Alex Buscemi
Food trends come and go, and few things highlight that better than the old school dishes that once ruled dinner tables and potlucks everywhere.
Whether they were gelatin-based creations or casseroles with mystery ingredients, these vintage recipes had their moment.
And for some reason — maybe taste, maybe texture, maybe just the passage of time — they faded quietly into obscurity.
The r/AskOldPeople readers are taking a nostalgic (and slightly bewildered) look back at those old-school dishes that were once staples at every family gathering, church basement, and Tupperware party.
Some will bring back fond memories, others might trigger flashbacks to things you politely pushed around your plate.
Either way, it’s a reminder of how much our idea of a “good meal” has changed — and maybe how some of these dishes are due for a comeback. Or not. That’s really up to your stomach.
1. “Jell-O salads of every kind.”
2. “Ambrosia.”
3. “Shit on a shingle. I used to have it weekly as a kid.”
4. “Chicken Kiev.”
5. “Turkey tetrazzini. Was that a thing anywhere but school cafeterias?”
6. “Cream of Wheat.”
7. “Sloppy Joes with Manwich sauce were a weekly staple. They haven’t disappeared completely, but they’re way down.”
8. “Baked Alaska! It’s a giant cake with ice cream baked in it. I heard about it a lot in the ’70s, but I never actually had it until about 10–15 years ago. Very impressive presentation and super tasty!”
9. “Stuffed peppers.”
10. “Waldorf salad. I love it. Nobody else eats it.”
11. “Veal parmesan, which was my favorite food growing up. Now, it’s very rare that a restaurant serves it, and none of my local grocery stores carry the veal patties we used to get to make it at how.”
12. “I have not seen mincemeat pie in ages, and you could get it à la mode.”
13. “Beans and weenies: Campbell’s pork and beans and cut-up hot dogs.”
14. “Clams casino. I used to love them as an appetizer.”
15. “Chop suey. The version we had in school consisted of overcooked chicken and vegetables in a sauce that resembled warm spit.”
16. “Fruit cake! Most tins, bought in stores, tasted bad! But if you found a good one, you understood why people loved them.”
17. “Welsh rarebit over toast. Up until about five years ago, you could buy it in the frozen food section. It was really great on a cold day.”
18. “Corned beef on rye. I’m in Georgia, and I can’t find it anywhere.”
19. “Stuffed cabbage. It used to be in the frozen food section of the supermarket.”
20. “Onion loaf. You used to find it on menus at BBQ or rib restaurants, but I can’t find it anywhere now.”
21. “Fried clams have all but disappeared from menus. I did some digging and found out it’s mostly because the clams have migrated so far north from their usual undersea spots off the coast of Massachusetts that it’s much more cost-prohibitive to go out the farther distance to where they are now.”
22. “Chicken cacciatore! I have fond memories of eating this in little, family-owned Italian restaurants.”
23. “Rumaki disappeared in the ’80s. It was an appetizer of chicken liver and water chestnuts wrapped with bacon and then broiled, often with BBQ sauce.”
24. “Lobster Newburg. The best dang lobster with a creamy, velvety sherry sauce. It was delectable!”
25. “French dressing. It used to be offered as an option when you ordered a salad. It’s rarely mentioned anymore.”
Read more: 40 Funniest Food Tweets That Made Us Laugh Away The Calories This Week