Horrible childhood foods - list 'em here!

[DancingBear]

Things you could buy at the store - not "mom prepared" foods that you hated.

(note: many of these things are considered wretched - in hindsight :) )

Like this:

Karo syrup - what the hell was THAT stuff ever good for?

Pickle and pimento loaf - 'nuff said.

Giant Sweet Tarts - damn things were the size of golf balls - even if you were stoned you STILL couldn't finish one..

[laruemtt]

1. cold canned beets and cold canned sauerkraut

from the cafeteria at school. and we had to eat it (catholic school). i actually fainted once when a nun tried to force me to eat the sauerkraut!

[johnnie]

2. Spaghettios

From day one and even now, if I smell that shit I get sick. It smells like someone is heating up vomit.

[Metatron]

3. lima beans and brussel sprouts

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

70. I like brussel sprouts

Had some with dinner today.

I like most vegetables with the exception of okra. It's both slimey and fuzzy.

[greatauntoftriplets]

4. All baby food.

I refused to eat it.

[DancingBear]

6. My wife used to eat baby food in college

Strange woman, her.

[hippiechick]

5. Balogna. I remember sticking it to the kitchen wall.

YUK !!! :puke:

:hippie:

[demgrrrll]

8. Aspic. I remember that it was jellied meat of some sort. Really awful.

Really really awful. Oh and sweetbreads in cream. I think sweetbreads are organ meats of some sort. Really bad.

[The Doctor.]

19. Sweetbreads are brain matter...

usually from sheep.


Mmm...mmm good!

[sans qualia]

20. Actually I'm pretty sure they're pancreas

[The Doctor.]

60. That is true- but both are historically correct....

Chances are it was indeed the pancreatic tissue at issue here.

"Sweetbreads are the thymus and pancreas glands of animals. They are a light meat that is firmer in texture than brains. The sweetbreads of veal are considered the best. Beef sweetbreads are rather fatty and coarse, but if
well prepared, they will taste almost the same as veal. No on bothers with pork sweetbreads. Up until the time that America starting enjoying the luxury of large supermarkets (mid-1940s), people would butcher their own cattle for consumption. As times were hard and money was scarce, nothing was wasted. This included all parts of the animal butchered. Everything was used and eaten by the family. Now days, these foods are considered a delicacy by the people who enjoy them."

Brain tissue has been referred to as 'sweetbreads' as well - you can see why.



http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/Sweetbreads.htm

[frogbison]

47. Bologna's first life

I admit it, I used to enjoy a good bologna and mustard sandwich. That is, until my son, who worked for a time in Cincinnati's John Morrell plant, told me that it is a liquid before processing. Liquid WHAT is anybody's guess!

edited for spelling

[Philostopher]

53. Mmmmm -- pig slurry!

Snouts and tails! Everything but the 'oink!'

I knew people who worked at John Morrell, too -- my dad was the one who told me they put snouts and tails in bologna and hot dogs, though. He also told me they aged Swiss cheese in cow manure -- I never did like it, and my mother thinks it's funny to this day.

Me, I could never stand Necco wafers. I know some of you folks from 'up east' like 'em, but I never could stand those things. They all tasted like somebody sprayed confectioner's sugar with perfume, to me.

[donheld]

80. Braunschweiger - it may also be called liverwurst i'm not sure

[Historic NY]

7. Chef Boyardee ravoli.....yucky sauce

Chung King chinese food

[DancingBear]

Ewwww - Chung King Chow Mein

Rats would move away from that stuff.

[The empressof all]

17. Oh Yuck Chung King

I once ate at a "Chinese Restaurant" in Lake Chelan Washington that I swear made their "lo mein" with over cooked spaghetti covered in Chung King canned vegetable Chow Mein.

Never eat Chinese Food in Lake Chelan Wa.

[donheld]

79. Chung King should have been sued.

it was neither chinese, nor was it food.

[Left Is Write]

102. I'm another one who refused to go to a Chinese restaurant for years

because of Chung King's alleged "chow mein."

My mom never served it; I must have been at a friend's house or something. That stuff was nasty.

I love actual Chinese food now. You're right - that crap was neither Chinese nor food.

[Maccagirl]

37. OMG Yes!

I was so traumatized by chow mein that I didn't patronize a Chinese restaurant till I was in my 20's!

[Phentex]

83. Me either! I only ate the rice....

which is too bad because I love "real" chinese food!

[RagingInMiami]

9. Green peas

I'm an adult now and I can't understand what the fuck my parents saw in those things.

[blue neen]

10. Campbell's Minestrone Soup.

It actually looked like someone had barfed it up.

[shain from kane]

11. Remember seeing head cheese and blood sausage at the grocery store?

Who bought it?

[demgrrrll]

49. My family. My grandfather ate head cheese sandwiches. Probably

blood sausage too. I remember head cheese and blood sausage. I also remember olive loaf. Luncheon meat with little specks of olive. They bought that too.

[stupid grin]

50. Oh god, I love head cheese (créton) on ployes with mustard.

[GrapesOfWrath]

12. liverwurst, spam, corned beef hash in a can...

Anything in aspic jelly... << shudder >>

I've pretty much listed all my Dad's favorite foods... but he lived through the Depression so not too difficult to understand!

[Whoa_Nelly]

24. You mean, like Head Cheese????

:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:

[Left Is Write]

13. Karo syrup is used as a sweetener and also

to hold things together. For instance, I have a recipe for Cheerios bars that calls for corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter to be melted together and brought to the boiling point, then poured over Cheerios and the mixture spread into a pan to set.

Karo syrup is corn syrup. There are any number of uses for it.

[DancingBear]

16. None of which will ever see my esophagus

:)

[demgrrrll]

46. My grandmother used to make fried cornmeal mush for us for breakfast

heavy on the Karo syrup.

[yellowdogintexas]

61. can't make a decent pecan pie without Karo syrup

and that's a fact

[Dees]

84. I use it often. To sweeten and thicken. Dark or light.

Makes a great base for BBQ sauce.

[China_cat]

86. We also keep Karo on hand

for diabetic emergencies. Quick fix for severe hypoglycemia. Will get the blood sugar up far enough to get the diabetic to be able to eat.

[DancingBear]

89. Here it is!

The ONLY good use for Karo syrup.

Other than that, I still have horrible childhood memories of using that stuff to make caramel apples, which also, BTW, make this list.

Now Karo syrup may be very good for trapping flies, or maybe even lubricating a sticking pinion gear, but no human should ever eat it - in ANY form.

So there! :)

[The empressof all]

14. That deviled ham in a can

Oh god that stuff is awful. I also never liked the Olive-loaf either.
I also remember my mom use to try to give me a cold cut "Chopped Ham" that just made me gag. She bought it because it was cheaper than regular deli ham-----and I'm sure I know why.

[The Doctor.]

15. Carnation instant milk.

[DancingBear]

18. Yep, mom used to keep a can handy at all times

Punched holes with a can opener (the old-fashioned triangular kind) on both sides - one big hole, one small one.

[yellowdogintexas]

62. that would be evaporated milk, in the can

Instant milk is the powder ...ew

[DancingBear]

93. Yep - I stand corrected

I must have been overdue for a nap.

Thankfully my mother never foisted that powder on us - but then of course there was Tang...

[donheld]

78. Yes

my parents tried to pass that instant milk crap on us as kids :crazy::puke:

[Left Is Write]

21. Gross foods -

These can be divided into two categories: stuff I liked back then that I now consider either hideous or toxic waste or both, and stuff that was hideous then and now.

I Liked It Back Then But Wouldn't Touch It With A Ten-Foot Fork Now:

Spaghettios
Any snack cake or pie made by Hostess, and their ilk, especially Twinkies
Circus peanuts
Bologna
Mass-produced white bread, a la Wonder
Cellophane-wrapped sliced cheese
Tang and Hi-C (my mom never bought Hi-C, but we got to have it at my Gramma's house)
Fish sticks

Didn't Like It Then, Don't Like It Now:

Pimiento Loaf
Canned vegetables, especially beets
Cheez Whiz
Cheese in a can - what's that called now? Easy Cheese?
Ham spread for sandwiches

[DancingBear]

23. Remember a brand of canned mixed vegetables called Veg-All?

They were mixed vegetables- but separate. There would be 1/5 of a can of peas, then a sheet of some type of waxed paper, then 1/5 of a can of corn, then another sheet of paper, etc.

Damnest thing - not quite sure what the marketing people were thinking on that one.

[foreigncorrespondent]

22. Canned tomato soup!

Apart from mum and grandma made foods, this was the only thing I never liked.

I loved tomatoes though (still do), just couldn't stand tomato soup. So on a Sunday evening for a quick dinner they would have that, they would have to end up making me something else, I liked. LOL

Funny how our taste change as we get older though. I will eat tomato soup now.

I remember as a kid hating scrambled eggs, but now, I will eat scrambled eggs.

[blue neen]

25. This thread is hilarious.

It's like one of those Gross-Out books that little kids read. It makes you sick, but it makes you laugh! :)

[NYC]

26. Scrapple

[AwakeAtLast]

59. My PA Dutch husband would scowl at you!

He doesn't live in PA anymore, and loves the stuff! I can't stand to smell it cook, let alone eat it. But I'm not PA Dutch, either.

[NYC]

75. Have you read the ingredients?

After reading "pig snouts", I stopped reading.

[China_cat]

87. We used to make our own.

I'm not PA Dutch but I grew up on the stuff and love it.

And can't get it in SC. (And it doesn't travel well)

[NYC]

104. If you made your own,

that just isn't the same as the garbage that they put into Scrapple.

Yours must have been edible. Reading the ingredients in commercial Scrapple is likely to turn anyone away from it.

[flamingyouth]

27. Lutefisk

I'm Swedish and was once invited out to the garage to "enjoy" some with my grandfathers and father one Christmas. :puke:

[blue neen]

29. St. Lucia Day is coming up this week!

I'm making Swedish Nut Rolls tomorrow. :hi:

[flamingyouth]

32. I love Lucia Day!

Just keep the lutefisk far away - preferrably in the next county! :D

[Left Is Write]

41. Say -

Do you have a recipe you would be willing to PM me?

[blue neen]

44. You betcha.

Will do.

[Left Is Write]

55. Thank you!

That'd be great. :)

[Left Is Write]

39. My mother says that I cried at age two

when offered lutefisk. I'm no fool!

[Historic NY]

81. I saw a program on PBS about that stuff........

packed in lye......... :puke:

They even had an eating contest.

[Rabrrrrrr]

28. Circus Peanuts. Bologna.

[Left Is Write]

30. Who came up with the idea for Circus Peanuts anyway?

*shudder*

And why did I like them as a child??

[DancingBear]

31. Someone who lost their taste buds in the Great War, think

:)

[WindRavenX]

34. What *are* Circus Peanuts?

Seriously. I've never had them, but whenever I see them, I always wonder wtf they are..

[Left Is Write]

38. I'm not sure. Some kind of orange-colored

toxic waste formed into the shape of a giant peanut and developing one of the most disgusting textures known to food.

[WindRavenX]

40. is it candy or what?

:shrug:

[Left Is Write]

42. Yes.

[WindRavenX]

45. that cannot be good

Ick.

[JohnKleeb]

71. they actually are good

don't let people fool yah. Oh for me, cauflower, I hate it!

[frogbison]

51. So, you had some on hand?

[Left Is Write]

52. No. I found that picture online.

[yellowdogintexas]

63. oh those things are horrible

but I never liked candy much anyway

[bearfan454]

33. brussels sprouts, lima beans,

and boiled okra.:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[Cadence]

35. Instant Potatoes

Dried/Instant Milk

[Historic NY]

95. The new ones aren't so bad by Orieda. n/t

[demigoddess]

36. how about reconstituted milk

Nonfat dry milk mixed with water with vegetable oil stirred in for the fat content. Sold in a military commissary in Spain. We could not get decent milk from the states or other country. Boy was that stuff gross.

[DancingBear]

43. Two more - Nip-Its(?) and JuJuBees.

Some kind of flavored liquid that was contained in these little tiny wax-like "bottles." You'd bite the top off and then suck out the liquid. I think they might have been called Nip-Its, but i'm not sure. Anyone??

We used to go to the movies and sit in the balcony with a box of JuJuBees, and look for women down below who had bouffant style "beehive" hair (it had a bowl-style concave shape at the top). We'd try and throw the JuJubees in there - with practice, you could get 3-4 in there before the woman caught on.

[fortyfeetunder]

48. Candied yams/sweet potatoes

Dripping with syrup, and marshmallows. Ewwwwwww.

[and]

54. Canned hash. Spam. Orange marmelade.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

56. Boxed frozen french fries

Always cooked up soggy and tasted of stale freezer odor. Uck!

[Cuban_Liberal]

57. Bologna.

Never did like it, and still don't.

[hickman1937]

58. Cod liver oil, and chick peas

Lima beans runs a very close third.

[alittlelark]

64. The sheep head mom bought for us one night when dad was TDY

It was bought in a store, so it fits. All she did was bake it (the eyes shrivel to nothing).

The mental image of her w/ a hammer and chisel attempting to crack the skull to get the brains for us......is permanent.

Fortunately she could not access the brain... and we had been so bad that we went to bed hungry. It was fine w/us.

We don't talk about it much anymore.

[yellowdogintexas]

65. definitely Spam, canned sardines , bologna, p&p loaf and olive

loaf.

I also hate sweet potatoes, boiled okra, anything made with byproducts of the hog.(head cheese, pigknuckles,etc.)

Instant milk is only good for one thing: as the base for mass quantites of hot chocolate mix.

Evap milk is good to put in certain things (I make a fudge pie that would not be good without it and you can't make that yummy topping on German Chocolate cake without evap milk; in a pinch it can be the cream in your coffee)

All forms of junk candy. ugh!

VIENNA SAUSAGES!!!!! (shudder)

[Left Is Write]

66. Yes, evaporated milk is a necessity.

It makes for great pumpkin pie, and I would be unable to make my annual Christmas fudge without it.

I cannot, however, imagine reconstituting it and drinking it as a beverage.

[yellowdogintexas]

72. It was the main ingredient in home made baby formula before

the invention of Infamil and Similac
I should know, I made my baby sister's formula for my mom.

[Left Is Write]

73. And corn syrup was another ingredient.

Which may be why some posters have horrible memories of Karo syrup...

[yellowdogintexas]

74. now we are back to karo again LOL

[SmileyBoy]

67. My mother's Chinese cashew chicken.

My mom would make me sit at the table until I finished all my dinner, and I once sat at the table until past midnight with that crap on my plate. I can still picture it in my head.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

68. Canned spinach

My mom never bought it but it was served as part of school lunches. I can handle the fresh or frozen stuff but canned is absolutely disgusting.

Packaged macaroni and cheese I used to like as a kid but I find it gross now. Give me the homemade stuff any day.

Most Easter candy with the exception of chocolate eggs or Easter bunnies. Peeps are disgusting plus there was some kind of candy egg with hard shell and a soft center. Candy corn's awful too.

[barb162]

69. my father would make me sit at the table till I finished my

vegetables. To this day I HATE cooked carrots and a few other cooked veggies.

[Seabiscuit]

76. Yellow squash. Ugh!

[donheld]

77. parmigiana cheese

i love it now but as a child i though it smelt like puke

[Historic NY]

82. well if you went to the butcher you could get the main ingredient for this

http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/recipes/view.cfm?id=138

I have an older Italian friend and he talks about it all the time, I think its called "gab-o-zell" (sic).

[Dees]

85. Dark tuna in a can packed in oil....

Chicken of the Sea my butt..

Oh yeah..lima beans and ham from C-Rations

[Historic NY]

92. packed in water is better............

They actually are recommending the dark over the white for women and others less chance of mercury.

I like my tuna with a tad of sweet pickle relish, little onion and I sometimes use a slash of vinegar to hide the smell. When I was younger I like Miracle Whip, now I use low fat mayo.

[tyedyeto]

88. Tuna Casserole

4th grade classroom was right above the school's kitchen. This was back in the days of no meat on Friday's. I've never been able to even stand the smell of tuna casserole since then.

[Bridget Burke]

90. Fish-sticks (The Friday special at my elementary school)

Supplied for the Catholic minority.

[Longgrain]

91. Here's a fun link.

For all kind of crazy kid's foods from the 50's, 60's, & 70s.

http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/kidsgrid.html

I could never stand marshmallow fluff myself...icky! :puke:

[Left Is Write]

97. I have never, ever had marshmallow fluff.

[Longgrain]

100. From what I understand

Things like marshmallow fluff and Mallowmars aren't available in all areas, especially around the south because it melts quickly.

In case no one knows what a Mallowmar is, it's similar to a scooter pie only all icky marshmallow.

Just about every one else I know loves this stuff...I literally can't swallow it.


Edited fer me bad speeling.

[Left Is Write]

101. I've seen marshmallow fluff in the store, but never had it.

I've seen some fudge recipes that call for it, but mine just uses regular mini marshmallows.

I have never had a Mallomar or Scooter Pie either.

[Longgrain]

103. Mallowmars are hard to find

the company that make them, Nabisco I think, only manufactures them during the cooler months, so they're only available six month a years or so.

Not that I'm complaining, as my original post implied.

[Left Is Write]

98. Vindication! Thank you so much for this link!

Many years ago, I was for some reason telling the story of when I lost my first tooth at age six, and I distinctly remembered that the tooth came out while I was eating a bowl of Vanilly Crunch. My older sister said I must have been confused, and that no such cereal ever existed. She thought I was probably eating Peanut Butter Crunch. No, no, I insisted that it was Vanilly Crunch, and that it came in a blue box. She insisted I was wrong.

HA!

[CO Liberal]

94. Butternut Squash

My father had a garden in the back yard and grew the stuff. I hated it back then - almost as much as I still hate lima beans....

[found object]

96. Cheerios = worthless shite n/t

.

[SmokingJacket]

99. Marmite.

Bitter black salty goo.

Some people love it, and apparently it's packed with vitamins... but GAACK.

[Longgrain]

105. I mentioned previously...

That i hated Marshmallow fluff...

I particular hate it when it's spread on bread and mixed with peanut butter...something we would call a Fluffenutter...

Icky...have no taste for it...

Especially if the fluff is pink...