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The Ten Most Recent Comments By benbenberi

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

A lot of these "80s foods" people are mentioning were around well before the 80s, and after them too -- the 80s association seems to be basically these were popular with kids, & the people mentioning them were kids in the 80s.

Some food fads that *did* peak in the 80s:

Croissants - in the early/mid 80s there were specialty shops with hot croissants, croissants stuffed with all sorts of stuff, and croissant sandwiches. All gone now, though croissants have lingered on the fringe of bread-world ever since

Baked potatoes - also really popular in the early/mid 80s, with specialty stores where you could get a baked potato with the (hot or cold) topping of your choice. Long gone in most places (though I think that's when baked potatoes were added to the Wendy's lineup)

Quiche - was really big in the late 70s, still popular into the 80s, never entirely disappeared but it hasn't been a headliner in a long time

New Coke - a huge embarrassment for the company, which had to bring back Classic Coke alongside it. New Coke gradually faded out of sight, was ultimately discontinued. The Classic Coke that returned, however, was NOT identical to the lost original. Corn syrup, folks, does the devil's work.

Oat bran - the late-80s miracle food. Companies added it to everything. You couldn't turn around without bumping into it. When the craze died, all the oat bran left the building.

Microwave everything - microwaves had been around before the 80s, but that's when they hit critical mass as far as food marketing was concerned. It was New! Convenient! Magic! A lot of stuff was thrown onto the shelves in "microwavable" form that was really awful and didn't last long. By the 90s, microwaves were part of the background, not a feature attraction in their own right. Marketing adjusted to a lower pitch.

From Recipes

Sunday Brunch for Father's Day: English Muffins with Cheddar and Bacon

This is even better if you toss the grated cheese with a little dry mustard and Worcestershire sauce before you put it on the English muffin. It's excellent any time of day.

From Recipes

Sack Lunch: Beans and Tuna Salad

I make this with lemon juice, not vinegar, and I often chop in a tomato if I have a good one on hand. It's a good meal by itself, or with a few croutons for crunch.

From Recipes

Sunday Brunch: Moonstrips (Onion-Poppy) Matzo Brei

I usually figure 1 egg per matzo, so this does seem a bit light on the egg. But it's a pretty forgiving dish.

(Though, coming from a sweet-matzo-brei tradition -- serve it up with lots of cinnamon sugar, yum! -- the Moonstrip variation sounds exotic to me, & a little peculiar. Probably tasty, though. I'll have to try it.)

From Recipes

Cook the Book: Stuffed Cabbage

Very like my family recipe too. A less-work variation turns it into an excellent cabbage soup with meatballs -- instead of whole cabbage leaves, use shredded cabbage (for extra-easy, the bagged cole-slaw mix at the supermarket works fine) and some well-drained sauerkraut, a big bottle of tomato juice instead of tomato paste, and form the meat mixture into meatballs rather than stuffing-patties. Put it all in a pot with the sweet-and-sour ingredients (we usually include some dill), simmer for a while, and there's your soup. Mmm. It freezes well, too.

Responses to Comments by benbenberi

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

Ecto coolers!

pudding pops
sugar smacks
bingorillas

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

The new chef at the formerly good French restaurant I worked at made, for a special one week, veal scaloppini with an grapefruit avocado sauce.
I left town shortly thereafter.

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

I'd have to agree that a lot of the foods mentioned above predated the '80s by a lot. Even microwave ovens for home use were a '70s thing. My grandmother got an original Radarange when they first came out. She remodeled her kitchen around a built-in model. This was in '73.

I was with her when she saw it demonstrated at an appliance store. It was like magic. The demonstrator put little slices of hot dog on a PAPER plate, covered it with a paper towel and it was sizzling hot in THIRTY SECONDS! Unheard of!

The good news is that the microwave (that is now 35 years old!) still works beautifully. It had to have a broken dial replaced a decade or so ago and the repairman tested it for leaks. It was still leak-free! They sure don't make 'em like they used to.

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

i think is more a function of the writer's age, than the food itself.

i associate many of those items with the 70's. and one or 2 w/ the 60's

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

Salad bars were huge in the '80s. Even Wendy's had one.

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

Okay, how about Costco food. They sell the hot dog or sausage with drink for the same price as they did when they started in 1983 (and I'm sad to say I remember when it started). Better than Ikea prices!

Another item from 1983? Hot Pockets!

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

@JohnFred, count me amongst the oldsters... I grew up on Orange Julius and Johnny Carson... and I remember when Tab was pretty much the ONLY diet soda there was... those were the days...


@Leo, sorry, but by my own firsthand memory, tater tots and TV dinners predate the 80s by at least a decade or three...

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

I know that it was mentioned earlier, but as someone who feels truly ancient reading this thread I wanted to offer my own historical perspective. I had my first Orange Julius in 1969 in Seattle. I remember Johnny Carson (feh to those who don't know who Johnny is) mentioning Orange Julius a lot once he moved from NYC to LA. Tab was the dieting woman's drink of choice in the 60s. It was one of the first diet sodas. Bugles are another childhood memory. Even then we recognized the little pockets of grease in each end of the Bugle horns could not be good for anyone.

John

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

Thanks Leo1881, I will give it a try.

From Talk

What foods are uniquely '80s'?

Weljwm - I remeber Ale 8, I had it in Kentucky for the first time in the 80's. I have found it outside of Kentucky (Southern OH) with in the past 10 years, and then now days it is all over here. It is so refreshing and delicous. You may be able to get it from their website, www.ale8one.com.

Also from the 80's I remember:
Tyson frozen chicken patties
Tater tots
TV Dinners