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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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