Continuing a theme: What is the most AVERAGE meal imaginable for you?

[Tommy Carcetti]

Something that is neither remarkably delicious nor rancid and gross. Not some food that is terribly unhealthy for you but still manages to taste great. Nothing like that.

I'm looking for the epitome of a plain, boring and unexciting meal. Something that is the textbook definition of "sustenance." Something that leaves you thinking nothing more than, "Well, I just ate." Something that would get you excited to eat only if you hadn't eaten regular food in a month.

My offering?

Grilled chicken breast with a baked potato and steamed broccoli or cauliflower, with some ice water to drink.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Your average meal would be a real treat for me.

Average? Pancakes. If that's all I can find in the cupboard, then pancakes it is.

[Tommy Carcetti]

5. Pancakes are always a welcome treat for me.

Most breakfast foods are. Spare plain toast and cereal, which are fairly boring.

[Sneederbunk]

2. Beans and franks.

[MiHale]

9. +1

[Glorfindel]

3. Grilled hamburger patty, slice of white bread

baked beans, strawberry Jello.

[Joinfortmill]

4. Cheerios and milk with a side of buttered white toast.

[Jilly_in_VA]

6. Hospital food

Meat loaf with decidedly canned gravy, mashed potatoes, green peas. Decaf instant iced tea. Some kind of pudding. A can of Boost on the side.

That was what I got when I finally was allowed to eat after abdominal surgery. Did I eat it? Hell no. I had my partner (now husband) bring me some chicken fried rice from outside.

[sdfernando]

7. meatloaf...well turkeyloaf if you want to be healthy

mashed potatoes, peas & carrots....pretty boring and very average.

[2naSalit]

8. Beat me to it!

That's exactly what I thought of, immediately.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

19. Yep, my exact thoughts as well

Not terrible, perfectly edible, but just so blah at the same time.

[Scrivener7]

23. OMG! Meatloaf and mash! I love that!

[peacefreak2.0]

10. Broiled chicken

Mashed potatoes, coleslaw, vanilla ice cream

[MiHale]

11. Kraft Mac & Cheese...the kind with powdered cheese goop.

Then the always there…Ramen

[Layzeebeaver]

25. Kraft m&C...

Average, but delicious.

[Turbineguy]

12. I had a conversation with a relative in Europe

in lockdown during the early part of the pandemic.

We were taking about living in a prison. Then the subject turned to dinner which was an hour away for him. "What are you having?"

"Pasta with parmesan cheese and truffles. You know, prison food."

[Polly Hennessey]

13. Can of chicken noodle soup, saltines, glass of water.

Falls into the category of, “Well, I can
always open a can of soup.”

[cinematicdiversions]

14. Irish Cooking... that is all. NT

[EYESORE 9001]

15. Fried baloney sangwich

[WheelWalker]

16. Chili beans and cheese over baked potato

[wyn borkins]

18. Chilled Baby Carrots With Freshly-Rinsed Canned Chick Peas

Preferably eaten with an old wooden spoon from a crumpled Tupperware bowl into which has been placed not one-half teaspoon olive oil and a few hand-crushed grains of sea salt. You might wish to consume this concoction while sitting on a little three-legged stool in a darkened corner of your kitchen. Enjoy.

[Lulu Latech]

20. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans

Basic. Of course if I was cooking it, I would step it up and it would be delish

[totodeinhere]

27. I love meatloaf. I use sourdough bread for the extender if I have it.

For the two of us I use one pound of lean ground beef and two eggs. I mix in coarsely chopped green bell pepper if I have it. I season it with whatever spices I have on hand, trying to keep the sodium to a minimum. And about fifteen minutes before it's ready I spoon some El Pato tomato sauce on top.

[Elessar Zappa]

21. Hamburger helper.

[rickyhall]

22. Minute rice, canned corn, hamburger patty and a day old biscuit.

Better than jail food.

[Layzeebeaver]

24. Spam and anything?

Waiting for the expected responses in 3.. 2.. 1..

[totodeinhere]

26. I would say a grilled steak, mashed potatoes and canned peas.

With a brown and serve roll and maybe lemonade to drink and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for desert. I am getting so I eat very little meat anymore, especially since raising beef has such a large carbon footprint.

[sdfernando]

28. So I posted upstream #7...but looking at the question again, I have to say

the most "average" meal I had growing up was....

Homemade:
Frijoles - Refried beans
Arroz (rice for the white people...LOL!)
Hand-made tortillas de harina (flour tortillas)
and some kind of protein...sometimes just hamburger meat with cubed potatoes, or chicken.

This was nothing fancy for us just a normal meal....even when we lived in Germany.

[Runningdawg]

29. Tuna straight from the can with no condiments and unsalted crackers.

[sanatanadharma]

30. In the USA there are many and various retaurant cuisines of many cultures/ countries

However around the world, others in varied cultures and lands, seeking American food, go to Mac Donald's.

Here, there, everywhere people are thinking Mac Donald's is sustenance and that averages out to a boring American culture.

[Midnight Writer]

31. Cheeseburger and beer.

Pizza and beer on weekends.

[chowder66]

32. Puffed rice for breakfast. Braunschweiger on white bread for lunch.

Noodles with butter for dinner.


This was during some financially rough years. Haven't had any of that since I was in my early teens.

[miyazaki]

33. peanut butter and jelly sandwich with some fritos, a pickle and a coke.

but depending on how hungry i am, its pretty good to me.