'Out of Style' Foods you love

[NulloModo]

In a couple recent theads some foodstuffs that are generally known as 'out of style' have been raved about by eG members. There is the thread on Quiche in food in the media in news, IC Morimoto recently made a fondue in his battle vs. Feenie, and in the offal threads Rumaki made several appearances.

I have to say I love all of these things, well, I haven't made rumaki yet, but it looks delicious. I also have a huge love for the PuPu platter served at Chinese joints, even though it isn't vaguely Chinese... I have loved it since I was 8, when the name caught my attention (what 8 year old doesn't love a fecal matter reference in a restaurant?) but I still can't turn one down, and always hint to dining partners we should order one.

So, what 'out of style' foods do you still love? Even if they are campy, contrived, inauthentic, or etc.

[Chris Amirault]

Chicken parm(esan(o)), baby.

[Lone Star]

mock oyster dip - served in a chafing dish

[browniebaker]

I still like a tiramisu when I come across one, but maybe that's because I didn't eat that much tiramisu in the '90s.

[andiesenji]

Hey! Fondue is coming back. You can tell by the proliferation of fondue pots popping up in catalogs, W-S and Sur La Table, etc., and on line, anything from candle power to electric.

Think of all the years that the only time you saw a fondue pot was at yard sales or swap meets and young people born after the mid-70s, wondered what they were.

Everything comes and goes like the tides - I am waiting for beehive hairdos, ironed hair is happening again, they just use a different kind of iron.

Sadly most schools no longer offer much in the way of home economics. However I happened to come across an instruction book in a thrift store that had a picture of "Candle Salad" on the back cover. I put it down but should have bought it, just for laughs.

[Jensen]

mock oyster dip - served in a chafing dish

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What is mock oyster dip?

[andiesenji]

I forgot to mention any of the out of style foods I love.

Croquettes come to mind. I love them, whatever they are made of.

Edited February 21, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[tcavallo]

I still like a tiramisu when I come across one, but maybe that's because I didn't eat that much tiramisu in the '90s.

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I also still get tiramisu whenever I can, but that's because I was vegan throughout much of the '90s.

And I will confess to making a fondue or two in the last month. Hell, what beats melted cheese?

[NulloModo]

Sadly most schools no longer offer much in the way of home economics.  However I happened to come across an instruction book in a thrift store that had a picture of "Candle Salad" on the back cover.  I put it down but should have bought it, just for laughs.

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A lot of schools around here still have the programs, but cooking aspect is heavily de-emphasized, and mainly oriented around really simple baked goods. I remember the one I took in middle school our final cooking exam was making snickerdoole cookies. The Home-Ec lab is across the hall from my classroom in the school I teach in now. Since it is a middle school that was once a HS we are fairly well equipped in the hardware dept, it rocks for being able to reheat lunches well, and for final cooking preps during faculty pot-lucks, but all the kids ever make are brownies or cookies.

[Daniel]

In a couple recent theads some foodstuffs that are generally known as 'out of style' have been raved about by eG members.  There is the thread on Quiche in food in the media in news, IC Morimoto recently made a fondue in his battle vs. Feenie, and in the offal threads Rumaki made several appearances.

I have to say I love all of these things, well, I haven't made rumaki yet, but it looks delicious.  I also have a huge love for the PuPu platter served at Chinese joints, even though it isn't vaguely Chinese... I have loved it since I was 8, when the name caught my attention (what 8 year old doesn't love a fecal matter reference in a restaurant?) but I still can't turn one down, and always hint to dining partners we should order one.

So, what 'out of style' foods do you still love?  Even if they are campy, contrived, inauthentic, or etc.

←

Besides the PuPu reference.. I also remember some of them had a burning pot with them.. So you can cook i think something on a stick. So you have a chance to say PuPu and play with fire in one swoop.. I think that dish is pure genious.

[jgm]

If school home economics classes are anything like the ones I attended in the late 60's, their disappearance is no loss. Highlights from mine:

>Memorizing can sizes and ounces. Remember No. 202 cans? I don't remember how many ounces they had, because not long afterward, the government made the manufacturers put the volume, expressed in ounces, on the cans.

>Powdered eggs. Oh boy. Our school couldn't afford fresh eggs, but apparently the feds had mountains of egg powder that was sold very cheap to schools. Learning how to handle eggs properly wasn't a priority; making muffins for the teachers' lounge was. I also remember making a cooked thousand island dressing with this stuff. Not a skill I ever needed after that class.

>"Master Mix." That's where the teacher took the dry ingredients for a master cupcake recipe, and instead of teaching us to use them, put them together in a master mix, which made cupcakes for the teachers' lounge. (Is there a pattern developing here?)

I'm sure there were many other useful and lovely things taught in that class, but it was a long time ago...

[monavano]

A nice "time caspule" of a cook book is the "Southern Living 30 Years of Our Best Recipes". It chronicles what was "hip' and "hot" in the 70's, 80's and 90's. For example;

70's- pimento peppers, country ham and red gravy, curry dishes (very cutting edge), and canned mushrooms were comming into vogue. Chablis and Burgundy were the wines of choice.

80's- Ceasar's salad, tuna, round steak, cooking en papillote and leaving the skin on mashed potatoes *gasp*.

90's- Tall food, sans salt and fat (uck), balsamic vinegar, bread machines, and bottled water (wish I thought of that first).

The book mentions tons more.

Anyway, it's a real trip through the history of many of our family tables, and offers the tried and true great selections from appetizers to desserts.

My offering for these out of date foods is jello recipes. We had jello with fruit, cool whip, and molded varieties. I think they are replaced by the apparent come-back of aspics.

[jgm]

In a couple recent theads some foodstuffs that are generally known as 'out of style' have been raved about by eG members.  There is the thread on Quiche in food in the media in news, IC Morimoto recently made a fondue in his battle vs. Feenie, and in the offal threads Rumaki made several appearances.

I have to say I love all of these things, well, I haven't made rumaki yet, but it looks delicious.  I also have a huge love for the PuPu platter served at Chinese joints, even though it isn't vaguely Chinese... I have loved it since I was 8, when the name caught my attention (what 8 year old doesn't love a fecal matter reference in a restaurant?) but I still can't turn one down, and always hint to dining partners we should order one.

So, what 'out of style' foods do you still love?  Even if they are campy, contrived, inauthentic, or etc.

←

Besides the PuPu reference.. I also remember some of them had a burning pot with them.. So you can cook i think something on a stick. So you have a chance to say PuPu and play with fire in one swoop.. I think that dish is pure genious.

←

This, burning pot and all, is still served at our favorite Chinese restaurant. It's rare for us not to order it.

[dodger]

Does Ambrosia count? I haven't had that since a pot luck dinner in the seventies!!!

Also, I haven't seen a waldorf salad on the menu lately?!

John

[Lone Star]

mock oyster dip - served in a chafing dish

←

What is mock oyster dip?

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It is made with broccoli, button mushrooms (the "oysters"), onions, cream of mushroom soup, and the all important roll of garlic cheese product. All melted together. My MIL always made it for "special" parties and served it a beautiful chafing dish.

[NulloModo]

This, burning pot and all, is still served at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  It's rare for us not to order it.

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The burning fire in the middle is essential. Thankfully, I have never encountered a PuPu platter without it.

[iheartoffal]

green bean casserole... w00t!

[Eden]

tomato beef chow mein! but only from this one "greasy chopstick" truck back in California that probably went out of business 15 years ago. Nothing to do with Chinese food, everything to do with tomatoey rich not quite spaghetti flavor...

And I have a deep and abiding fondness for layer cakes, you know the big fluffy southern ones, lemon layer cake, coconut cake, red velvet cake, etc. bake me a fluffy cake with lots of frosting & I'm putty in your hands

[fauxtarga]

People always look at me like I'm kind of lame when my eyes light up at the sight of Bread Pudding on a dessert menu.

[*Deborah*]

People always look at me like I'm kind of lame when my eyes light up at the sight of Bread Pudding on a dessert menu.

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Bread pudding and other similar cake and sauce concoctions are quite the thing in this part of the world.

I kind of miss seeing brownie/ice cream/hot fudge concoctions on every other menu...now it's all goat cheese cheesecake and dulce de leche everywhere...

[Pan]

I forgot to mention any of the out of style foods I love.

Croquettes come to mind.  I love them, whatever they are made of.

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I had forgotten until this post jogged my memory, but as a young child, I loved chicken croquettes. I believe I haven't had one since the 1970s!

[Tess]

So, what 'out of style' foods do you still love?  Even if they are campy, contrived, inauthentic, or etc.

Desserts you soak in booze and set on fire. Crepes Suzette, cherries jubilee.

Baked Alaska.

[jamiemaw]

Tapioca pudding. And Technicolor junket.

[touaregsand]

I like homemade food. Simple as that.

[petite tête de chou]

Raspberry anything was popular during the 80's and I still love 'em.

Pork or salmon with raspberry sauce.

Raspberry/hot pepper jelly on cream cheese.

Raspberry lemonade.

Warm spinach salad with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Raspberries in sparkling wine.

Rhapsodizing about raspberries..