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I think those of us who had family who lived through the Great Depression and WWII rationing had very different experiences from younger families. They really did have to stretch everything. Oddly my dad who grew up middle class was harsher than my mom who grew up in abject poverty. Now I see my daughters-in-law cooking much, much differently than I did as a younger mother. I’m good with all our differences. But they never have to bribe (that I know of).
My dad's family were well off financially, and they never had to live frugally or do without during the Great Depression. They always had chicken, roasts, etc. for dinner every day. That's why he couldn't handle sitting down to a meal of boiled turnips. My grandmother (my mother's mother), like I said, lived with us, and we weren't poor, but she sure cooked like we were.
My daughters (grown) have never tasted boiled turnips or boiled ham and string beans. My mother is in her 90's, and we cook meals together when I visit, but we NEVER have that stuff. She never liked it either, but still sat back and let my grandmother cook it. Now, we make spaghetti and meatballs, stuffed pork chops, oven fried chicken, etc. You know, the stuff I'd tried to make as a teen but was called "high-toneish" and laughed at.
Last edited by Mrs. Skeffington; 01-20-2021 at 11:07 AM..
My dad LOVED boiled turnips. The rest of us were not fans. He made us try them once, but only once.
One of his favorite meals was polish sausage and boiled turnips cooked together. He also liked Kale, before Kale was cool to eat, and mustard greens. LOL
When I was growing up, you ate what was served. Parents did not cook a separate meal for children. Of course many children balked at something that was being served, so dinners frequently were filled with threats, screaming, crying, cajoling, bribing and arguments.
I often had to sit at the dinner table until I ate the thing I didn't like, which was usually meat. When we got a dog, the dog often sat by my feet, and I would secretly throw meat under the table for him. Sometimes my dad would eat whatever I refused because he just could not stand to throw food away.
I remember having dinners at friends' houses and my friends having shouting matches with their parents over something they didn't want to eat. So this was normal and happened in every family I knew of, including my brother's family when he had kids.
This was my life exactly. I usually ate everything given to me but I had this major dislike of lima beans . Luckily, my dog would eat them. I would put a couple in my mouth (didn't chew them) and then pretend to wipe my face with a napkin, all the while slipping the beans into the napkin. I would put the napkin back on my lap, where the beans would conveniently fall out and land on the floor for my 10 pound miniature poodle to enjoy. I also hated fresh tomatoes. My mother constantly would have sliced tomatoes during the summer because my grandfather grew them. I would only eat them if they were sprinkled with sugar. I'm glad my parents at least gave in to this strange issue with me.
I do remember my sister sitting at the dining room table for a couple of hours because she refused to eat something on her plate. I was young so I don't remember if she ate it or my parents just gave up.
Once and only once, my mom gave us hominy for supper. My brother and I hated it. Gagged on it and just couldn't get it down.
We had to stay at the table for a couple of hours, after everyone else was done. We still didn't eat it, and had to go to bed then.
Another time, I accidentally knocked my glass of milk over, and it spilled into my plate that was holding my PBJ sandwich, thus soaking the sandwich. My dad was so mad, he insisted I eat the sandwich anyway.
Surprisingly, maybe, it was easier to get a soaked PBJ sandwich down, than the hominy.
Another time, I had to sit at the table for hours, trying to eat a bowl of stew, with tough bits of stew meat that didn't slide down too well.
I just can't see the point of making a meal a misery for little kids.
I actually resulted in bribing bc i realized it was more important that they got the nutrients into their bodies as opposed to the bribe causing later issues that could be balanced in a different area of teaching.
This was my life exactly. I usually ate everything given to me but I had this major dislike of lima beans . Luckily, my dog would eat them. I would put a couple in my mouth (didn't chew them) and then pretend to wipe my face with a napkin, all the while slipping the beans into the napkin. I would put the napkin back on my lap, where the beans would conveniently fall out and land on the floor for my 10 pound miniature poodle to enjoy. I also hated fresh tomatoes. My mother constantly would have sliced tomatoes during the summer because my grandfather grew them. I would only eat them if they were sprinkled with sugar. I'm glad my parents at least gave in to this strange issue with me.
I do remember my sister sitting at the dining room table for a couple of hours because she refused to eat something on her plate. I was young so I don't remember if she ate it or my parents just gave up.
hahahah!!! I was the oldest of five and my youngest brother and sister (fraternal twins) would chew stuff they didn't like, then hide it in their mashed potatoes. We were forgiving of not finishing your mashers, but we generally had to eat the meat. I used to blackmail them by having them do stuff for me (usually a chore of some sort) or I would tell Daddy they were not eating their (fill in the blank). Liver was a big one. Helen used to claim she was allergic to it. We would all laugh.
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