Nostalgia foods

I hate chewing gum, as I always bite my lip or cheek, but I do like certain "retro" candies and sweets. They make up a big part of my wife's Christmas stocking each year.

Chick-O-Stix
Bottle Caps
Razzles
Charleston Chew
Smoothies
Jelly Nougats
Mallowcup
Marathon Bar
Nil-L-Nip
Root Beer Barrels
Mary Janes
BB Bats
Candy cigarettes

That's off the top of my head. There are plenty of others. I'm lucky that right at the top of the road is an old-time general store that trades in all that stuff.
 
The origins of Milk Shakes date back to 1873 with the origins of Malted Milk as an infant nutritional supplement and then, to Malted Milk Shakes. Our current versions of Milk Shakes are not Malted and do not include any trace of Barley Malt.

Malted Milk Wiki

I have in my lifetime, enjoyed Malted Milk Shakes and recently made an effort to revive the old Soda Fountain specialty with a Pistachio Kiwi Malted recipe.
 
TastyReuben said:
I hate chewing gum, as I always bite my lip or cheek, but I do like certain "retro" candies and sweets. They make up a big part of my wife's Christmas stocking each year.

Chick-O-Stix
Bottle Caps
Razzles
Charleston Chew
Smoothies
Jelly Nougats
Mallowcup
Marathon Bar
Nil-L-Nip
Root Beer Barrels
Mary Janes
BB Bats
Candy cigarettes

That's off the top of my head. There are plenty of others. I'm lucky that right at the top of the road is an old-time general store that trades in all that stuff.
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As far as candies go, there are two candies that trace their origins back so far as to likely cause some jaws to drop in awe.

Jujubes trace back to 1709. Jujubes Wiki

Jelly Beans, which today have a fashionable or hip appeal, date back to 1861. Jelly Bean Wiki

And speaking of jaws dropping in awe, the more recent Jaw Breakers or Gob Stoppers date back to 1976.

Jaw Breaker (GobStopper) Wiki
 
marathon-new-bedford-candy-bar.jpg

-the-vintage-snacks-for-astronauts-that-kids-loved.jpg
 
A retailer, Five Below, carries some of the candy I enjoyed as a child. I'm not a big sweets eater now though.

I like this website...https://www.oldtimecandy.com/

I enjoyed all these as a kid. Some of them never "went out of style" so they are easy to find locally.

Atomic Fireball
Bazooka
Big League Chew
Blow Pops
Bottle Caps
Bubble Yum
Bubblicious
Candy Buttons
Candy Cigarettes
Candy Necklaces
Charleston Chew
Cracker Jacks
Hairbo Gummy Bears
Hubba Bubba
Laffy Taffy
Lemonheads
Nerds
Now & Later
Pop Rocks
Ring Pops
Rolo
Smarties
Skittles
Sour Patch Kids
Sugar Daddy
Wack-O-Wax Wax Lips
Watchamacallit
Wonka Sweetarts

I used to come up with silly ideas for things to do with my kids when they lived with me. One such idea was called "Way Back Wednesdays" in which I would prepare something that was popular when I was growing up (ie. Pattie Melts, Chicken ala King, etc.). We would watch a nostalgic tv show while we were preparing dinner (ie. Wonder Woman, Six-Million Dollar Man, etc.). My kids loved the middle-of-the-week *glimpse* into what I did as a kid. Now, I can't do that so I will sometimes make them little gift baskets with nostalgic candies and recipes for them to try at home. They always enjoy them.

Thanks for such posting such a fun topic! Now I'm hankering for some candy! ;-)
 
The foods I am nostalgic for are still around, but not in Texas. Things like Philadelphia hoagies and soft pretzels. Things I can't get without airfare being involved.

I never ate a lot of candy as a kid, and the few that I liked are still around, and available all over. The only bubble gum I bought was that flat, stale stick that came in a pack of baseball cards. Like just about everyone, I bought them for the baseball cards.

CD
 
P.S. I should have pointed out an important part of my childhood. My father, an Army Veteran and Chicago police officer, was very big on healthy eating/living. We were not allowed treats very often. He would often go to the local farmer to get sugar cane for us to have as a treat. This meant that any candy/sweets we had were usually smuggled in. It seemed so unfair (at the time) because our cousins had free access to all kinds of goodies.

So, while my list of candies from my childhood looks out-of-control, my actual intake of such treats was few and far between. ;-)

Today, I am thankful that my father taught me healthy eating habits.
 
We had all the sweets we wanted, mainly in the form of homemade cakes, pies, and cookies.

My mom has a skewed perception of what's "good for you." Basically, anything a mother makes for her family is "good for you." She's not being funny when she says that - she really believes that anything home-cooked is, by the very nature of being home-cooked, healthy and nourishing.

Triple-layer chocolate cake with buttercream frosting? That's health food, if your mom made it. Bread smeared with bacon grease and topped with a piece of breakfast sausage? Why, that's so good for you, you shouldn't even have to ask.

:laugh:
 
TastyReuben said:
We had all the sweets we wanted, mainly in the form of homemade cakes, pies, and cookies.

My mom has a skewed perception of what's "good for you." Basically, anything a mother makes for her family is "good for you." She's not being funny when she says that - she really believes that anything home-cooked is, by the very nature of being home-cooked, healthy and nourishing.

Triple-layer chocolate cake with buttercream frosting? That's health food, if your mom made it. Bread smeared with bacon grease and topped with a piece of breakfast sausage? Why, that's so good for you, you shouldn't even have to ask.

:laugh:
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My mother is cut from the same cloth. I HATED spaghetti growing up. Couldn't bear to even look at it. She would plop a heaping spoonful of sugar on top when my father wasn't looking. Like yours, she believes/believed that anything from her kitchen was "good" for you. We rarely went to McDonald's or had boxed foods (something I continued for my own spouse and children) but we had cakes, pies, etc. reguarly.

I was actually SHOCKED when I went to my parents' house in 2017. My father was eating a blueberry muffin. It was the first time in my life that I saw him eat anything close to a treat. Now, it seems like he's making up for decades of not eating all the *good* stuff. ;-)
 
I find it interesting that members are hung on their sweet tooths for Nostalgia Foods.

I'll have to give a good Sweet Tooth example to accommodate.
 
The nostalgic origins of Soda and Cola Drinks go back to Sasafras.

Sarsaparilla, as it was called, was the original patent medicine that we have all seen peddling his concoctions to cowboys in old western movies and at the same time, treated as Cons peddling sham goods. Oddly, you'd be amused to find that Coca Cola was originally marketed as a medicinal.

Sarsaparilla drinks date back to the 16th century. Sarsaparilla Wiki

The original Sarsaparilla drink is not available in the USA due to the FDA declaring elements of Sasafras as carcinogenic. The real thing is still available in Southeast Asian Countries and the Philippines. In the USA, the Sarsaparilla drink that is still sold is made from alternate ingredients.

The first soda pop drink was Root Beer. Root Beer Wiki

Root Beer dates back to the 1840s.

After the introduction of Carbonated Soft Drinks, Sodas and Colas took off in diverse directions. But Soft Drinks first appeared in medieval Mid East and then Europe. Carbonation of mineral water first evolved in the 18th century. Soft Drink Wiki

I have never tried Saraparilla in my life time, but Root Beer, for sure, as well as a lot of different Sodas and Colas. Now, Diabetes has such drinks on the list of evils that include cigarettes.
 
rascal said:
Great comments here, we never had a disposable income. Sweets were truely a treat. I don't have a sweet tooth, wife will ask do you want a piece of chocolate, ? I almost always say no.

Russ
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I'm the same way now. I love chocolate but don't crave it anymore. I still have Halloween candy and a box of Fannie May in my fridge. They were given to me. I rarely buy anything sweet unless it's the occasional cupcake here and there. I always made a deal with myself. I would never buy sweets when grocery shopping. However, if I was willing to get dressed, drive to the store, wait in line to get it, I would treat myself. Otherwise, no go. Guess how many times that has happened in the last 20 years? Twice. ;-)
 
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