Remember when . . .

[Fat Guy]

. . . eggs were taboo? Just a few years ago, you couldn't find an egg dish in an American fine-dining restaurant. Now, it seems that no menu is complete without one.

Next?

[Chris Amirault]

... food was tall?

[Meanderer]

...nuts were served in a bowl on the bar and not "encrusted" on your fish.

[petite tête de chou]

...McDonalds used beef fat to make their fries?

[slkinsey]

...bacon in everything was new and exciting?

[shellfishfiend]

....salt only came in one version (not smoked, aged, flavored, etc.)

Edited January 21, 2009 by shellfishfiend (log)

[syoung68]

chipotle was a relatively unused pepper

[abooja]

...you had to go out of your way to find "exotic" ingredients like shiitake mushrooms and basmati rice, which can now easily be found at my local Giant supermarket.

[CDRFloppingham]

Williams-Sonoma was the only source for high quality, non-perishable ingredients (balsamic vinegar, EVOO)

Nouvelle Cuisine was new

Alice Waters had a joint in Bezerkeley

David Rosengarten had a great show on TVFN

[Batard]

The phrase "Molecular Gastronomy" hadn't been invented.

Roy Rogers actually had excellent roast beef and quality buns.

[jvalentino]

...Food Network had good cooking shows?

[jvalentino]

...I couldn't foam my split pea soup?

[Peter the eater]

. . . people smoked in restaurants?

[slkinsey]

. . . people smoked in bars?

[Beebs]

...people smoked on restaurant patios?

(Err, well...not here in Vancouver anymore, that is...)

[Shinboners]

...people became chefs so they could cook, not as a stepping stone to their TV show and book deal.

[JAZ]

I remember going grocery shopping with my Mom and watching her check the little window on the back of the bacon package to get a cut with some meat -- not all fat. Now, I check the window to find the fattiest package; pork is so damn lean these days that you might as well be eating tenderloin as bacon.

[Barry Foy]

1. ...Canadian candy bars tasted so much better than American ones?

2. ...ground beef contained enough fat that it didn't crumble when you cooked it?

3. ...we were told that the meal of the future would consist entirely of hypernutritious pills (no muss, no fuss, no dishes to wash!)?

4. ...every "Chinese" dish contained celery?

5. ...the name of an ingredient was seldom more than two syllables long, and none of them were "bi-," "di-," "poly-," or "mono-"?

6. ...an Obama could not eat at the same lunch counter as a Bush?

[Chris Amirault]

... children's relatives taught them how to cook in home kitchens with food you could smell and taste?

[steverino]

. . . people smoked in bars?

←

...people smoked in grocery stores?

and... DOCTOR'S OFFICES?!?

[sickchangeup]

...the description of the main ingredient for the egg dish on the menu required only three letters?

[andiesenji]

I remember walking through a neighborhood in San Francisco in the late '50s and being able to accurately guess what was cooking as we passed each home: (Italian, seafood, pot roast, hamburgers, fried liver and onions).

The range of aromas today would rigorously test even the most dedicated food fanatic.

[Batard]

Celery sticks with cream cheese was considered an appropriate appetizer.

Vegetables came from a can all winter long (and maybe all summer too).

Women wore pretty kitchen aprons and men wore a tie for weekday dinners at home. Or was that just on TV?

[Lapin d'Argent]

Celery sticks with cream cheese was considered an appropriate appetizer.

Vegetables came from a can all winter long (and maybe all summer too).

Women wore pretty kitchen aprons and men wore a tie for weekday dinners at home.  Or was that just on TV? 

←

Either way, when those things were true, the TV would often be on, given pride of place at the head of the table, during dinner. Featuring the Vietnam war.

[Peter the eater]

Celery sticks with cream cheese was considered an appropriate appetizer.

It still is at my house, half the family is under four years old.