- Home
- News Grid
- Local News
- Green Hawk
- Business
- Politics
- School Zone
- Nonprofits
- Missing Pets
- Multimedia
- Arts
- Movies
- Outdoors
- Sports
- News Releases
- Columnists
- Blogs
- Opinions
- Classifieds
- Advertise
- Donate
- Partners
She Said, Z Said: Old Food Doesn’t Pass Contemporary Taste Test
She: When did food from our childhood stop tasting like the food from our childhood?
Z: At the same time that the sound of one hand clapping got too loud. What?
She: Have you had SpaghettiOs lately? They’re awful. There’s so much sugar in those Os, they’re like round noodles with tomato frosting.
Z: I didn’t get SpaghettiOs when I was a child. There were four kids in my family, so we could only afford actual pasta, which we called spaghetti back in those days.
She: Have you tried a Ding Dong lately? Ding Dongs taste nothing like the memory of the taste of Ding Dongs. I remember my mouth being filled with chocolatey goodness. Now they taste like sponges. The cheap kind.
Z: We could afford the occasional Ding Dong, and the slightly rarer Twinkie. But mostly we had chocolate-covered sponges, so I can’t really tell you how they’ve changed.
She: I get it, you walked 17 miles to school in the snow and your childhood was painfully junk food-deprived. What I don’t get it is why my favorite childhood foods don’t taste as good as they used to?
Z: I’m guessing it’s two things. First, you had awful taste when you were younger.
She: I married you.
Z: But not when you were 5. And really, I think most 5-year-olds have awful taste. I still regret hiring little Tiffany to redecorate my office. Turns out there is such a thing as too many pink unicorns.
She: It’s true that many of my tastes have changed since I was 5. Although, I’d still be perfectly happy to be Mrs. David Cassidy.
Z: Speaking of changing tastes, have you watched an episode of The Partridge Family lately? It’s not as brilliant as we remember.
She: Blasphemy.
Z: Second, I think that your taste — literally, your taste buds — is very different when you’re young. I think it gets more sophisticated, and you start to lose your sweet tooth.
She: Hello, I’m Leslie. Have we met?
Z: Normal people, as they age, start to lose their sweet tooth. I think the two big changes come when you leave childhood, and around the age of 50.
She: Which I wouldn’t know anything about, because that’s still years away. I just left childhood, which is why the fact that Ding Dongs aren’t as good as they used to be is still shocking.
Z: I’m guessing that rum and Coke wouldn’t do it for you either.
She: Diet Coke. Pour in a little Tang and it’s the college drink of champions.
Z: I’m more curious about some of the foods that have completely disappeared from our 1970s childhood. How do you feel about JELL-O molds?
She: Pretty to look at, and fun to poke. Never my cup of Hawaiian Punch, though.
Z: We used to have JELL-O Pudding in individual glass cups all over our refrigerator. Shake ’N Bake?
She: Wasn’t that a dance move?
Z: Fondue?
She: I love fondue. I would fondue every day if I could. We even got a fondue set for our wedding, so clearly that hasn’t gone out of style.
Z: Yes, but have we ever used it?
She: This whole column is making me crave a Monte Cristo sandwich.
Z: And really, most important, do you have any idea where I can get a good Beef Olé?
She: That’s exactly why I married you instead of David Cassidy sometime after I turned 5. The fact that both of our mothers made Beef Olé was a real connection.
Z: Nothing says love like Fritos covered in ground beef simmered in packaged taco flavoring.
She: Wash it all down with a can of Tab, and I’d marry you all over again.
Z: Yes, dear.
— Share your favorite childhood food memories with She and Z by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Read She Said, Z Said every Monday on Noozhawk and follow them on Twitter: @lesliedinaberg. Click here for previous She Said, Z Said columns.
Comments
Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules as part of Noozhawk's shared online community. Please keep your comments civil and helpful. Don't attack other readers personally, and do not use vulgar, abusive or discriminatory language. Use the "Report Abuse" link if a comment violates these standards or our Terms of Use
More Local News »
She Said, Z Said: So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish!
She Said, Z Said: Peek-a-boo, I Love You, You Are Only Half-a-Jew
Parents feeling present tense in the season of Christmas/Hanukkah
She Said, Z Said: Guilty Pleasures and an Urge to Splurge
Don't worry about developing a taste for the finer things in life; it's delicious
She Said, Z Said: Plinth Schminth, and a Statue with Limitations
When mall art rises to the level of phallic symbols, is it still a pedestrian display?
She Said, Z Said: In Twinkies’ Defense, They Were Oddly Delicious — and Great Science Experiments
Weather: A Few Clouds 66.0º
Search Noozhawk »
