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A millennial was annoyed that boomer parents hoard food. But there's a deeper reason for it.

"My grandfather felt that if he saw the fridge fully stocked, everything else in life would fall into place."

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Millennial calls out boomers for hoarding food.

Millennials and their boomer parents don't see eye to eye on many things. As one millennial pointed out, that includes their food shopping habits.

A frustrated millennial posed a question on Reddit to fellow millennials: "Why does our parents generation feel the need to keep so much food in the house?" They went on to rant about whenever their boomer parents stay with them, their fridge is overstuffed with food.

"They buy so much food that we literally run out of room and our countertops end up lined with a bunch of junk," they wrote. "I’m talking like multiple types of bread, endless amounts of snacks, enough meat to fuel the an army, 12 different kinds of drinks…I mean even staple things like butter, salt, condiments. It’s pure insanity."

groceries, grocery haul, full grocery cart, food shopping, buying food Grocery Store Halloween GIF by Laff Giphy

After expecting to be met with similar gripes, many millennials instead expressed a more tender understanding for their parents' full pantries. "THEIR parents lived through the great depression and/or WWII rationing," one commented. Another added, "Yep they all have the reverse of scarcity trauma, call it abundance disorder lol."

Many millennials could see the connection between their boomer parents being raised by Silent Generation (born between 1928-1945) parents. "My grandfather felt that if he saw the fridge fully stocked, everything else in life would fall into place," one millennial commented.

Hunger was rampant during the Great Depression. According to the Library of Congress, one in four people were unemployed by 1932, and hunger and malnutrition were widespread. And during World War II, rationing became law and part of the effort on the home front to support the United States. According to the National Park Service, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Office of Price Administration (OPA) under Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. It was the beginning of rationing, and Americans began receiving ration cards in May 1942.

rations, rationing, world war II, wwII, world war 2 rations Rations during World War II.Image via Wikipedia/U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Another millennial pointedly shared, "That’s because you’ve never known what farming/harvesting takes or what going hungry feels like. We are a blessed generation for even having this conversation. Probably the first in tens or thousands of years of our existence."

Other millennials tied together the cultural reasons why their boomer parents shop and store food like this. "And, when they were growing up there were still things like Blue Laws on Sundays, stores didn’t open on many holidays, and more limited grocery store hours," another shared. "Even in the early 90s, 9 p.m. was a fairly common closing time for full-service grocery stores."

fridge, full fridge, food security, food scarcity, food Hungry Food GIF by Kawan Foods Giphy

Some millennials owned up to hoarding and overstocking their pantries, too.

"I'm a millennial and this is why I have a deep freezer and enough pantry items to make multiple meals," one wrote. "I'm sure part of it is learned behavior from my mom who, in turn, learned it from her parents whose formative years were The Great Depression." Another added, "Add in a bit of borderline poverty and food insecurity growing up yourself on top of their trauma, and you’re left taking pride in a pantry full of non perishables."

The discussion among millennials also focused on better understanding the generations that came before them.

"Some people’s response was to be hyper aware of waste and make things stretch as far as possible," one wrote. "Some people’s response was to panic if there’s spaces in the food storage because it might mean it’s running out. Trauma impacts different people differently." Another concluded, "Man, generational trauma is real."

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Pizza Hut's quiet retro redesigns tap straight into Gen X and Millennial nostalgia

Take a trip right back into the '90s.

Image via\u00a0Ed! at English Wikipedia
Original Pizza Hut in Athens, Ohio.

Pizza Hut is a staple in American dining culture. Founded in 1958 by brothers Frank and Dan Carney in Wichita, Kansas, Pizza Hut holds a nostalgic place in the hearts (and stomachs) of Millennials and Gen Xers who grew up going there on Friday nights or after school in the 1990s.

In the Reddit forum r/Millennials, member kkkan2020 shared something amazing and nostalgic with their peers: "There's a Pizza Hut in North Carolina that is untouched by time; red cups for beverages, light fixtures, jukebox, table cloths, and even has the salad bar."

The post led to a flood of Millennials sharing their memories of Pizza Hut growing up, and the revelation that Pizza Hut has quietly been reintroducing its retro designs into restaurants across America since 2019. "It's a Pizza Hut Classic. It's a marketing move to get people to come back to Pizza Hut," one commented, referencing journalist Roland Pujol's list of Pizza Hut Classic locations that have opened across the country.



Many Millennials shared the same sentiment about modern Pizza Huts compared to the ones they grew up going to in the '90s. "I was literally just thinking about this over the weekend as I drove past the grey eyesore that sadly replaced our classic Pizza Hut. I want them to go back to what they were," one wrote. "The arcade is needed. The salad bar is needed. Booths are needed. It’s part of the experience. There’s no experience anymore, and that goes for all of the fast food restaurants. Now we just have cheap, plastic food. These new places are just stale."

Nostalgia about Pizza Hut is still strong and filled with sensory memories. "Absolutely miss the old school vibe with the stained glass lamps, the nubbly red plastic cups, the table cloths, and the salad bar and pizza buffet. I know I'm old, but the pizza just tasted better back then. It wasn't fancy dining, but it was always a treat to go there," someone shared. Another commented, "Thinking the same thing. Still remember the excitement as a kid of learning we were going to Pizza Hut for pizza! Those red glasses, the smell of pizza in the air, the faint arcade sounds from the corner, the red glasses filled with soda. Heaven, I tell you."

pizza hut, old pizza hut, vintage pizza hut, retro pizza hut, pizza hut gif Ringo Starr Advertising GIF Giphy

Pizza Hut's food and atmosphere back in the day offered an unmatched ambiance. "I used to go to Pizza Hut during off-peak hours by myself and would just eat from the buffet and read a magazine (no cell phones at the time) and just relax. For some reason, it felt peaceful there," noted one comment. Another shared, "Came here for this but also those lamps. In my Pizza Hut, there were different colors, and my brothers picked where to sit based on the Ninja Turtles' color."

Others appreciated the food itself. "All you can eat Lunch buffet," one wrote. Another reminisced, "The pizza WAS better back then, when they made fresh dough daily and their sauce wasn't loaded with sugar." Another nostalgia chaser added, "I keep thinking to myself, was it just my taste buds as a kid that made every pizza taste amazing, or did they really have a different recipe that was switched out sometime in the '90s? Especially the dine-ins.. I can remember a distinctly different taste which was amazing."

Pizza Hut, pizza hut classic, pizza hut retro, old pizza hut, vintage pizza hut Pizza Hut Classic.Image via Reddit/Otacon73

Many Xennials reminisced specifically about Pizza Hut's "Book It!" program, where they earned a free personal pan pizza for achieving reading goals. "Yasssss that just brought some pleasant scent memories too (pan pizza & the smell of library books)," one commented. Another shared, "It literally started me on the path to become a life-long reader." One other Xennial added, "Book It! still exists. And I just noticed they have a summer parent program so kids can still set and reach goals and get that free pizza!"

pizza, pizza hut, pizza hut book, sausage pizza, '90s pizza hut, book it, Pizza Hut's 'Book It' reading program.Image via Reddit/Remytron83

With Pizza Hut Classic restaurants bringing back the retro aesthetic, the memories keep coming. "I grew up working class in the '80s, my family only went to restaurants for kids' birthdays or other special occasions. We only ate out about 3-4 times a year. I always chose Pizza Hut when it was my turn, and it was an incredible treat. I can smell this photo, and it's pure nostalgic heaven," one commented.

"Personal pan pizza, the dessert pizzas, those red drinking glasses, a smoking section (lol for authenticity's sake), and that damn unique smell at the tables. Good times, good times," said another fan. Good times indeed.

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Millennials hilariously dissect why they made 'duckface' a thing in early 2000s photos

"We thought we were so cute."

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Millennials discuss why they started doing 'duckface' pose in photos.

Millennials are fully claiming responsibility for the emergence of the "duckface" pose in photos. Duckface, best described as the pose popularized back in the 2000s that saw everyone sucking in their lips and then pushing them out in a pout (like a duck's beak) somehow became the go-to pose when taking pictures. And now, Millennials are trying to figure out how (and why) they made it a thing.

On a Reddit forum of Millennials, member AdSpecialist6598 shared: "Going through some old photos I had forgotten how many of the girls did duckface. It is crazy how often it happened and why was it ever a thing?"

The prompt got Millennials reminiscing about their days serving duckface--and contemplating why they did it in the first place. Here are 19 hilarious responses from Millennials dissecting the 'duckface' trend, and why it remains a go-to pose today.

zoolander, duck face, duck face pose, blue steel, zoolander gif Zoolander Blue Steel GIF Giphy

"It's a quick way to make your cheekbones look sharper and your face slimmer It's been used in modeling years before it became an online phenomenon, there's a reason they made fun of it in Zoolander. It just wasn't known as duckface at the time. When done subtly it can look nice." —yosayoran

"Still happening but with copious amounts lip filler so less effort from the duck is needed." - Pristine_Charity4435

"I think a lot of the time, making a dumb or a silly face in a picture on purpose prevents looking dumb or silly on accident. It's like a preemptive defense against hurting your own feelings lol." —boinkbeepboop

duckface, duckface gif, duckface pose, duckface pic, peace sign victorias secret kiss GIF Giphy

"YES! People who weren’t part of this generation always miss this. We are the ultimate irony generation and while lots of people did this earnestly, there was this pressure to not take yourself too seriously online because it would have been seen as cringey." —ferriswheel41

"Especially since millennials were the first generation to have cameras in our hands 24/7 with an immediate way to publicly view/share photos! It's a lot easier to take one goofy photo than it is to take 100 photos trying to look a certain way, and then staring until they all look terrible and so you don't post anything lol 🥲." —boinkbeepboop

"Yep. Made the lips pouty and cheek bones protrude. Now people use FaceTune and use filler and, in the case of influencers and celebrities with the financial means, plastic surgery like buccal fat removal, chin and cheek implants. Your more everyday person uses filler (cheaper) and they often get that pillowy look." —doesitspread

millennial pose, duckface, duckface pose, duckface pic, selfie Peace Smile GIF by MASH Athletics Giphy

"Kind of makes sense. I remember my second year teaching out of college, kids were sucking shot glasses to make their lips bigger. Felt like duckface was our early Xanga / MySpace tamer version of that." —aceituna_garden

"I firmly believe it’s because they thought their face was ugly. Like 'I’ll purposely make a weird face, then no one can tell how ugly I am' obviously mental bs that most teenage girls go through." —No-Function223

"I feel like the Olsen twins popularized this." —SpinachTroubles

olsen twins, duckface, olsen twin gif, olsen twins duckface, duckface pose creepy ashley olsen GIF Giphy

"if i take a selfie i still do it. not as often as i used too but it was more of a self conscious issue. my teeth are/were really messed up. we couldn’t afford braces and i was heavily bullied over it. i’m in braces now as an adult but I'm not sure i’ll ever get comfortable with it." —AntGroundbreaking102

"We were awkward. The ability to take constant pictures of ourselves was brand new to me and I never knew how to hold my face. So that and a lot of way too wide open fake excited face for me in my youth. I'm sure there are other reasons but this was mine lol." —whateverwhatis

"It was supposed to be a cute and sexy attention grab thing, and despite the meme potential, tbh SOME (!) people did it well I guess? I only knew the over the top meme pics everyone joked about, but most of the time it was a more subtle 'smoochy' face, at least where I came from. Like just puckering up slightly." —bubuplush

dueces, throw up a deuce, duckface, duckface pose, duckface pic Woman Goodbye GIF by Eva Constance Giphy

"We thought we were so cute 😁." —badnewsbets

"Because smiling for a picture was trying too hard and it was cooler to look ironic and silly 😮💨🥴🫣." —kittymommameowmeow

"It was and I quote 'Cute and quirky'." —KaioKenshin

selfie, duckface, duckface pose, duckface selfie, duckface pic Jimmy Fallon Reaction GIF Giphy

"NGL, I still love it 🤣🤣🤣." —Prudent-Hovercraft35

"Years ago I was taking a picture of a girl where I worked. She kept making the duck face, and I kept telling her to stop and to just smile. It took a good 10-15 minutes to finally get a good smile out of her. At the time, it was just second nature for girls." —concernedfriend08822

"It's how girls tried to edit features of themselves before phones did it for you." —asexyzombie

"now girls just inject their lips and cheeks to make the same face with less effort! We've come a long way." —ConsciousParable

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