We have become a much more health conscious society, and that is a good thing for the most part. It just seems to me that the whole concept of food now has drastically changed. It used to be that when families got together for dinner, there was a lot of baking, frying and buttering going on. No more. Nowadays, you can just make a salad, put out some grilled chicken, a little oil and vinegar, and you’re covered. We can all stand to be more aware and conscious of what too much of the rich foods from our past can do, and as we get older, even more so.  But sometimes I do still miss the comfort friends of my growing up days when there was a much different concept of what was good for you. Here are a few:

GRAVY – Everything was immersed in gravy. Mashed potatoes, pot roast, chicken, you name it. I can remember my father building a dam with his mashed potatos, and pouring in the gravy, full to overflowing. Today, gravy is considered taboo. Actually, so are mashed potatoes and probably pot roast, so looks like problem solved there.

BACON – Yes, the dreaded bacon.  My mother used to fry up a pound of bacon,  followed by sunny side eggs in the bacon grease. This with a few slices of wonder bread slathered in butter was considered a nutritious breakfast. I still love bacon, but these days it is a rarity.

BUTTER – There was for a while, a big controversy about butter vs margarine. My mother was always big on butter. With Everything! Anything that went in a skillet went in with half a pound of butter, with the exception of those eggs in the bacon grease. Now there are healthy oils to cook with that are much better health wise, but I have to say, I still really do like a hot biscuit with real butter.

MAYONNAISE- Well, this one is just bad. Even saying mayonnaise these days is frowned upon. For a while, the mayonnaise substitute was miracle whip, which my mother in law swore by. My kids will tell anyone who’ll listen that miracle whip is right up there with rat poison. 

SPAM- Back when everyone was poor and trying to stretch a dime, spam was very popular. This fatty ham wannabe could be fried up (with butter of course) or ground up with loads of mayonnaise, and we thought it was great. There are people out there who still like spam, but I don’t know any.

The list goes on – crisco, marshmallow fluff, real whipped cream, hamburger helper, and the like. We don’t eat any of this stuff anymore. Probably wise. All processed foods have been recognized as being unhealthy and potential carcinogens. I will always have fond memories of my Aunt Simone making me a fried bologna sandwich (yes, in butter) with buttered white bread, and loving it. But no more. Ignorance was bliss. Knowledge, hopefully, is healthier.