Kids in the 1970s pretending to cook
"What's for dinner?" has been asked by kids for millennia, probably, and the most common answers depend on both where and at what time in history it was asked. In ancient times, people were limited to what they could hunt or gather. Medieval recipes look different than what people ate in the 19th century. And what our grandparents ate when they were children was different from what our kids eat today.
Obviously, people couldn't DoorDash Chipotle in the '70s, but when someone on Reddit asked people born before 1970 what they ate for dinner most weeks, there were some standard meals a lot of Americans clearly ate regularly growing up. Lots of meatloaf and beef stroganoff. Pork chops and chop suey. Convenient assistance from Shake n' Bake, Hamburger Helper and TV dinners. Canned fruits and veggies. So much Jell-O.
from AskOldPeople
Here are some of the most popular responses:
"Overcooked pork chop, minute rice, canned green beans, canned fruit cocktail
Spaghetti with ground beef and sauce made from a packet (Durkee?)
Pot roast (whatever cut of meat was on sale) cooked with Lipton onion soup mix. Frozen peas. Canned peaches.
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and canned green beans. Canned pears
Shake n bake chicken and scalloped potatoes from a box. Canned fruit of some kind.
On awesome days Chef Boyardee pizza mix from a box.
I liked LaChoy chop suey.
Always with a jug of milk on the table."
Meatloaf was a staple dinner.Photo credit: Canva
"So I think many of our moms went to the same home ec classes. Our house also had on rotation:
Goulash: It wasn’t what I have come to understand is Hungarian Goulash, but ground beef/spices/tomatoes.
Chicken Diane: Way overcooked chicken with rosemary, thyme and other seasonings.
Meatloaf: Yes, ketchup on top.
And the ever-present rice. Dad bought an aluminum rice cooker from his time in Japan and we had rice (he added soy sauce on top) 3x per week. The other side was baked potatoes.
The big treat!!!??? Chef Boy Ar Dee pizza from a tube on Friday once per month. Mom had a round aluminum baking pan and make dough, spread the included sauce on the dough, add the Parmesan Cheese (in the included packet). That was the biggest treat - and in all honesty I would go back to that day cause I miss my mom. Best pizza ever."
- YouTube www.youtube.com
"Hamburger patty or braised round steak, green salad, canned vegetable (peas, beans, corn, beets). Occasionally a baked potato. Sometimes my mom would toss chicken in a flour/seasoning mix and bake it and we'd have oven fried chicken--maybe once every couple of weeks. We got beef from a cousin so it was cheap, and chicken was expensive.
Mom also made spaghetti with ground beef, and beef stew with the tougher cuts of the cow. Oh--and liver--God how I hated liver night.
We always had cheap grocery store 'ice milk' in the freezer for dessert."
Spaghetti is still a classic.Photo credit: Canva
"Sunday - Spaghetti/macaroni and homemade spaghetti sauce and a salad.
Monday - Roast chicken, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Tuesday - Pork chops, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Wednesday - Spaghetti/macaroni and homemade spaghetti sauce and a salad.
Thursday - Rump or sirloin steak, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Friday - breaded and fried fish (ugh--haddock, halibut, or cod if the latter was on sale), a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Saturday - Rump or sirloin steak, a side (potatoes, Rice-a-Roni), and a veg.
Dessert would be supermarket ice cream (carton, usually Neopolitan), Jello chocolate pudding, Table Talk pie (usually apple)."
Why were pork chops so popular?Photo credit: Canva
"Typical meals: stroganoff made with ground beef and egg noodles. Pot roast. Swiss steak. Chicken cacciatore. Fried chicken. This was in California, but my parents were from the Midwest so pretty meat-and-potatoes. There was always a side vegetable and a starch. Rarely bread or rolls. Occasionally salad but not always until the 1980s. No formal/planned dessert except for special occasions like birthdays and holidays, but sometimes there was ice cream in the freezer or there were cookies (store bought; my mom wasn't a baker). In the late 70s my mom loved Julia Child and started to be more adventurous with cooking; later she took Asian cooking classes too."
"Beef stroganoff, fried bologna, weiners wrapped in bacon and then broiled, baked beans, (from scratch) liver.
Jello 1-2-3 (so space age!) Bundt cake, canned fruit salad, canned pears, canned peaches."
- YouTube www.youtube.com
"When we had some money (early in the pay period):
Spaghetti with sausages and homemade sauce
Liver and onions
Chop suey
Spare ribs and sauerkraut
Pork chops with mashed potatoes and gravy
Beef stew
Boeuf bourguignon
Beef stroganoff
When we were short on money:
Spam & scrambled eggs
Homemade macaroni & cheese
Cold cereal
That’s all I can think of right now.
We very rarely ever had dessert and almost never ate out. We never had fast food, the only fast food chain in town was Burger King, and McDonald’s was a town away and only open about six months of the year."
Here's to all the meals that nourished us in every era of our lives.
Two women enjoying a boxing class.
Solo hobbies are great for establishing some quality alone time, but there’s something to be said for enrichment activities that add to our physical wellbeing, provide a creative outlet, or give a recreational boost while also helping us build our own little tribe of like-minded weirdos.
Still, it can be a little intimidating to know where to start. That’s why a good old-fashioned crowdsourced list can come in handy.
Recently, folks on Reddit answered the question, "What hobbies attract the most friendly people?" and it’s filled with out-of-the-box answers that can provide a little bit of inspiration and encouragement.
From unique art meet-ups to sports that are surprisingly welcoming, here are some of our favorite answers:
A group of crocheters. Photo credit: Canva
"My very introverted and not-too-social mom picked up crocheting some time after turning 50. She found the most wholesome and friendly group of people that she is now super close with."
“The crochet community is pretty friendly, supportive, and incredibly talented.”
"I’ve had multiple instances where I’m shopping for yarn and another fiber artist will start a cute little 'whatcha makin'' convo. Then we trade advice and opinions, and I always feel like I just made a new friend. :)"
A person getting ready to shoot a target with an arrow. Photo credit: Canva
"Archery is pretty awesome, even just going to the public range. Everyone is friendly for sure."
"Something that always turned me off from other sports was when people would get overly emotional and angry when playing. The archery range is so peaceful."
A group of friend enjoying games at an arcade. Photo credit: Canva
"Playing pinball or gaming in vintage arcades. Everyone there is usually pretty polite, civil, and just having a good time."
Two people rock climbing. Photo credit: Canva
"Very laid back, active people in reasonably good shape, social, and eager to help with problems or just make small talk."
"If you live near a climbing gym, look into beginner classes. Many gyms offer a six- or eight-week program that teaches you how to belay and do everything safely. It's a great way to meet other people who are getting into climbing."
An improv class. Photo credit: Canva
"I took a couple of improv classes a few years ago and had an absolute blast! Everyone should try it at least once in their life. I think it’s really helped me work with people and be a better teacher."
Two people enjoying birdwatching. Photo credit: Canva
"I'm a bird watcher! In my experience, most birders are just goofy nerds that love going 'oooh is that a [insert bird name here]???' It's great fun!"
A hand-built robot. Photo credit: Canva
"The community is thriving, and people are helping each other all the time and sharing ideas. 15% of the spare parts I pack when going to meet-ups are meant for other people, and we gift away the broken bits of our robots to our opponents as trophies. Sometimes we even travel and Airbnb together."
A friendly beekeeper. Photo credit: Canva
"It's a lot of older people who are interested in sharing knowledge."
Two woodworkers. Photo credit: Canva
"The woodworking community is really supportive. All it takes is one tablesaw mishap to humble you a bit and decide you'd rather not see that happen to anyone else, lol."
People participating in Capoeira.Photo credit: Canva
"Yeah, I know it’s not the stereotype, but try it, you’ll be surprised."
"Capoeira. The people are almost too friendly."
“I've wanted to do some kind of martial arts since high school and only managed to work up the courage to finally try it in my 30s. As a woman, it's such a masculine, intimidating environment. Once I got over the initial nerves (which took a while) and got to know some people, it was the warmest, most supportive, and authentic community I've been in."
A book club meeting. Photo credit: Canva
"I joined a book club, and everyone is really cool!"
A gardening club. Photo credit: Canva
"Gardeners are the most generous, friendliest people I've ever met. Optimistic too."
A group of hikers. Photo credit: Canva
"I’ve never joined a group that wasn’t full of the kindest people. The one I’m in now is lovely."
A guy painting a miniature. Photo credit: Canva
"The miniature painting community is one of the most supportive/friendly communities on Earth. You could probably shit on a mini and throw some glitter on it, and someone who's been painting for 25 years and is essentially a genius artist will be like, 'I love the color scheme, welcome to the hobby!'"
Two characters you might see at a horror convention. Photo credit: Canva
"I've met so many nice people at horror conventions. Polite, friendly, enthusiastic, and curious."
A scuba diver throwing up hand signs. Photo credit: Canva
"The scuba community is super supportive. I think it’s inherent to how the sport works. Good communication, mutual respect, and caution are instilled in you during the education process. You need to be able to meet someone for the first time and potentially trust them with your life as a dive buddy. That requires a certain level of built-in trust. On top of that, there’s an extra layer of camaraderie that you get from diving in odd spots or at unusual times of the year. I once dove in a quarry on the absolute last day of the season, when it was cold enough that my wet gear froze to the table, but I had a blast chatting up the handful of other people unhinged enough to be out on the water that day."
A group of skateboarders. Photo credit: Canva
"It’s literally like a family everywhere you go."
Two people enjoying beer. Photo credit: Canva
"I'm sure most people would assume it's just a bunch of pretentious craft beer bros. However, people are incredibly cool and very positively constructive with their feedback. As a result, everyone who has gained some confidence is thrilled to share their beer and have people genuinely appreciate them."
People at a gun range Photo credit: Canva
"Believe it or not…people are very kind to each other and we love to nerd out over our builds. Safety is almost always our #1 priority and I honestly feel more safe at the range than I do at a car meet!"
Three people mountain biking Photo credit: Canva
"If you're sitting on the side of the trail, everyone who passes will stop to ask if you're OK. People will share food, parts, tools, directions, advice, etc."
"You can literally pull up to a brewery, grab a beer, and sit down with other mountain bikers you've never met and instantly become friends by sharing stories or talking about how your ride went."
A hand throwing a frisbee into a disc golf basket Photo credit: Canva
"Disc golfers are generally friendly and chill."
Last but not least…
A person fishing Photo credit: Canva
"Every time I've joined a fishing club or just met someone while out fishing, we share stories and tips and enjoy the experience. Good people."
