My Three Favorite Meals At Age 11
Big shocker, another food blog from the chubby kid ... oh well. Don't hate. What you're about to read is disturbing and unhealthy and none of it was my mother's doing. Be kind.
Today's kids are worldly eaters. Trust me, even though I don't have any kids of my own, I just know. My little cousins and our friends' kids eat crazy foods I won't even touch as an adult! They wolf-down mushrooms, sushi, Chinese food, crab legs, eggplant and more. Me?
At 11, my three favorite foods were as follows...
The McDonald's Happy Meal
The very first Happy Meal was sold in 1979 in Kansas City for $1. The idea came about in 1977 from an ad man trying to figure out a way to better market McDonald's to families. Back in 1983, I don't think parents allowed their kids to eat at McDonald's very often--at least we weren't there more than once a month. I remember the excitement every time we'd pull into the parking lot of the Franklin Square McDonald's. I'd wonder what toy or cool drinking glass I'd snag.
Instant Mashed Potatoes & Real Mashed Potatoes
Still crazy about 'em after all these years, the mashed potato is one of the most incredible way to serve a potato. My little friend who l lived next-door to us didn't really have a mom and her dad worked long hours. I loved going over to her house because she'd make us instant mashed potatoes. I had never seen anything like it. They were soft white flakes that came in a red or brown box and watching her prepare them was truly an amazing site. She'd boil up milk and water, mix in some butter and salt--that was our snack. A heaping portion of fake potato goodness washed it down with a Coke. Gag, I know.
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
My mom didn't take many shortcuts when preparing dinner for us kids, however one thing she did treat us to every once in a while was the blue box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I must say I'm somewhat surprised to learn that Kraft first introduced the dinner back in 1937 calling in Kraft Dinner. It was a stick-to-your-ribs meatless option during World War II. Who knew?
OMGosh! The Muppet glasses! We had 2 whole sets. Why don't they do that anymore? I'm a sucker for mashed 'tators too.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE instant mashed potatoes! I fix them with a little chicken bouillon and then add the toppings, just like a baked potato. I even make potato cakes for the granddaughter that hardly eats ANYTHING. She loves granny's tater cakes. You may now call me Gourmet Granny. (and I have boxes full of Happy Meal toys, unopened, as well as plenty that are)
ReplyDeleteThe Happy Meal hasn't changed much. The toys have gotten a lot better. I love the Happy Meal burger still though. I always hope my boys can't eat them all.
ReplyDeleteI too could never resist the creamy goodness and lure of the blue box. The instant spuds I always thought were too lumpy. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteOh yes. These look VERY familiar! Very bad, but familiar!
ReplyDelete1. I still order Happy Meals at McDonald's. I have no children.
ReplyDelete2. I DO, however, have a friend who claims her grandfather invented the instant mashed potato.
3. We still call it Kraft Dinner in Canada! Actually, we mostly call it KD. And I will always put ketchup on it!
I love my mac and cheese (and it has to be Kraft, no velveeta for me) so much, that I have it delivered to me in France! I need it!
ReplyDeleteThese all are so yum (and I still like them!)...However, when I was 11 I was really proud to have a growth spurt that justified getting a grown up meal: 2 Hamburgers, Medium Fry (with sweet and sour dip of course!) and Coke. Yum!!!
ReplyDeletexoxo
http://hopechella.blogspot.com/
Wow... Mac and Cheese is still one of my favourite meals and I am 19! hehe. It has to be the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese deluxe though, with the cheese in the can... mmm... yum. :)
ReplyDeleteIt was all about the toy with the happy meals. I couldn't have cared less about the food.
ReplyDeleteI can remember being in a Mcdonalds in London Ontario at 3 in the morning and crawling around with a wind up Hamburglar.
When I was young enough to eat happy meals, they didn't exist.
ReplyDeleteDAMN...
I still love mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, but now I make them from scratch.
ReplyDeleteThose are still 3 of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Robyn
I only recently (at the age of 28) discovered how to bake my own mac and cheese and mash my own potatoes.
ReplyDeleteWay better, BUT I still have a soft spot for the the boxed variety. I love some Kraft shapes mac covered with a good dash of pepper. Yum. And I'll admit to making instant mashed potatoes for dinner. And eating nothing else.
And I also have really fond memories of McDonalds Happy Meals.
I still to this day love all three of those and that's probably why I am over my ideal size for my body.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I think we are related. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I eat nothing but alfalfa sprouts and arugula. Then I sprout wings and fly to the moon.
ReplyDeleteOkay okay, troof: I was 24 in 1979, so no happy meals for me, though I bought them sometimes for my son.
I used to LOVE those instant taters from that big box. Still love 'em, but now they come in little packets and are all sorts of fancy butt flavors. I'm about sure I'm going to make mashed potatoes from scratch. Grammaw's dead, deal with it.
The only mac n cheese i got as a kid was my mom's home-made kind which was EXCELLENT. Now I like the Kraft deluxe kind with sharp cheddar. Fifty billion calories, 110% of it from fat. But when I come home on a Jaunuary evening after playing mail lady all day long, it is quick, hot and yummy.
I love your blog. :-)
Except for the Happy Meal, I like all of these still!
ReplyDeleteThe Daughter enjoys mashed potatoes, so I can't argue with that. Also, she will eat vegetables...brocoli, Brussels Sprouts, asparagus...I love that!
But she also eats way too much fast food.
The Mashed Potato was the best invention up until the instant Scalloped Potato came on the market. That shit revolutionized potatoes.
ReplyDeleteI loved everything you listed! Especially Mac & Cheese. I still love a good happy meal here and there :)
ReplyDeleteI totally remember collecting the glasses form Happy Meals!
ReplyDeleteI loooooved Happy Meals! And I totally understand the instant mashed potatoes... there's just something about them. :)
ReplyDeleteAll of this is making me uber hungry! I've replaced the Kraft with Annie's Mac and Cheese, though. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have Muppet glasses but we did get Flintstone ones. Also, Batman glasses. And we still have them, yes.
I was 19 on '79 - have never had or purchased a Happy Meal (maybe I should some day just to "experience" it!
ReplyDeleteWhat's funny is that I never had either the boxed Mashed Potatoes or Mac & Cheese until after I got married.
The Mac & Cheese was WAY too easy to make for a quick kids dinner... even I could do it, and I tend to be all thumbs in the kitchen.
My wife used the boxed mashed potatoes as a base for making meals for the kids as they were transitioning between baby food and "real" food. But once I tasted them, I was amazed how good they were. And again - My non-cooking skills weren't challenged beyond my capabilities.
Great post Ally! Took us all back again!
I always lived in small towns growing up so McDonald's was only a treat on holidays when we went to the big smoke. I remember only ever having the fries and a chocolate thickshake. I eventually included chicken mcnuggets into the mix later on - wish I was still so choosy.
ReplyDeleteThey don't sell that kraft mac and cheese here in England but I was lucky enough to try some when I lived in Japan (they sold it in an import store I used to frequent) and I became a fan. Am craving it now!
HA!!! So that's the story!! We still call it "Kraft Dinner" in Canada. I was surprised to find it called "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" here in the U.S. Thought it was a different product - but nope - same shit!
ReplyDeleteAs for the boxed potatoes - I will pass.
McDonald's though?! Crap. Stick a fork in me. I'm done. I love that shit more than anything. And you thought YOU were sad? I'll eat a Big Mac ANY day of the week. Yeah....I know.
My Grandmother lived in Franklin Square.
ReplyDeleteMy parents hardly ever took us to McDonalds. It was meant to be a treat. I kind of do the same. If it wasn't for the toys the kids wouldn't even want to go.
But I am guilty of the instant potatoes too. I don't have time to peel potatoes.
Instant is way better than real. i can not make real mashed potoatoes to save my soul and I buy them premade in the refirg section!
ReplyDeleteFYI, I think I speak for most moms that kids these days do not eat worldly foods! Mine would KILL for mac-n-cheese every night!
Okay, see the opposite thing happened to me. My mom was an instant food cook. The easier, the more preservatives, the better. With the exception of 1 of my 7 siblings, the rest of us, are gourmet foodies who are extremely nutritionally conscious.
ReplyDeleteOne of my girls came home after eating dinner with a friend and was shocked to tell us that their Parmesan cheese came in a green can instead of freshly ground from the Italian Market.
I'm sure it'll have the opposite effect on my kids. They'll be shoving their pieholes full of chicken wings and Cheese Whiz the moment they have their own say so.
Wow I remember when the happy meal came out! Prior you could go to McDonalds and get a hamburger, small fry and coke for 60 cents. My parents wouldn't let me get the happy meal because they said the toy wasn't worth the 40 cents difference.
ReplyDeletelove kraft mac and cheese
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog and wanted to say hi.
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I love Kraft Mac & Cheese. My boyfriend, who fancies himself a cook, thinks I'm totally creepy for eating the stuff. It's just so delicious to me. Especially when you melt extra cheese on top of it.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I haven't had too many great experiences with Kraft's Easy Mac. Ironically, I always mess it up.
Thankfully I have the kids who like sushi and eggplant. My daughters birthday is on Monday. She is turning 6 and has already put in her request for a sushi birthday dinner. Yum!
ReplyDeleteI have say those were probably my favorite foods as a kid too. ;-)
those are still my favorite foods.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Kraft is owned by Phillip Morris?!?
ReplyDeleteGo vote on the Battle of the Game Show hosts!
Just The Cheese
Hi, I'm 30 years old over here and could *totally* go for some mcnuggets right about now.
ReplyDeleteI love those foods too! And yeah McD's Happy Meals started when I was born -And people wonder why it's hard not to eat there ;) It's just such a part of most people's childhoods that I know.
ReplyDeleteAll sound yummy and nutritious!
ReplyDeleteThpse are three of my favorite food groups!
ReplyDelete