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Mom had old-world cooking skills passed down from her mother, so we had several meals that were special I can't remember the names of. Most of these were enjoyed on Sunday after church.
We raised chickens and rabbits and had small gardens and fruit trees, but we also made root beer and pickled lots of things mom did a lot of canning and preserves.
Oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, oatmeal pancakes, for breakfast, or corn flakes for breakfast peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch at school and beef or chicken for dinner at night with vegetables and mashed potatoes. Mom had a lot of imagination and well organized.
If dad and I were going woodcutting or pouring concrete that day we had steak for breakfast, mom made sure I had enough to eat, her mother tended to push more food on you. Dad only required I clean up my plate before I could leave the table.
I was not overweight but I was hiper active.
We never had tongue, though my husband's family did. Chicken livers and beef liver (which I hated) was about as far as my mom would go with organs.
One time, though, she made some beef dish with gravy and we were all eating happily when my dad suddenly asked what kind of meat it was. Mom replied, beef heart. Dad was silent for a moment and then said, "You don't have to make that again." And she never did!
My mom made kidney stew, with the best gravy, you would ever taste.
My in-laws, mostly English stock from the Silent Generation, grew up during this period. Their families were factory working-class, small town store owners, as well as middle-class academics in the semi-urban New England and Mid-Atlantic regions.
In addition to the foods already mention (home grown fresh or canned seasonal vegetables), they ate traditional mincemeat pie (made with venison) for Christmas. A salad/veg of some sort was served at every meal. The academic side being more frugal, drank mostly powdered milk. It was said the lure of fresh milk helped greased the dating wheels when they courted, and FIL could enjoy that rare treat on visits to MIL’s home. They also ate a lot of scrapple.
I ate at a Polish restaurant not too long ago, and was served a lard spread - instead of butter- with my complimentary bread. It looked to consist solely of pork lard. Tasty tho.
Yes, that diet is more of a detriment for today’s lifestyle, but back in their home countries the affordable carbs and high fats provided the necessary calories to fuel all their manual labor in the factories and farms; it was needed. However, cabbage, soups, unprocessed animal fats, and potatoes (with skin) are healthy, whole foods when eaten in sensible portions, combined with regular exercise (traditionally through manual work).
Remember mince meat pie: It was awful in my opinion and remember the ever popular sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving complete with marshmellows and canned pineapple along with brown sugar. Oh God was it sweet!!!
We never had tongue, though my husband's family did. Chicken livers and beef liver (which I hated) was about as far as my mom would go with organs.
One time, though, she made some beef dish with gravy and we were all eating happily when my dad suddenly asked what kind of meat it was. Mom replied, beef heart. Dad was silent for a moment and then said, "You don't have to make that again." And she never did!
We did have tongue about twine a year which was plenty. We also had, what mom and dad called a boiled dinner. It was either something with cabbage, maybe pork shoulder or it was briskett. We never smoked a briskett, mom always cooked it all day with carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. With it we would usually have a jello/fruit salad or a green salad which was not called green salad or mixed greens, but a combination salad.
All sounds lower in saturated fat, certainly lower in preservatives and artificial flavors than what we have now. And the older people I know, including my deceased grandparents, all eat/ate smaller portioned meals. All of which explains why they were all much slimmer than in the present day...
Much of that sounds LOADED in preservatives.
The Greatest Generation knew how to stretch a dollar, and that meant a lot of food that had a decent shelf life, and that meant preservatives.
Salt and Sugar, those are the major preservatives.
From what I can see, we've moved from a society where many people moved around a lot more during the day, be it on a farm or a factory or even in an office job where tasks were far more manual than they are now.
I had forgotten this: in our family, I never remember eating real butter. We ate margarine because it was cheaper. My mother might have put out a stick of butter for company.
We baked with Crisco or margarine.
I imagine this began in the 1940s. My parents were always price conscious about food.
I don’t remember jello before the fifties. But I was very young in the late 1940s.
I had forgotten this: in our family, I never remember eating real butter. We ate margarine because it was cheaper. My mother might have put out a stick of butter for company.
We baked with Crisco or margarine.
I imagine this began in the 1940s. My parents were always price conscious about food.
Oh, us too. We would have butter as a special treat on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Otherwise, it was margarine and Crisco. Those were cheaper, people were told that they were healthier, and there had been a genuine butter shortage during the war so people probably got used to it then. And yeah, Mom was very frugal.
When I got married I immediately switched to butter, all the time. Haven't ever bought margarine!
According to some old cookbooks I have read over the years, and...
Listening to people growing up in the era in rural America-
I was surprised how often people hunted and dressed their
own dinner. Squirrels, rabbits, pigeons and duck, if you
could shoot it with a BB gun pellet it could be dinner.
Sweetened rice pudding made on the stove was also
very popular. There was much food delivery in local
neighborhoods by the 1950's. Whatever the food
delivery truck brought was most likely available to
eat in the suburban 1940's household. Some housewives
did not drive. Deliveries were essential to housebound
suburban housewives, I imagine.
Remember mince meat pie: It was awful in my opinion and remember the ever popular sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving complete with marshmellows and canned pineapple along with brown sugar. Oh God was it sweet!!!
My Mom made mince meat pie just for me every year - I was the only family member that liked it. (Everyone else liked pumpkin pie.) Maybe it was the bourbon she put in the mincemeat! Mom also made really boozy fruitcake, which I also loved. The one exception was the year she over-administered the booze, and all the fruitcakes developed a lovely blue fuzz on the outside. We teased her about her "blue haired" fruitcakes for years.
I had forgotten this: in our family, I never remember eating real butter. We ate margarine because it was cheaper. My mother might have put out a stick of butter for company.
We baked with Crisco or margarine.
I imagine this began in the 1940s. My parents were always price conscious about food.
I don’t remember jello before the fifties. But I was very young in the late 1940s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saibot
Oh, us too. We would have butter as a special treat on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Otherwise, it was margarine and Crisco. Those were cheaper, people were told that they were healthier, and there had been a genuine butter shortage during the war so people probably got used to it then. And yeah, Mom was very frugal.
When I got married I immediately switched to butter, all the time. Haven't ever bought margarine!
I remember Grandmother baking with Crisco, my mom did it as well. I still do sometimes.
Margarine? Nope, only as a sandwich spread since it was easier to spread. Must have been a regional thing but it was seen as the equivalent of skim milk; somewhat healthier maybe but I don't remember discussions about the cost. I know it was banned in Minnesota and Wisconsin til the 1960's.
I do remember them talking about the color packets that were offered to make it look like butter. I think that must have done it in as far as they were concerned.
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Tasty tho.
