Food and drink that remind you of a specific decade

[petep9000]

Did you ever think of a certain food or drink and have it remind you of a decade in US culture? For the 70's, I think of bean sprouts, but also of piña coladas, yoghurt, guacamole, rumaki, and Tab soda. I think I pick these things up from references in movies or TV shows of the time. When I see cold tri colored pasta salads, Diet Coke, anything 'blackened' or served with pesto I think of the 80's.

So, what would be a 20's type food? Limburger cheese? Pickled eggs? Onion sandwiches on pumpernickel? Turtle soup?

How about the 50's. Cheese-whiz and Tang, for sure. 1960's? 90's?

[DavidMn]

Was Tab cola more 70's or 80's? IM not sure..

[petep9000]

I think it was 70's. Diet Coke came in the early 80's and that kind of squashed the supremacy of Tab, which was weird since both were Coca Cola products. I also remember 'Diet Rite' which I think was Pepsi's first attempt at a diet soda. I think Lee Majors was the spokesman, and that was 70's.

[vivfox]

Fresca reminds me of the 1970's. I believe Pringles were invented in the late 1970's as well.

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[jenniferuk]

Tab was big in the 70s--funny to see it in shops every now and again. I think it launched in the 60s but took awhile to become the 'beautiful people' drink (the slogan was something like beautiful drink for beautiful people). It was reformulated a few times (due to the ever-changing ban on sweeteners).

The 70s makes me think of bundt cake. And, Figurines (diet bars). They were also an 'it' thing for awhile.

As above, the 80s makes me think pasta, pesto, etc. It was also the start of microwave things, like microwave popcorn.

I'm sure more will come to me..this is a fun trip down memory lane!

[golddustdrummer]

Does anyone remember Surge? I think it was a Coke product and it was out in the 90s.
I loved that stuff, but it gave a ten year old me too much energy so my parents put the kibosh on me drinking it too much.

[jld92]

Does anyone remember Surge? I think it was a Coke product and it was out in the 90s.
I loved that stuff, but it gave a ten year old me too much energy so my parents put the kibosh on me drinking it too much.

OMG! I loved Surge! I had forgotten all about that. My parents would NOT buy it for the same reasons. lol

[iamnotafraid]

Orange Push-ups from the snack bar at school........'70's.

[LukeA]

Duh. Fondue/70's. Surprise no one has made that association yet.

[SuzeQuze]

Purple Passion/wine coolers = 80s.

[chiliD]

I also remember 'Diet Rite' which I think was Pepsi's first attempt at a diet soda.

Actually, "Diet Rite" was the diet version of RC Cola...which used to be a close #3 in the "Cola wars". Has significantly dropped nearly out of sight in the past two or three decades. Although, I believe RC Cola still has a strong following in the mid-west.



How about the 50's. Cheese-whiz and Tang, for sure.

"Cheez-Whiz" & "Tang" were '60s icons. Along with "Metrecal diet shakes"....the forerunner of "Slim Fast".


50s? Spam & Miracle Whip. (ok, who just gagged? Besides me, that is.) Swanson's TV dinners

80's? Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers!!!

90's? Sushi & Sake "Southwestern cuisine" And, who can forget ZIMA!!!!

[seekerj]

1970's = fondue

There used to be "fondue parties".

I haven't seen it since.

[jenniferuk]

Oh yeah, fondue parties were all the rage. How could I forget that one...and those 1980s wine coolers!

The 1970s also brought about quiche...that was quite a trendy food.

[slipkid]

I remember in the late 70's my lunch box always had a granola bar. Those were the early days of health food snacks. I know granola was a staple of the hippie movement, but it didn't become mainstream until a decade later.

[golddustdrummer]

Actually, "Diet Rite" was the diet version of RC Cola...which used to be a close #3 in the "Cola wars". Has significantly dropped nearly out of sight in the past two or three decades. Although, I believe RC Cola still has a strong following in the mid-west.


You're right, a lot of people here (Indiana) like RC and Diet Rite. I think they both have disgusting aftertastes. The best thing they make is Big Red!!

[chiliD]

Was Tab cola more 70's or 80's? IM not sure..

I recall Tab being from the mid '60s...whew! It was really nasty tasting...back when all the diet sodas were made with cyclamate which was banned by the FDA in '69; then they changed to saccharin, but it was discovered that saccharin possibly caused bladder cancer, so another FDA ban was proposed in '77, but turned down by Congress; once they started using Equal/Aspartame, diet drinks started tasting a whole lot better.)

[daniellaaarisen]

This thread makes me feel super young. People of my generation make fun of RC Cola and tri-colored pasta salad.

[petep9000]

90's = Tiramasu!

I'm still waiting for people's ideas on what the 20's, 30's and 40's tasted like? I bet in the early 40's, everything was bland due to war rationing. Chocolate malts were 40's, right? Malt shops? My mom said she was in a malt shop when she heard about Pearl Harbor.
1930's probably tasted like roasts, stews, and things cooked for a long time with a lot of butter. Like a huge bowl of peas with half a stick of butter melted on top of it, served by a beaming wife to her adoring family.

[vivfox]

1930's probably tasted like roasts, stews, and things cooked for a long time with a lot of butter. Like a huge bowl of peas with half a stick of butter melted on top of it, served by a beaming wife to her adoring family.

R U talking about June Cleaver's mother?