Hi, friends! It’s interesting to me how things that were exotic or rare when I was younger are now commonplace, with some newer things still new to people.
Assuredly, a good part of this is living in the Midwest. We joke that the only kale we saw until our 20s was used under by buffet trays as greenery to make things like the Pizza Hut buffet look *fancy.* Or how some things you only saw at the expensive grocery store, starfruit being an example. If your parents were Shop’N’Save regulars, you didn’t know what those were.
Today I was cutting up one those donut-shaped persimmons and a coworker had no clue what I was eating. And I get it – up until Costco starting carrying them a few years ago, the best place to find them was at one of the big international grocery stores. I think the local chains might carry them now sometimes, but it’s not a big display. Not like the giant rows of bananas or the entire bays of different apple types.
Meanwhile, things that would be boring for our parents and grandparents are unusual and new to many of our generations and younger. Like when I see a deli bragging about their sauerkraut and folks being surprised to try it the first time. I made a stew with Lima beans and coworkers were convinced it was edamame.
welp. i feel old.
No, you’re not old. Knock it off.
On the old is new front, when I was a kid my mom made tongue a few times, which is now trendy and super pricey.
On the other hand blueberries were strictly seasonal and local except frozen, and now they’re available year round shipped in from everywhere.
Yep! Or like when we first started getting peaches from South America in winter and it was like whoa what is happening here where did these come from??
Whip out your Bundt pan, pull out the Jell-O and canned fruit, and shock your friends and family. Do this to bless the memories of our beloved ancestors.
Friend, I’m in the midwest. We still serve jello salads with canned fruit. You can buy jello salads at the grocery store deli counters.
Ambrosia salad!
Indian cuisine.
Mangos.
Pot dispensaries.
East Asian cuisine was limited to Chinese and Japanese with a smattering of others now there’s a wide variety.
I actually saw a Hawaiian place (Poke) in Kingston.
The mainstreaming of Indian food in the US is a great improvement in our lives. Even if like all ethnic food here it’s only semi authentic.
Very true!
Here in the last decade Thai restaurants have really expanded their footprints in shopping centers. When I was in high school, you had to looking for a Thai restaurant and they basically were absent from most of the suburban region. I’m hoping Indian restaurants expand more around here too.
Funny, I guess only the pot store thing is new for me. We grew up with neighbors that had mango trees would give you baskets of them or at least mango bread. We had every Asian culture in our circle, in fact my brother would beat me up if I didn’t ask my Korean friend’s mom for Kim Chee when I went to play at his house (I was 4th grade). All my brother’s girlfriends were Filipino & most of mine Japanese. One of my best friends was Indian so I got lots of that food before I really appreciated it. His first wedding was arranged & the food was the best Indian I have had.
The height of sophistication at my parents’ dinner parties was creme de menthe over ice cream. Soooo exotic lol
I would feel very fancy with that dessert!
My dad made those when we had company.
The first time I ever had sushi was when I was about 22 and had moved to LA. My LA friends thought it was hilarious. Also, I went to a dinner party at a producers house and went to get a drink of water – from the tap. You would have thought I picked my nose in front of the Dowager Countess from the reactions I got. One of the guys, an editor, actually got up and explained how to boil water to me. Also, everyone always wanted to talk to me about the Civil War and the KKK and were shocked that I had been raised to be against both.
I spent my day at the surgery center, so fun! Wife has a permanent plate in her wrist now & in lots of pain but at least back home & on road to recovery. She got to experience the joy of Fentanyl, she was not impressed.
Good luck. I bet she’s tough enough to get past this.
My friends are placing bets on if she is running again by Monday. Her staff & me are having to keep her from going to work tomorrow.
Anyone married to you must be tough!
Not sure if that is a compliment but she definitely has to be a little insane…and she is!
Wow, a permanent plate. Let the airport metal detector jokes begin! Sorry she didn’t like the drugs — I had Demerol during a procedure many years ago and actually enjoyed it. Hope she recovers soon.
Just saw four deer off on a mission of some kind.