Eating in the UK in the Fifties

[gray_marian]

Pasta had not been invented.

Curry was a surname.

A takeaway was a mathematical problem.

Pizza was something to do with a leaning tower.

Bananas and oranges only appeared at Christmas time.

All crisps were plain; the only choice we had was whether to put the salt on or not.

A Chinese chippy was a foreign carpenter.

Rice was a milky pudding, and never a dinner.

A Big Mac was what we wore when it was raining.

Brown bread was something only poor people ate.

Oil was for lubricating, fat was for cooking.

Tea was made in a teapot using tea leaves; it was never green.

Coffee was Camp, and came in a bottle.

Cubed sugar was regarded as posh.

Only Heinz made beans.

Fish didn't have fingers in those days.

Eating raw fish was called poverty, not sushi.

None of us had ever heard of yoghurt.

Healthy eating consisted of eating whatever was put before you.

People who didn't peel potatoes were regarded as lazy.

Indian restaurants were only found in India.

Cooking outside was called camping.

Seaweed was not a recognised food.

"Kebab" was not even a word, never mind a food.

Sugar enjoyed a good press in those days, and was regarded as being “white gold”.

Prunes were medicinal.

Pineapples came in chunks in a tin; we had only ever seen a picture of a real one.

Surprisingly, muesli was readily available; it was called cattle feed.

Water came out of the tap; if someone had suggested bottling it and
charging more for it than petrol they would have been a laughing stock.

The one thing that we never ever had on our table in those days was... our elbows!

[Malcolm G]

Curry? Oh yes we had that in the 50s.
It was basically any stew or similar with a handful of curry powder thrown in, to taste.

Great when the meat had gone off a bit - due to lack of any form of refrigeration. (The meat safe in the larder did not quite do it).

[gray_marian]

Thank you Malcolm, I do vaguely remember similar tins on my aunt's larder shelf, my post was tongue n' cheek.

[RobPage]

My late father had a very strange solid British point of view on food he would eat and in fact make pressed ox Tongue, cow heel jelly, several different recipes for tripe, brains , a whole variety of other bits of offal but you couldn't put a curry near him it was foreign and in fact I did have beef stew one day when he was stopping with us it had small onions small mushrooms and a red wine sauce he liked the stew but if I have told him it was beef bourguignon he would not have eaten it

[Dartskipper]

Any old loaves of bread were sliced up, buttered or spread with margarine and placed in an enamel baking dish. Handfuls of mixed preserved fruit such as dried sultanas and raisins were sprinkled between the slices, and a sprinkling of sugar spread across the top. Bunged into the oven and baked until crispy on top.

Bread and Butter Pudding, served hot with fresh Bird's (other brands were available,) custard. (How did that pink powder turn yellow when you added the milk?)

Delicious on a winter evening!

[Engine Serang]

Curry powder was only available in the local Chemist's as was olive oil.
Birds was the ONLY custard, were we deprived?
Mr and Mrs Marshall of Glasgow supplied us with Semolina, Sago and Tapioca. At school Cornflour was made into a sort of white custard and served with a dollop of red jam, but only on a Tuesday.

[gray_marian]

Originally Posted by Engine Serang

Curry powder was only available in the local Chemist's as was olive oil.
Birds was the ONLY custard, were we deprived?
Mr and Mrs Marshall of Glasgow supplied us with Semolina, Sago and Tapioca. At school Cornflour was made into a sort of white custard and served with a dollop of red jam, but only on a Tuesday.

I quoted your last line to hubby, he says he remembers it well! Yuk..Thankfully even though Glasgow born & bred managed to avoid all four.

[Dartskipper]

Originally Posted by Engine Serang

Curry powder was only available in the local Chemist's as was olive oil.
Birds was the ONLY custard, were we deprived?
Mr and Mrs Marshall of Glasgow supplied us with Semolina, Sago and Tapioca. At school Cornflour was made into a sort of white custard and served with a dollop of red jam, but only on a Tuesday.

Sung to the tune of Frere Jacques;

Rotten school dinners, Rotten school dinners,
Mouldy greens, mouldy greens,
Sloppy semolina, sloppy semolina,
Matron, quick,
John's been sick.

Or then again,

"Say what you will,
School dinners make you ill,
rotten greens and mouldy shepherd's pie,
all school dindins,
come from pig bins,
out of town."

[gray_marian]

Very good Dartskipper

[Malcolm G]

Originally Posted by gray_marian

Very good Dartskipper.

Is there a delete facility here?

Click 'edit'

When window opens click 'delete'

[gray_marian]

Thank you Malcolm.

[Tom Alexander]

Originally Posted by Malcolm G

Curry? Oh yes we had that in the 50s.
It was basically any stew or similar with a handful of curry powder thrown in, to taste.

Great when the meat had gone off a bit - due to lack of any form of refrigeration. (The meat safe in the larder did not quite do it).

That tin of P. Vencatachellum sure brought back memories. We always had a tin at home in the UK which one could take from if one wished, or leave alone if one didn't. I quite developed a taste for it -- a teaspoon full stirred into a good helping of lamb stew, now only provided a delightful flavour but cut the inevitable grease. (The meat was more like mutton than lamb, but we didn't have a lot of choice in those days)

Can't find the Vencat in Canada, but an almost identical product, even to the packaging (with the little round pop off lid) --- Sun Brand prepared and packaged by Merwanjee Poonjiajee & Sons Private Ltd, Princes Dock, Mumbai 400 009, India.