Life before chicken nuggets

[MrsPete]

I don't remember being aware of chicken nuggets until around the time I graduated from high school. I am certain that my first nuggets were from McDonald's. If restaurants served them here, I wasn't aware of them. Likewise, if they were available in the frozen food section, my mother didn't buy them.

When we ate out, it was usually the Fish Camp (y'all from the North don't know about that, I suppose, but it's a low-budget, uber-casual family place that serves only fried fish). We always went on Fridays, and it was always the same thing: The .99 kid's perch meal.

Aside from that, I remember eating at IHOP and K&W Cafeteria sometimes with my grandmother (loved the jello squares). I have no other memories of eating out as a child. In high school, Pizza Hut (a 30 minute drive) was the thing to do; pizza at home came out of the Chef-Boyardee box (never frozen).

At home, we ate chicken legs and thighs frequently, but we liked chicken livers better. Tomato, pimento cheese, boiled egg, or banana sandwiches -- very, very rarely meat sandwiches (I still don't care for meat sandwiches much). Chicken-fried steak was my mother's most frequent "nice meal", always served with rice, gravy, and peas. Baked potatoes with leftovers for toppings. Chili, tacos, spaghetti, and lasagna. Casseroles of all types -- except tuna, which my mother didn't like hot.

 

[Ppufi]

I was the grilled cheese/cheese sandwich/cheese stick/chicken nugget/pizza girl when I was younger. To answer a PP, I snapped out of it around 4th grade. My grandma and mom are good cooks, so I guess I finally went, "To heck with this!" and decided to eat real food. My friends were around the same in terms of tastes in food.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Im Italian so "eating out" usually meant an Italian restaurant, so it was usually pizza, chicken parm., or baked ziti. And my dad, being the food distributor for most of the Italian establishments in NJ would take us to all different places in the state, so yummy! And we'd usually get yummy apps. too (fried calamari, garlic knots, eggplant rolatini, etc). And desserts were always cheesecakes, tiramisu, etc. I blame my Dad for making me a food snob lol.
If we went to a diner (which was rare) it was usually a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake.
And I was born in the 80s

 

[charming23]

I was born in 1985 and I remember always eating whatever my mom made at home. Very rarely would she make me something seperate and that was usually when I was sick.

Going out I was adventurous, more so than others in the family. I did like chicken fingers and fries or a hamburger ocassionaly.

 

[GeorgeG]

When I was a kid in the 60's my favorite foods were macaroni and cheese, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and for quick stuff at home chicken noodle soup and Chef Boyardee spaghetti/ravioli/beefaroni.

I don't remember going out to eat very often at all, maybe occasionally for a hamburger at Hamburger Heaven or Burger Chef, that was it.

Burger Chef was the first fast food to come to our town. I was an adult by then and remember the hamburgers were less than 30 cents. It was more of a novelty back then since we did have good diners all over the place.

 

[SandrA9810]

Our "go-to" fast food which was really really rare was always Kentucky Fried Chicken. Dad would order a 9 pc box (always Original, no discussion) and a box of french fries. Mother would make a vegetable to go with it and we ate it at home, around the table.

I remember my grandparents getting a take home bucket of KFC and some sides. Sometimes my grandmother would make the sides to go with it. The kids were always served the chicken leg.

Before chicken nuggets, there were grilled cheese sandwiches!

Any diner (the old-fashioned kind of restaurant, not a person!) or lunch counter had a short-order cook who'd make one for a kid. Mmm.

I love the grilled cheeses my grandmother made for lunches. I was also hooked on "baby noodle soup" which is Ramen noodles.

I grew up in a house with my mom, grandmother, and during the school year I lived with my aunt. My mom was defiantly the fast food, frozen dinner, and snack food person. A trip down the street to BK, or the kid cuisine frozen dinners, and she always had pretzels.
My grandmother always made a meal big enough for every one's tastes. Piece of meat, and a few side veggies that fit any one palate. On our summer trips to Indiana, we would eat meals on the road, lunch was always a fast food and dinner was a sit down restaurant, I loved Shoney's a lot.
My aunt was the one that said... clean your plate. She was also the one to take me out to eat often at sit down places. She's the one that went through the "manners training" for eating properly at fancy white table cloth places.

I always have and will always hate chicken nuggets. Chicken tenders are different, and I prefer those grilled. My favorite meal at the Cracker Barrel is the grilled chicken dinner plate with mash potatoes, green beans, and white gravy on the side.

 

[GeorgeG]

Now that I'm thinking about it, back in the late 40s and early 50s we used to get taken to Patterson, NJ (a fair ride from out town in NY) to a place called Johnnie and Hanges. My brother and I thought it was special because we got to eat french fries with big toothpicks. Does anyone else remember that? I wonder if it's still there.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Fish sticks?

I can't believe I forgot about fish sticks....and those tv dinners.

However, on the latter---my choice was always affected by the dessert options. If it meant getting the yummier dessert, I'd eat any main course on a tv dinner. Now they make Kid Cuisine.

 

[MichelleVW]

Kids of my generation (80's) and before ate what their parents put in front of them and liked it, or went to bed hungry.

Not everyone parented like that. I'm not picky, but thankfully my parents didn't subscribe to that method. I always thought that was ridiculous....I don't eat things I don't like so why would I make my kids eat things they don't like. They know where the fridge is and how to make a PB&J if they don't want what was served. No reason to go to bed hungry, that's just silly.

To the original question...we didn't go out much, and if we did I would order spaghetti or a hamburger.

 

[emdav]

Hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, fish 'n chips.

I'm not struck so much by catering to kids likes these days, as much as I am stuck by how many kids have food allergies today. I sure don't remember anyone when I was growing up with a food allergy. I have to wonder how many of those allergic kids aren't just really finding a hook to avoid eating something they don't like.

Seriously? You think the peanut allergic kid is making it up because he thinks PB&J is the pits? Hives are willed by intense dislike of eggs? I've got to say that I don't think that young children are sophisticated enough to have anaphylactic reactions. Do you think parents of allergic kids have Munchausen by Proxy?

I don't have a food allergic kid but I have a food sensitive kid. By this I mean that food will not cause an anaphylactic reaction, but it will cause severe behavioral reactions. If you think I'm making it up, I would happily feed him the offending foods, but only if you agree to spend the next three days with him.

 

[phamton]

I grew up in the 1950's and there were even picky eaters back then. I remember a few kids that practically lived on bologna sandwiches or peanut butter and jelly. I have 5 kids and only one of them was a picky eater. I'm not a picky eater but did refuse to eat spam. My dad loved to fry it up and it always made me gag. I wasn't forced to eat it.

I was raised in a fairly small town of 10,000 people in West Texas and we still ate out almost every Sunday. It was usually a BBQ restaurant or a Mexican restaurant. We also had a hamburger drive-through that served some fantastic corndogs and batter fried onion rings. So junk food was around back in the olden days. Not to mention, every school lunch meal had a dessert which might be pudding, cookies, chocolate cake, pie, or ice cream.

 

[Aristomommy]

DH ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a full year when he was in kindergarten. He was not a picky eater at first but went through a phase where that was all he would eat. My kids went through a pbj and Mac and cheese time, but I'm glad that they grew out of it. We don't make a big deal out of food, don't force kids to clean their plates but rather make healthy choice throughout the day.

 

[Aristomommy]

Hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, fish 'n chips.



Seriously? You think the peanut allergic kid is making it up because he thinks PB&J is the pits? Hives are willed by intense dislike of eggs? I've got to say that I don't think that young children are sophisticated enough to have anaphylactic reactions. Do you think parents of allergic kids have Munchausen by Proxy?

I don't have a food allergic kid but I have a food sensitive kid. By this I mean that food will not cause an anaphylactic reaction, but it will cause severe behavioral reactions. If you think I'm making it up, I would happily feed him the offending foods, but only if you agree to spend the next three days with him.

Our allergist certainly agrees that food allergies are on the rise. At the same time though, he stated to me that many parents are too afraid to try a certain food once their child has been labeled allergies. The trial is controlled with the dr supervising the trial, but most still decline and prefer to eliminate the food from their childs diet. Kids can grow out of allergies and develop a tolerance to things they were sensitive to before. But if parents are afraid and kids are not allowed the chance to expand their diet safely, how can the number of allergies go down?

 

[golfgal]

We rarely went out and if you did, you went to a fancy, sit down restaurant. McDonald's came to our town when I was in about 3rd grade or so. We had a Dairy Queen before that, back when they only sold Ice Cream and an A & W.

Picky eaters have been around since the dawn of time though.

 

[Missy1961]

My childhood predates the chicken nugget but I do remember the treat of choice when parents were going out and we had a sitter.
Mother would let us pick out a TV Dinner........
Sometimes she had them in the freezer and other times if it was a really special occassion she would take us to the store to choose our dinner.

I remember these being a big deal!
I loved the fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes with the cinnamon apples for dessert!

I was just talking about that with my dad the other day! When he wouldn't be home for dinner, TV dinners were our treat. and I loved the fried chicken best, too!

 

[jodifla]

Also way back in the dark ages of the 60s, many, many foods were fried at restaurants, so they likely had more kid appeal. I can remember plenty of chicken baskets, shrimp baskets and the like, paired with greasy fried onion rings or fries.

Chicken nuggets weren't on the menu, but there were grilled cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, spaghetti, etc.

 

[daannzzz]

and Chef Boyardee spaghetti/ravioli/beefaroni.

Chef Boyardee raviolis were a favorite of mine but they were not often in the budget so they were a treat. So were the Chef's pizza's

 

[princessmom29]

Not everyone parented like that. I'm not picky, but thankfully my parents didn't subscribe to that method. I always thought that was ridiculous....I don't eat things I don't like so why would I make my kids eat things they don't like. They know where the fridge is and how to make a PB&J if they don't want what was served. No reason to go to bed hungry, that's just silly.

To the original question...we didn't go out much, and if we did I would order spaghetti or a hamburger.

I don't think asknig that achild eat what is served is silly. I think it teaches am important lesson: the world does NOT revolve around YOU. I don't go out of my way to serve anythnig that a family member absolutely hates, and try to include at least something that each person likes in a meal, butthere are no special meals in my family. You eat what is cooked. Period.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, spaghetti, fish 'n chips.



Seriously? You think the peanut allergic kid is making it up because he thinks PB&J is the pits? Hives are willed by intense dislike of eggs? I've got to say that I don't think that young children are sophisticated enough to have anaphylactic reactions. Do you think parents of allergic kids have Munchausen by Proxy?

I don't have a food allergic kid but I have a food sensitive kid. By this I mean that food will not cause an anaphylactic reaction, but it will cause severe behavioral reactions. If you think I'm making it up, I would happily feed him the offending foods, but only if you agree to spend the next three days with him.

No, I think they were never allergic in the first place. Several of DD's friends have "food allergies", but when you really talk to the parents about them, they will tell you either the child has never,ever eaten the food or that hey don't like that particular food. Most of them have never had a reaction or allregy testing done. It is just a convinent way to avoid a food the child doesn't care for and get a special meal that the little darling will eat made. No one will object to catering to an allergy.
MY husband and DD are actually both highly allergic to shellfish. hives, difficulty breathing, ect. They have areal allergy. People who continue to claim fake allergies make it harder on those who actually have one, because no one really believes it is THAT big a deal.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I just recall ordering off the menu myself. I lost most of the battles with DW over catering to our kids. But I understand her position, she grew up in households where a procession of stepfathers forced her to eat a lot of things she didn't like.
Our now adult daughter is a vegetarian, so we are still catering to her tastes.

I'm not struck so much by catering to kids likes these days, as much as I am stuck by how many kids have food allergies today. I sure don't remember anyone when I was growing up with a food allergy. I have to wonder how many of those allergic kids aren't just really finding a hook to avoid eating something they don't like.

I say it all the time that I dont remember any of my friends having food allergies and I was born in the 80s.
But let me assure you, food allergies ARE SERIOUS! And I say it all the time, people don't realize how serious it is until they witness someone go into shock or have a loved one who is allergic and they see how different their lives are.
DD is SEVERELY allergic to peanuts,she had a tiny little lick of PB and immediately spit it out but within seconds she broke out in hives all over her face, neck, back, throat, complains her ears hurt, and had huge welts over her lips. I don't even think she swallowed any but this was how she reacted. This was probably the scariest moment of my life and I never want to relive it again. My mother was also there when this happened. The following week our ped gave us an epi-pen and showed us how to use it. We haven't been without it since. We also went to an allergist for a skin test and she blew up for the peanut and for almonds.
Our life is much different then others, EVERYTHING gets read. Rule of thumb, if i don't cook it or cant read whats in it then she doesn't eat it. I pack food everywhere we go. She brings her own food to school for class parties and eats at the nut free table. She is very aware of her allergy and knows not to anything from anyone but me, her dad, and my mother. She'll be the first to let teachers know of her allergy and I am very thankful for that. The only place we feel safe eating at is Disney b/c the chefs are great and then a few Italian restaurants here that my Dad knows the owners and we know whats in their kitchens, since he supplies it.
So please don't make that generalization, food allergies are real, serious, and life threatening. I wish I could just send DD off to school with PBnJ like my mom sent me to school with, and not have to worry if she touches a PB covered door knob at school and then bites her nails that she'll have a reaction.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I don't think asknig that achild eat what is served is silly. I think it teaches am important lesson: the world does NOT revolve around YOU. I don't go out of my way to serve anythnig that a family member absolutely hates, and try to include at least something that each person likes in a meal, butthere are no special meals in my family. You eat what is cooked. Period.


No, I think they were never allergic in the first place. Several of DD's friends have "food allergies", but when you really talk to the parents about them, they will tell you either the child has never,ever eaten the food or that hey don't like that particular food. Most of them have never had a reaction or allregy testing done. It is just a convinent way to avoid a food the child doesn't care for and get a special meal that the little darling will eat made. No one will object to catering to an allergy.
MY husband and DD are actually both highly allergic to shellfish. hives, difficulty breathing, ect. They have areal allergy. People who continue to claim fake allergies make it harder on those who actually have one, because no one really believes it is THAT big a deal.

please read my post above.