Eating in the fifties
#1
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: north east england to south east queensland(cleveland in fact )WE WON THE CUP
Posts: 5,867
Eating in the fifties
Not that i ate in the fifties but i can certainly relate to some of these
EATING IN THE FIFTIES
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were
used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A Takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A Pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and
cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the
salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we
were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* Spaghetti was a small town in Bolognese.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only posh people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a punishment, a luxury at our house.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that
we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea etc. was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as a bit of an over kill.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake, we corrected it (horses
doovers).
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given and was set in stone
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old
newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yogurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less (more for us).
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food,
coal had calories..
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were, did we like
it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato on the same sandwich we
would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised source of food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday, in fact in those days it
was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they
would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of
comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like
Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being
white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was
called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture
of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce
them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to
deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and
charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and botulism were all
called "Food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties,
"Elbows"
EATING IN THE FIFTIES
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were
used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A Takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A Pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and
cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the
salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we
were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* Spaghetti was a small town in Bolognese.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only posh people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a punishment, a luxury at our house.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that
we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea etc. was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as a bit of an over kill.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake, we corrected it (horses
doovers).
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given and was set in stone
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old
newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yogurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less (more for us).
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food,
coal had calories..
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were, did we like
it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato on the same sandwich we
would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised source of food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday, in fact in those days it
was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they
would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of
comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like
Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being
white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was
called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture
of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce
them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to
deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and
charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and botulism were all
called "Food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties,
"Elbows"
#2
Joined on April fools day
Joined: Apr 2012
Location: 30 miles from a decent grocery store.
Posts: 10,642
Re: Eating in the fifties
Not that i ate in the fifties but i can certainly relate to some of these
EATING IN THE FIFTIES
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were
used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A Takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A Pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and
cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the
salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we
were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* Spaghetti was a small town in Bolognese.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only posh people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a punishment, a luxury at our house.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that
we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea etc. was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as a bit of an over kill.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake, we corrected it (horses
doovers).
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given and was set in stone
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old
newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yogurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less (more for us).
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food,
coal had calories..
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were, did we like
it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato on the same sandwich we
would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised source of food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday, in fact in those days it
was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they
would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of
comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like
Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being
white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was
called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture
of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce
them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to
deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and
charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and botulism were all
called "Food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties,
"Elbows"
EATING IN THE FIFTIES
* Pasta had not been invented.
* Curry was an unknown entity.
* Olive oil was kept in the medicine cabinet
* Spices came from the Middle East where we believed that they were
used for embalming
* Herbs were used to make rather dodgy medicine.
* A Takeaway was a mathematical problem.
* A Pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.
* Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.
* The only vegetables known to us were spuds, peas, carrots and
cabbage, anything else was regarded as being a bit suspicious.
* All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the
salt on or not.
* Condiments consisted of salt, pepper, vinegar and brown sauce if we
were lucky.
* Soft drinks were called pop.
* Coke was something that we mixed with coal to make it last longer.
* A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.
* Rice was a milk pudding, and never ever part of our dinner.
* A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.
* A Pizza Hut was an Italian shed.
* Spaghetti was a small town in Bolognese.
* A microwave was something out of a science fiction movie.
* Brown bread was something only posh people ate.
* Oil was for lubricating your bike not for cooking, fat was for cooking
* Bread and jam was a punishment, a luxury at our house.
* Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves, not bags.
* The tea cosy was the forerunner of all the energy saving devices that
we hear so much about today.
* Tea had only one colour, black. Green tea etc. was not British.
* Coffee was only drunk when we had no tea.
* Cubed sugar was regarded as a bit of an over kill.
* Figs and dates appeared every Christmas, but no one ever ate them.
* Sweets and confectionery were called toffees.
* Coconuts only appeared when the fair came to town.
* Black puddings were mined in Bolton Lancashire.
* Jellied eels were peculiar to Londoners.
* Salad cream was a dressing for salads, mayonnaise did not exist
* Hors d'oeuvre was a spelling mistake, we corrected it (horses
doovers).
* The starter was our main meal.
* Soup was a main meal.
* The menu consisted of what we were given and was set in stone
* Only Heinz made beans, any others were impostors
* Leftovers went in the dog.
* Special food for dogs and cats was unheard of.
* Sauce was either brown or red.
* Fish was only eaten on Fridays.
* Fish didn't have fingers in those days.
* Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.
* Ready meals only came from the fish and chip shop.
* For the best taste fish and chips had to be eaten out of old
newspapers.
* Frozen food was called ice cream.
* Nothing ever went off in the fridge because we never had one.
* Ice cream only came in one colour and one flavour.
* None of us had ever heard of yogurt.
* Jelly and blancmange was only eaten at parties.
* If we said that we were on a diet, we simply got less (more for us).
* Healthy food consisted of anything edible.
* Healthy food had to have the ability to stick to your ribs.
* Calories were mentioned but they had nothing at all to do with food,
coal had calories..
* The only criteria concerning the food that we ate were, did we like
it and could we afford it.
* People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy so and so’s.
* Indian restaurants were only found in India .
* A seven course meal had to last a week.
* Brunch was not a meal.
* Cheese only came in a hard lump.
* If we had eaten bacon lettuce and tomato on the same sandwich we
would have been certified
* A bun was a small cake back then.
* A tart was a fruit filled pastry, not a lady of horizontal pleasure.
* The word" Barbie" was not associated with anything to do with food
* Eating outside was called a picnic.
* Cooking outside was called camping.
* Seaweed was not a recognised source of food.
* Offal was only eaten when we could afford it.
* Eggs only came fried or boiled.
* Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time.
* Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday, in fact in those days it
was compulsory.
* "Kebab" was not even a word never mind a food.
* Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate.
* Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they
would never catch on.
* The phrase "boil in the bag" would have been beyond our realms of
comprehension.
* The idea of "oven chips" would not have made any sense at all to us.
* The world had not yet benefited from weird and wonderful things like
Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts.
* We bought milk and cream at the same time in the same bottle.
* Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being
white gold.
* Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour.
* Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas.
* Prunes were medicinal.
* Surprisingly muesli was readily available in those days, it was
called cattle feed.
* Turkeys were definitely seasonal.
* Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture
of a real one.
* We didn't eat Croissants in those days because we couldn't pronounce
them, we couldn't spell them and we didn't know what they were.
* We thought that Baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to
deal with.
* Garlic was used to ward off vampires, but never used to flavour bread.
* Water came out of the tap, if someone had suggested bottling it and
charging treble for it they would have become a laughing stock.
* Food hygiene was all about washing your hands before meals.
* Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria, and botulism were all
called "Food poisoning."
* The one thing that we never ever had on our table in the fifties,
"Elbows"
#3
221b Baker Street
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Miles from anywhere, Victoria, Australia.
Posts: 14,125
Re: Eating in the fifties
As one who was born into rationing after the war (start up the violins) I can remember a lot of that.
It is said that the British diet was never healthier than it was during WW2.
It is said that the British diet was never healthier than it was during WW2.
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,217
Re: Eating in the fifties
Some of them are wrong and some are dumb.
#8
Re: Eating in the fifties
It was a real treat to go to granny's in the early 60's and be allowed to suck a sugar cube- they had to be picked up with her silver sugar tongs. We never had them at home.
#9
Re: Eating in the fifties
I grew up in the 70's and we never had sugar cubes, they were found in hotels! In fact, many of those facts are true of my household, we didn't have spaghetti (unless in came in a tin from Heinz) until about 1986 after my sister had been an au pair in the US and made us spag bol when she came back. We thought she'd lost it and my dad still hasn't gotten over a dinner where there's no spuds going...
#11
Re: Eating in the fifties
I was most disappointed when I had a booster in my 20s, the drop was just placed on my tongue Wasn't even offered a lolly
#12
Re: Eating in the fifties
The only sugar cubes we had were the ones with the polio(?) vaccine in them. I remember quite liking the taste and climbing onto the kitchen worktop to get one from the cupboard.
I was most disappointed when I had a booster in my 20s, the drop was just placed on my tongue Wasn't even offered a lolly
I was most disappointed when I had a booster in my 20s, the drop was just placed on my tongue Wasn't even offered a lolly
We had spaghetti in the 70s, it was a yard long in a blue paper wrapper.
#13
Re: Eating in the fifties
We use to <ahem> acquire sugar lumps/cubes from cafes etc. Where you would get 2 in a tiny little packet. Mum used to save them all up then we would have to unwrap them all to put them in the sugarbowl for special occasions When I got into horses, I used to sneak them into my pockets to take to the riding stables
#14
Re: Eating in the fifties
Well aren't you the cheerful ******!!!
My assumption is that this is a tongue in cheek look back to British cuisine (again a word not even heard of in normal use back then ) and provided for memories and mirth. A lot of them resonate with me so 'dumb' is not a word I would choose.
My assumption is that this is a tongue in cheek look back to British cuisine (again a word not even heard of in normal use back then ) and provided for memories and mirth. A lot of them resonate with me so 'dumb' is not a word I would choose.
#15
Re: Eating in the fifties
Well aren't you the cheerful ******!!!
My assumption is that this is a tongue in cheek look back to British cuisine (again a word not even heard of in normal use back then ) and provided for memories and mirth. A lot of them resonate with me so 'dumb' is not a word I would choose.
My assumption is that this is a tongue in cheek look back to British cuisine (again a word not even heard of in normal use back then ) and provided for memories and mirth. A lot of them resonate with me so 'dumb' is not a word I would choose.