Remember Eating in the fifties.

I was born before the 50's, I was a little person....So I probably drank out of the Milk bottle....I do remember by 3 or 4 some food my
Mom would make me....always vegetables....she would smash them up, she didn't have all the appliances we have now....I'll never forget
the peas...Youk….I never eat peas anymore....Mom did have canned fruit by the 50's....Or she mostly got peaches from the grocery store
and steam the peaches to put on the ice cream....Which she made....some time she didn't have chocolate pudding, it was my best dessert,
to this day....She would make jello...It was cheaper....I only liked red....
She made my father smoke in the basement....He finally stopped at the age of 60....and lived till 89.....!!
I loved my little life, going out in the snow with my cousin...My Mom would have several gloves so when the gloves got really wet, she put
the gloves in the Milk box to keep a little warm....I don't think they ever got warm....haha!!! But we didn't care....
I also loved to ice skate....I might of said this at some time....But my Mom couldn't buy me ice skates, they were expensive....So I would
skate with my brother's skates....If you remember how those skates looked, you would laugh when you would've seen a little girl skating
on the pond, and didn't care whatever people laughed at me...so one day near my Birthday, my Mom took me to Sears....She bought me
beautiful white Ice Skates...She had to put it on a Sears Card and pay it every month....(Of course I didn't know at the time she didn't have
much money)…..We weren't rich but my parents did the best they can....I didn't have many clothes....always dresses that my Mom made.
She was a seamstress in NYC when she was young...She did have a sewing machine in her bedroom....My father was a Painter (for homes)
And he was in the National Guard....So was my brother...
So here I am and have 2 homes....My husband and I only graduated from High School and went to work....No summer for us...
But we perservered….My husband couldn't go to college, his mom and dad didn't have the money....He started working in a
jewelry store....Until his Dad said there was a guy in his center (I dont'want to say what center that was)….the guy was sick and they
needed someone who can manage the library...with big round disks in that room....He brought home huge folders learning himself...
Then went to NYC to work....after we had kids....Everyday on the Turnpike to work....2 hours their and 2 yours back home...
He finally retired, but he had a Heart Attack...Open Heart!!! and a couple of years later he has Cancer....So here we are in another
state and can't go home....NJ is a hot box right now....Our kids told us to stay where you are....OK..
Anyone else have a story????
 
My mom was a good cook; she canned and froze vegetables and fruits that we grew in our big garden. There was always plenty to eat on the table. It wasn't fancy eatin' but it sure was GOOD eatin' And there was always some kind of dessert.....it might just be Jello but it was there.

My mother would have never considered cooking different meals for different members of the family. What was on the table was what we were eating that night. Didn't like the liver? Well, fill up on the mashed taters and green beans. Didn't like green beans? Well, you won't die if you don't have a green veggie for one meal......fill up on the mashed taters. Didn't like mashed taters? Well, eat your bread.

Vegetarians? Had never heard of them back then. Vegans? Didn't Flash Gordan wipe them out in an interstellar battle? Fruitarians? Naw, we were Methodists. Methodists ate everything.

My mom could take a pound of cheap hamburger, a large chunk of Velveeta, a handful of noodles and a jar of mixed vegetables and make a casserole that makes my mouth water to this day just thinking about it. In fact, she still can. At almost 95, she can WORK that kitchen.
 
I was born in 1945 and remember all those foods from the past. Many times we had breakfast for dinner. My Dad loved pancakes.
We had macaroni with ground beef and undiluted Tomato soup. I remember my Mom having trouble getting the tomato soup out of the can and added a little water. Today it just pours out.
Shrimp was served hot and was very affordable back then as was all fish.. We had it often. Know one ever heard of cocktail sauce.
My Mom served hamburgers on a plate never on a bun with a vegetable and a starch.
She made great stew from left over pot roast and gravy plus anything else she had. My Dad use to say stew accumulates you don't set out to make stew.
We didn't have french fries until much later in the early 60's and never with catsup. I don't know why.
Salad dressing was a mixture of,mayo and vinegar. For french dressing we added catsup.
Cookies didn't cost $4.00 a box.
Mac and cheese was called baked macaroni and served as the main dish.
We ate from our garden all summer long.
And now I want to go back.
 
jujube said:
My mom could take a pound of cheap hamburger, a large chunk of Velveeta, a handful of noodles and a jar of mixed vegetables and make a casserole that makes my mouth water to this day just thinking about it. In fact, she still can. At almost 95, she can WORK that kitchen.
Click to expand...
So your mom invented Hamburger Helper?
You are so lucky to still have your mom and that she is blessed with good health. Wonderful. 💐
 
We didn’t eat Buffalo or their wings. Frozen foods were just starting to come on the market. My first produce dept. had no refrigeration and had to emptied everyday and put in walk-in cooler. Picked tons on dandelion greens and put salt, butter and vinegar on them. We had a root cellar that had our canned goods and garden vegetables. One of the biggest sellers in the grocery store was 3 pound cans of Crisco and canning jars and lids.
 
My Mother cooked a big chicken every Sunday with chocolate cake for dessert. Never even tasted pizza or a taco until I was 20 years old! Do any of you remember Betty Crocker Noodles Romanoff? That was a favorite of mine, as a child. Now, you can take the packaged mix from Kraft mac and cheeze and add sour cream and garlic powder and get the same thing. You have to serve it over thin noodles.
 
Gaer said:
My Mother cooked a big chicken every Sunday with chocolate cake for dessert. Never even tasted pizza or a taco until I was 20 years old! Do any of you remember Betty Crocker Noodles Romanoff? That was a favorite of mine, as a child. Now, you can take the packaged mix from Kraft mac and cheeze and add sour cream and garlic powder and get the same thing. You have to serve it over thin noodles.
Click to expand...
I love Kraft Mac and cheese, but since I became diabetic I can’t eat it. It really pushes your blood sugar up, like death in a box.
 
I don't know about other families, but back then at our house there wasn't any wandering off with your plate and eating somewhere else. You ate at the table with the family or you didn't eat. And we NEVER got to eat in front of the TV.....never.

I know in some families now, Dad takes his plate off to watch TV, the kids eat in front of their computers, mom's out in the kitchen with a book...…
 
jujube said:
I don't know about other families, but back then at our house there wasn't any wandering off with your plate and eating somewhere else. You ate at the table with the family or you didn't eat. And we NEVER got to eat in front of the TV.....never.

I know in some families now, Dad takes his plate off to watch TV, the kids eat in front of their computers, mom's out in the kitchen with a book...…
Click to expand...

It was that way in our house until my mother got her first set of TV trays from the S&H green stamp store.

The other fairly common custom that I could never understand growing up were the families that had dinner for the kids and then a separate meal for the parents/adults.
 
Aunt Bea said:
It was that way in our house until my mother got her first set of TV trays from the S&H green stamp store.

The other fairly common custom that I could never understand growing up were the families that had dinner for the kids and then a separate meal for the parents/adults.
Click to expand...

The only way I could figure that out is if Dad doesn't get home til 8:00 and then has a couple of drinks before dinner and it's 8:30-9:00 before the "adult" dinner is served. The kids would be chewing on each other by then.

My dad came rolling in about 5:15 every night and we were at the table by 5:30 like a herd of ravenous hyenas.
 
jujube said:
I don't know about other families, but back then at our house there wasn't any wandering off with your plate and eating somewhere else. You ate at the table with the family or you didn't eat. And we NEVER got to eat in front of the TV.....never.

I know in some families now, Dad takes his plate off to watch TV, the kids eat in front of their computers, mom's out in the kitchen with a book...…
Click to expand...

We got to eat our dinner on TV trays (gotten with Green Stamps) in front of TV ONLY when Walt Disney Presents came on on Sunday night. Otherwise it was absolutely all at the table and you were not allowed to be excused until everyone was finished. We weren't even allowed to answer the phone during dinner.
 

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