On a recent car trip, I was hankering for a snack, and found these. The cheddar club sandwich cracker. Now, it wasn't the crackers with the little bucket of cheese with the plastic red stick, but it was close. There are a few foods that stick out in my memory as extra-special, that I really craved, mostly because I couldn't have it. Foods I loved, ate as much as I could when I got the chance (begging the little red stick off a friend at school, or from the neighbor down the street.)
It was gross. I opened it up, took two bites and left the rest. M tried it and agreed it was gross. (I didn't use the word "gross" but said it wasn't my favorite and asked if she wanted to try it. She did, and was similarly unimpressed.) I was disappointed. This has happened more often than not over the past year or so. Eating some former "forbidden" food, and realizing- it wasn't "all that."
Keebler cracker sandwich, Twinkies, microwave popcorn, microwave bean burrito, chocolate pudding from a plastic cup... (Note, we did not have a microwave until the 21st century...)
Are there former faves or forbidden foods you realize now are not so yummy?
The best flavor-enhancer is a little bit of "I shouldn't," a dash of "this is so bad," or a pinch of "whoa..."
Three words for you: Nabisco Pinwheel Cookies
ReplyDeleteCocoa puffs - they were a rare, though not quite forbidden, treat. If a box ever came into our house it lasted no more than a few hours as my sisters and I would polish off bowl after bowl.
ReplyDeleteI had some recently - they were on sale and I was like "Oh yeah, cocoa puffs" and they were awful. Not chocolaty, not yummy - and they got soggy almost immediately. They sat in my cupboard until they got stale - then I tossed them for the birds (sorry Mother Nature)
Kraft Mac 'n Cheese. It wasn't a forbidden food in childhood but, of course, as a dieter I never let myself have it (all that butter!) but when I was stocking up on formerly forbidden foods as part of my recovery process, I discovered that, really, I don't LIKE it anymore.
ReplyDeleteIt made me a little angry, actually.
Salt and Vinegar potato chips. Ow, it actually hurts to eat them. Yet once I loved them.
ReplyDeleteSpaghettios. I used to love these as a kid - the ones with the hot dog slices were ok, but I adored the ones with the meatballs.
ReplyDeleteI tried them again a couple of years ago and yuck. Just yuck. Sweet runny sauce, no flavor other than sweet and salt. It made me kind of sad.
My best friend growing up had an extra fridge on her porch (hey, this was Texas after all) that was full, I mean FULL, of those packaged fried fruit pies in all flavors. I craved those things incessantly because we never ever had them at my house and would spend a lot of time lurking on her porch during sleep-overs. Year later I tried one and it was a mouthful of greasy, overly sweet yuck. Really, I've never craved them again.
ReplyDeleteThe things I remember from my childhood that I loved and wouldn't dare defile the memories by trying now: Slim Jims, cheese in a can (which we called squeeze cheeze for some reason), and Oscar Meyer bologna.
TropicalChrome: yes, spaghettios! How horrible now but how desirable then.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Katja!
-Michellers
Fat free raspberry fig newtons. Back when my family was counting fat grams, I hoarded a package once, and I totally loved them, but now they are seriously lacking to my palette and way, way too sweet.
ReplyDeleteSpaghettios (I'm sensing a theme, here)
ReplyDeleteCampbell's Chicken Noodle Soup
Pop Tarts
Froot Loops cereal
Little Debbie anything
Commercial white bread
Ick.
Restless Native & I are very much on the same page, apparently. Little Debbies, Spaghetti-Os, super-sweet store-bought cakes, Wonder bread.
ReplyDeleteI do still like some kid foods. I'm eating a bowl of chocolate Cheerios as I type this, and I have Pop-Tarts for a quick breakfast at work (though I also have instant oatmeal and NutriGrain and granola bars).