, New York 38. "Shrimp/prawn cocktail: tall glass, lettuce, prawns or shrimp, Thousand Island dressing.
It used to be on every menu in the entrée section." — daveg436d8c2c6 40. "Every Sunday, I rode my bike to the local bakery (I also miss those) to pick up pastries and bread.
As a reward, I was allowed one ice cream-filled eclair. I haven't seen an ice cream-filled eclair in decades." —Eric, 79, Illinois 42.
"Roasted duck in orange sauce. I loved it. Now, the diners stopped offering it.
" —Anonymous, 72, New Jersey 44. "Old-fashioned ice cream soda. They were made with flavored syrup, plain soda water, and a scoop of ice cream.
Kind of like a root beer float, but available in many different flavors. So good." —Alison, 65, California 46.
"I'm still searching for people who remember a Baskin-Robbins flavor from the 1970s: Cold Duck wine-flavored ice cream. It was my favorite. I guess I had a snooty palate even as a kid.
" — lovelyeagle988 48. "Carob. At one point, this item was supposed to eliminate chocolate.
It just proves you can't mess with the best." — happypunk995 What dish did you grow up with that completely vanished? Tell us about it in the comments, or fill out this anonymous form ! Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity..
