Food fads you remember

[john2007]

I'm not that old but I remember several distinct food fads in my life.

Right now I'm thinking of chocolate mousse, which was "a thing" I guess in the late 1980s or early 1990s. (Funny that this was the same time that hairstyling mousse was also popular...) This was when I was growing up in Central California. We never had chocolate mousse at my house, but when I saw it in magazines, chocolate mousse seemed like the epitome of elegance.

Then later (late 90s?) suddenly chipotle flavor was all over the place. Does anyone remember Jack in the Box TV commercial where Jack didn't know how to pronounce the word "chipotle?" He garbled the word several times ("Chuh-poodle?") and eventually his mouth line, painted on his face, got tied up in a knot. Times have changed, so it's funny now to think that chipotle was once so exotic that people didn't know how to say the word.

There have been some threads here on specific fads, but let's start a list: will you please reply with any notable food fads you remember, and the times and places they occurred? And please let us know how you feel about the fad. Should we bring it back or not?

 

[bethzaring]

cheese fondue

what can go wrong with cheese and bread?!

 

[GinnyPNW]

TV Dinners! Although they are still available, I don't think they have the same "appreciation," so to speak, as they did back in the '50s/'60s? I blame them...or credit them...with my love of cooking. Self-defense! Mom didn't cook and I like to eat!

 

[larry_stewart]

My mom used to make Jello Molds back in the day. She'd mix in a can of that fruit salad so the fruit would be suspended in the mold. There was one recipe where she whipped sour cream in to the liquid jello prior to refrigerating. It was really good. Haven't had ( or seen) a Jello Mold in at least 40 years, But used to be a regular in my house.

 

[GinnyPNW]

My mom used to make Jello Molds back in the day. She'd mix in a can of that fruit salad so the fruit would be suspended in the mold. There was one recipe where she whipped sour cream in to the liquid jello prior to refrigerating. It was really good. Haven't had ( or seen) a Jello Mold in at least 40 years, But used to be a regular in my house.

Hey! I think I resemble that remark...LOL. I still make Jello Molds, upon occasion. For Thanksgiving and pot-lucks too. My favorite is green jello, small curd cottage cheese and canned pineapple bits. (Warning: Must use canned pineapple or the Jello will not set!)

Probably 30 years ago, my cousin "borrowed" my favorite mold for this Jello Mold, and it never came back. Sigh. So, I'm forced to use others, as I've never been able to find that one again. It was a copper piece, that was made up of octagon shapes. It was just perfect to make one & then cut into many.

 

[Andy M.]

cheese fondue

what can go wrong with cheese and bread?!

For my Ex, fondue was a family dinner memory. She was really fond of them. I liked fondue well enough but not as the whole meal. When fondue was on the menu, I'd stop on the way home for a 'snack' at McD, BK of KFC.

 

[pepperhead212]

Omelets, crepes, and quiche are things that had periods during which everything was being served in them, and there were countless cookbooks on the market for each of them. I'm sure more will come to mind, but those I thought of immediately.

I don't even want to think about TV dinners!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Knox Blox...they were everywhere.

 

[Andy M.]

"It's Shake and Bake and I helped!"

 

[larry_stewart]

I remember watching a cooking network show, maybe chopped or one of those competition shows, where someone made a fruit salad and used a melon baller to make , what else, melon balls. the judges ripped her apart saying making melon balls was dated. That struck me as strange, as who cares if the melon is balled or cubed. Why put a date on something like that. But they did.

 

[pepperhead212]

"It's Shake and Bake and I helped!"

I forgot about that! But I think you meant "I hepped!"

 

[larry_stewart]

"It's not just a sandwich, its a meal !!"

Another classic throwback.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Little square sandwiches, filled with egg salad, tuna salad, or canned potted meat. My mom would bake the bread, one loaf with green food dye, the other with pink. These were served up in the eely 60's when adult guests were invited over.

Tomato Aspic, with shrimp, and lump crab

Shrimp coattail where the shrimp were in a tomato/horseradish sauce. Individual servings were the norm, and came from the grocers in little glasses.

West Pier cold cut subs were all the rage back in the 60's in my home town.

A & W root beer in a gallon glass jug, straight from the restaurant

Pickled hot sausage

Pickled pigs feet

Baseball gumballs in long, cellophane tubes

Cotton candy at the beach

DQ banana splits

Chex Party Mix

Chef Boyardee, or Apian Way pizza kits

Jiffy Pop

Poke cake, either with Jell-O, or Jell-O instant pudding poured over the top before it; s set.

Has a good grilled hot dog, bratwurst, or kielbasa ever not been a fad?

Slim Jims

Manwhich

Banquet Pot Pies

Ok, I'll save some for others.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[karadekoolaid]

Back around 20 years ago: sundried tomatoes. EVERYthing had them as an ingredient.
Then it was balsamic vinegar.
Then crispy fried julienned leeks.
Truffle oil.
Foam.
And ultimately (which makes me sort of snigger, because I´ve been eating it all my life) KALE!

 

[cjmmytunes]

"Where's the beef?"


I remember seeing that commercial everywhere when I was in high school.

 

[Ksm]

"It's Shake and Bake and I helped!"

We still use Shake and Bake all the time. Just can’t get away from that flavor. I know it’s probably not the healthiest thing, but it’s one of those things I have been eating since I was a kid and still live it.