One time on Usenet, "jmcquown" > said:
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> > I never eat Campbell's soup as soup, but I do keep some of their
> > soups on hand to use in making quickie sauces, etc. Typically, I
> > keep tomato, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, and cream of celery
> > in the pantry. Years ago, you practically had to dig the contents
> > out of the can they were so thick. In fact, the tomato was so thick
> > I used to open both ends of the can and push the soup out like
> > jellied cranberry sauce. Now they've all been thinned down to the
> > point where they readily pour out of the can leaving little residue
> > behind.

I wonder if that's less a cost cutting measure and more a response
to consumer requests? I don't miss having to get that tomato soup to
jiggle out of the can (or remove the other end).

> > I've found that the store brand at WalMart is thicker and
> > better.
>
> The store brands are usually better and the weird thing is they are most
> likely sold to the stores as second market by Campbell's or some other known
> producer of the canned soup. I find you get a better product at half the
> price.
>
> But, you also have some people who *refuse* to buy anything that doesn't
> have a name-brand label slapped on it. They are the ones religiously
> clipping coupons trying to make up for the savings to be had already sitting
> there in front of them on the shelf. I'll try the store brands; if I don't
> like it, I don't buy it again. No law says you have to buy a case of it,
> you know? Just get a can and see how/if you like it

<snip>

Good point! I almost tried some store brand soup the other day, but
since it is to be an ingredient for a meal (Chicken Divan on Thursday
for my niece), I didn't want to take a chance. But there's no reason
I can't buy a can and try it as soup -- why didn't I think of that..?
;-)

--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, VidGamer, novice cook, dieter ~

Thelma Lubkin wrote:

> Dee Randall > wrote:
>
> : "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> :> Green Beans. I used to like green beans. We grew them in our back yard
> :> and
> :> they were great. My mother would freeze the excess and we had enough
> :> frozen
> :> green beans to get us through the winter, and they were good even after
> :> freezing. We buy beans from local vegetable stands in season, but even
> :> those are not as good as the beans I remember from years gone by. And the
> :> beans in the grocery store... forget it... they are crap.
> :>
> :>
> : I agree -- Now I only buy the frozen baby (small) ones at Costco or BJ's. I
> : bought some expensive fresh ones (baby, all packed up in straight little
> : rows) and they were good the first time - bought them 3 times more and they
> : were old and awful. So it's only frozen ones for me from now on. No matter
> : how good fresh ones look at the market, I don't bother. Even at the chinese
> : restaurants, their fresh green beans are tough and stringy and mostly
> : tasteless anymore.
>
> A friend gave me a couple of pounds of purple beans
> grown by his brother. These are the beans that are purple
> when raw but lose the purple during cooking so that they look
> like cooked green beans. I thought I was getting one of these
> vegetables bred for its looks, which is usually a taste disaster,
> but these proved to be the best 'green' beans I've had in years,
> crisp, stringless, lively taste: my husband gobbled them up
> as soon as I got them out of the wok, saving them from the
> overcooking I've had to do to get him to eat green beans
> in recent years
> --thelma
> : Dee Dee
>
>
Thelma, I grow these kind of beans. They are called *Royal Burgundy*
which is listed as a novelty bean by Stokes. It is a bush bean. IME,
being a bush bean it is not as proliferic as the pole beans but they
have a nice flavour and a built in timer. I use extras to make dilly beans.

On Tue 06 Sep 2005 10:59:06a, S'mee [AKA Jani] wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> I wonder if that's less a cost cutting measure and more a response
> to consumer requests? I don't miss having to get that tomato soup to
> jiggle out of the can (or remove the other end).

Admittedly, it comes out of the easily, but I honestly don't think it
tastes the same as it did years ago. The WalMart brand reminds me of the
way it used to taste.

> Good point! I almost tried some store brand soup the other day, but
> since it is to be an ingredient for a meal (Chicken Divan on Thursday
> for my niece), I didn't want to take a chance. But there's no reason
> I can't buy a can and try it as soup -- why didn't I think of that..?
> ;-)

I just used a can of the WalMart Cream of Chicken soup in a chicken-rice
dish, and can tell you it's really just as good if not better. Chicken
Divan? Haven't had that in years. Recipe please? Thanks!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

Boron Elgar wrote:

> On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700, wrote:
>
>
>>What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
>
>
>
> Alas....when I was a lass, Hostess Cupcakes were delish.
>
>
> I grow my own vegetables, bake my own breads (often grind the wheat,
> but have to buy the wheatberries), roast my own coffee, drive around
> the country side to find family farm raised goodies...we eat well
> here.
>
We do most of this with exception to roasting coffee. Access to green
coffee beans is really limited here


> Something that should be remembered in this thread....the foods we
> used to eat as children were eaten in season, not year 'round, and
> likely produced locally, too.
>

That's something few people consider now with the super stores. Our
family eats seasonally in that we eat what is in season and preserve
enough to get to the next season. We find it is cheaper that way.
Tomatoes are running right now so I'm busy canning and every meal has
tomatoes in some form. Peaches are also running so peaches are on the
menu too.

> Products are now grown and produced to make them store forever, be
> shipped cross county without the advantage of ripeness and be sold to
> us as cheaply as possible, often using labor that is paid subsistence
> wages. The world of food production has changed. We, ourselves, can
> seek out foods that are grown well, prepared well and eaten in a
> healthy way. All it takes is time and money. Some folks have neither,
> some have one or the other and some have neither. Then are those who
> really don't care, or for whom food is not really enjoyable, but just
> a necessity. RFC is not the place we'll find too many of the latter.

I agree some have neither time or money but more importantly space. You
give me a 3' x 3' space and I can grow a heck of a lot of stuff with
very little time or money but some just don't have the space. For those
who do have even the smallest of space, I would recommend some type of
garden even if it is a container garden. It will save money and provide
a variety you just can't get in the stores. At the very least grow
herbs on your window sills.
>
> Boron

"~patches~" > wrote in message
...
> Boron Elgar wrote:
>
>> On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700, wrote:
>>
>>
>>>What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
>>
>>
>>
>> Alas....when I was a lass, Hostess Cupcakes were delish.
>>
>>
>> I grow my own vegetables, bake my own breads (often grind the wheat,
>> but have to buy the wheatberries), roast my own coffee, drive around
>> the country side to find family farm raised goodies...we eat well
>> here.
>>
> We do most of this with exception to roasting coffee. Access to green
> coffee beans is really limited here
>
>
>> Something that should be remembered in this thread....the foods we
>> used to eat as children were eaten in season, not year 'round, and
>> likely produced locally, too.
>>
>
> That's something few people consider now with the super stores. Our
> family eats seasonally in that we eat what is in season and preserve
> enough to get to the next season. We find it is cheaper that way.
> Tomatoes are running right now so I'm busy canning and every meal has
> tomatoes in some form. Peaches are also running so peaches are on the
> menu too.
>
>> Products are now grown and produced to make them store forever, be
>> shipped cross county without the advantage of ripeness and be sold to
>> us as cheaply as possible, often using labor that is paid subsistence
>> wages. The world of food production has changed. We, ourselves, can
>> seek out foods that are grown well, prepared well and eaten in a
>> healthy way. All it takes is time and money. Some folks have neither,
>> some have one or the other and some have neither. Then are those who
>> really don't care, or for whom food is not really enjoyable, but just
>> a necessity. RFC is not the place we'll find too many of the latter.
>
> I agree some have neither time or money but more importantly space. You
> give me a 3' x 3' space and I can grow a heck of a lot of stuff with very
> little time or money but some just don't have the space. For those who do
> have even the smallest of space, I would recommend some type of garden
> even if it is a container garden. It will save money and provide a
> variety you just can't get in the stores. At the very least grow herbs on
> your window sills.
>>
>> Boron

Boron, when I put herbs inside the house, I always get a lot of aphids. Do
you have any sugestion. I've tried a little soap/water spray, but they
continue.
Thanks,
Dee Dee

"jmcquown" > wrote:

>Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Mon 05 Sep 2005 10:28:49p, djs0302 wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>>> What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to
>>>> be?
>>>
>>> Campbell's chicken noodle soup: When I was growing up in the early
>>> 70's you HAD TO add water to it because it was so thick. I bought a
>>> can recently it was nothing but juice with a few noodles and I think
Yep, their chicken noodle soup tastes like sea water to me. Maybe
it's a function of the fact that I've weaned myself off salt over the
years. OTOH, Campbell's tomato soup is still a heartwarming reminder
of my youth, and a very good product. We've tried making our own
tomato soup, and I promise you, it's not worth the effort when
something like this is available.

--
The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret.
At least now I have an excuse.

Hellmann's mayo just does not taste the same to me anymore. Used to be
delightfully eggy, salty and now it tastes a bit too sweet. It's still much
better than the abomination that is Miracle Whip. But it's just not the
same.

Lisa aka Pagemaster

On Tue 06 Sep 2005 02:02:02p, Lisa Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Hellmann's mayo just does not taste the same to me anymore. Used to be
> delightfully eggy, salty and now it tastes a bit too sweet. It's still much
> better than the abomination that is Miracle Whip. But it's just not the
> same.
>
> Lisa aka Pagemaster

I wonder if that's a regional thing? In the west we have Best Foods mayo,
but the same company as Hellmann's. I don't notice any difference.



--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue 06 Sep 2005 02:02:02p, Lisa Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> Hellmann's mayo just does not taste the same to me anymore. Used to be
>> delightfully eggy, salty and now it tastes a bit too sweet. It's still
>> much
>> better than the abomination that is Miracle Whip. But it's just not the
>> same.
>>
>> Lisa aka Pagemaster
>
> I wonder if that's a regional thing? In the west we have Best Foods mayo,
> but the same company as Hellmann's. I don't notice any difference.

As I recall, they moved the Hellmann's production to the Best factories,
swearing up and down the recipe wouldn't change. Yes, it did. That
was a few years ago. It's not even as thick as it used to be.

nancy

Dee Randall wrote:

> "~patches~" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Boron Elgar wrote:
>>
>>
>>>On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700, wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>Alas....when I was a lass, Hostess Cupcakes were delish.
>>>
>>>
>>>I grow my own vegetables, bake my own breads (often grind the wheat,
>>>but have to buy the wheatberries), roast my own coffee, drive around
>>>the country side to find family farm raised goodies...we eat well
>>>here.
>>>
>>
>>We do most of this with exception to roasting coffee. Access to green
>>coffee beans is really limited here
>>
>>
>>
>>>Something that should be remembered in this thread....the foods we
>>>used to eat as children were eaten in season, not year 'round, and
>>>likely produced locally, too.
>>>
>>
>>That's something few people consider now with the super stores. Our
>>family eats seasonally in that we eat what is in season and preserve
>>enough to get to the next season. We find it is cheaper that way.
>>Tomatoes are running right now so I'm busy canning and every meal has
>>tomatoes in some form. Peaches are also running so peaches are on the
>>menu too.
>>
>>
>>>Products are now grown and produced to make them store forever, be
>>>shipped cross county without the advantage of ripeness and be sold to
>>>us as cheaply as possible, often using labor that is paid subsistence
>>>wages. The world of food production has changed. We, ourselves, can
>>>seek out foods that are grown well, prepared well and eaten in a
>>>healthy way. All it takes is time and money. Some folks have neither,
>>>some have one or the other and some have neither. Then are those who
>>>really don't care, or for whom food is not really enjoyable, but just
>>>a necessity. RFC is not the place we'll find too many of the latter.
>>
>>I agree some have neither time or money but more importantly space. You
>>give me a 3' x 3' space and I can grow a heck of a lot of stuff with very
>>little time or money but some just don't have the space. For those who do
>>have even the smallest of space, I would recommend some type of garden
>>even if it is a container garden. It will save money and provide a
>>variety you just can't get in the stores. At the very least grow herbs on
>>your window sills.
>>
>>>Boron
>
>
> Boron, when I put herbs inside the house, I always get a lot of aphids. Do
> you have any sugestion. I've tried a little soap/water spray, but they
> continue.
> Thanks,
> Dee Dee
>
>
Dee Dee, I hope you don't mind me answering. Most herbs are gloriously
pest free but for those that do get aphids, I would suggest Safer's Soap
Spray. I make a homemade version using a few drops of dishwashing
detergent, a couple of drops of olive oil, and a litre (~quart) of
water. Then just spray on the affected plant. It should kill off the
critters without harming the plants. Good luck.

On Tue 06 Sep 2005 02:24:44p, Nancy Young wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Tue 06 Sep 2005 02:02:02p, Lisa Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>>
>>> Hellmann's mayo just does not taste the same to me anymore. Used to be
>>> delightfully eggy, salty and now it tastes a bit too sweet. It's still
>>> much better than the abomination that is Miracle Whip. But it's just
not
>>> the same.
>>>
>>> Lisa aka Pagemaster
>>
>> I wonder if that's a regional thing? In the west we have Best Foods
mayo,
>> but the same company as Hellmann's. I don't notice any difference.
>
> As I recall, they moved the Hellmann's production to the Best factories,
> swearing up and down the recipe wouldn't change. Yes, it did. That
> was a few years ago. It's not even as thick as it used to be.
>
> nancy

I wonder if the two products are the same? Since I can't get Hellmann's to
make a comparison, I guess I'll just keep wondering. :-)


--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

Vilco > wrote:

> Mi e' parso che Victor Sack abbia scritto:
> >
> > In Western Europe at least, good veal is very nearly
> > extinct - and if you don't believe me, go ask Joël
> > Robuchon or Fredy Girardet (who has since died, I regret
> > to report). If these legends in their lifetime couldn't
> > procure good-quality veal, who can?
>
> Franco Cazzamali
> If you ever heard of the "Enoteca Pinchiorri" in Florence or "Le
> Calandre" in Padua, you will know who I am talking about, his
> meats are incredible.

Sure heard about both places and hope to eat at the Enoteca next time
I'm in the vicinity.

> Is a 16 month male and doctored cow a veal, or is it too old?

Definitely beef... too old for veal.

Victor

Nathalie Chiva > wrote:

> Where on earth did you get the idea that Fredy Girardet is dead ? He's
> retired, but AFAIK is very much alive!

Oops... right you are! I must have had the late Hans Stucki at the back
of my mind...

Victor

"~patches~" > wrote in message
...
> Dee Randall wrote:
>
>> "~patches~" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>Boron Elgar wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700, wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Alas....when I was a lass, Hostess Cupcakes were delish.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>I grow my own vegetables, bake my own breads (often grind the wheat,
>>>>but have to buy the wheatberries), roast my own coffee, drive around
>>>>the country side to find family farm raised goodies...we eat well
>>>>here.
>>>>
>>>
>>>We do most of this with exception to roasting coffee. Access to green
>>>coffee beans is really limited here
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Something that should be remembered in this thread....the foods we
>>>>used to eat as children were eaten in season, not year 'round, and
>>>>likely produced locally, too.
>>>>
>>>
>>>That's something few people consider now with the super stores. Our
>>>family eats seasonally in that we eat what is in season and preserve
>>>enough to get to the next season. We find it is cheaper that way.
>>>Tomatoes are running right now so I'm busy canning and every meal has
>>>tomatoes in some form. Peaches are also running so peaches are on the
>>>menu too.
>>>
>>>
>>>>Products are now grown and produced to make them store forever, be
>>>>shipped cross county without the advantage of ripeness and be sold to
>>>>us as cheaply as possible, often using labor that is paid subsistence
>>>>wages. The world of food production has changed. We, ourselves, can
>>>>seek out foods that are grown well, prepared well and eaten in a
>>>>healthy way. All it takes is time and money. Some folks have neither,
>>>>some have one or the other and some have neither. Then are those who
>>>>really don't care, or for whom food is not really enjoyable, but just
>>>>a necessity. RFC is not the place we'll find too many of the latter.
>>>
>>>I agree some have neither time or money but more importantly space. You
>>>give me a 3' x 3' space and I can grow a heck of a lot of stuff with very
>>>little time or money but some just don't have the space. For those who
>>>do have even the smallest of space, I would recommend some type of garden
>>>even if it is a container garden. It will save money and provide a
>>>variety you just can't get in the stores. At the very least grow herbs
>>>on your window sills.
>>>
>>>>Boron
>>
>>
>> Boron, when I put herbs inside the house, I always get a lot of aphids.
>> Do you have any sugestion. I've tried a little soap/water spray, but
>> they continue.
>> Thanks,
>> Dee Dee
> Dee Dee, I hope you don't mind me answering. Most herbs are gloriously
> pest free but for those that do get aphids, I would suggest Safer's Soap
> Spray. I make a homemade version using a few drops of dishwashing
> detergent, a couple of drops of olive oil, and a litre (~quart) of water.
> Then just spray on the affected plant. It should kill off the critters
> without harming the plants. Good luck.

Thanks so much. I'll keep this recipe. Hmm -- olive oil - I'd think they
enjoy that!
My appreciation,
Dee Dee

~patches~ wrote:
>
> Thelma Lubkin wrote:
>
> > Dee Randall > wrote:
> >
> > : "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> > :> Green Beans. I used to like green beans. We grew them in our back yard
> > :> and
> > :> they were great. My mother would freeze the excess and we had enough
> > :> frozen
> > :> green beans to get us through the winter, and they were good even after
> > :> freezing. We buy beans from local vegetable stands in season, but even
> > :> those are not as good as the beans I remember from years gone by. And the
> > :> beans in the grocery store... forget it... they are crap.
> > :>
> > :>
> > : I agree -- Now I only buy the frozen baby (small) ones at Costco or BJ's. I
> > : bought some expensive fresh ones (baby, all packed up in straight little
> > : rows) and they were good the first time - bought them 3 times more and they
> > : were old and awful. So it's only frozen ones for me from now on. No matter
> > : how good fresh ones look at the market, I don't bother. Even at the chinese
> > : restaurants, their fresh green beans are tough and stringy and mostly
> > : tasteless anymore.
> >
> > A friend gave me a couple of pounds of purple beans
> > grown by his brother. These are the beans that are purple
> > when raw but lose the purple during cooking so that they look
> > like cooked green beans. I thought I was getting one of these
> > vegetables bred for its looks, which is usually a taste disaster,
> > but these proved to be the best 'green' beans I've had in years,
> > crisp, stringless, lively taste: my husband gobbled them up
> > as soon as I got them out of the wok, saving them from the
> > overcooking I've had to do to get him to eat green beans
> > in recent years
> > --thelma
> > : Dee Dee
> >
> >
> Thelma, I grow these kind of beans. They are called *Royal Burgundy*
> which is listed as a novelty bean by Stokes. It is a bush bean. IME,
> being a bush bean it is not as proliferic as the pole beans but they
> have a nice flavour and a built in timer. I use extras to make dilly beans.

There's another variety called 'Purple Peacock' which also grow purple
but cook up green.

_.-In rec.food.cooking, Wayne Boatwright wrote the following -._
> On Tue 06 Sep 2005 02:02:02p, Lisa Smith wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>> Hellmann's mayo just does not taste the same to me anymore. Used to be
>> delightfully eggy, salty and now it tastes a bit too sweet. It's still much
>> better than the abomination that is Miracle Whip. But it's just not the
>> same.
>>
>> Lisa aka Pagemaster
>
> I wonder if that's a regional thing? In the west we have Best Foods mayo,
> but the same company as Hellmann's. I don't notice any difference.

My mother told me that they are the same product. Hallmann's was on
the east cost they did fine but the PHB's thought that it sounded too
ethnic (Jewish) for sale on the west coast so they changed the name to
avoid that.

Personally I prefer either organic mayo or the McCormick's Mayonasa
(sp?) which is a mexican style mayo with a touch of lime. Goes really
good on chips (french fries).

--
.-')) fauxascii.com ('-. | It's a damn poor mind that
' ..- .:" ) ( ":. -.. ' | can only think of one way to
((,,_;'.;' UIN=66618055 ';. ';_,,)) | spell a word.
((_.YIM=Faux_Pseudo :._)) | - Andrew Jackson

_.-In rec.food.cooking, Bob wrote the following -._
> Corn: It doesn't taste like CORN anymore.

Corn chips. We should all get together and kill the guy who thought
that white corn chips that taste like flour was a good idea. It is
sad that when I get the craving for corn chips that I have to go out
of my way to find ones made of yellow corn and that most of the time
Fritos (salt licks) are the only national brand of yellow corn chips
still made.

--
.-')) fauxascii.com ('-. | It's a damn poor mind that
' ..- .:" ) ( ":. -.. ' | can only think of one way to
((,,_;'.;' UIN=66618055 ';. ';_,,)) | spell a word.
((_.YIM=Faux_Pseudo :._)) | - Andrew Jackson

~patches~ wrote:

> We do most of this with exception to roasting coffee. Access to green
> coffee beans is really limited here


Where's here? Anywhere with net access is right next door in terms of
green beans.

www.smithfarms.com
www.sweetmarias.com


jim

On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700,
> wrote:
> What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
> Here's the ones I know.

One thing that you have to remeber is that as we age our toungs loose
sensitivity. So food tends not to taste as good as time goes by.

--
Please excuse my spelling as I suffer from agraphia. See
http://dformosa.zeta.org.au/~dformosa/Spelling.html to find out more.
Free the Memes.

"David Formosa (aka ? the Platypus)" > wrote
in message . ..
> On 5 Sep 2005 02:03:15 -0700,
> > wrote:
>> What foods do you guys know of that aren't as good as they used to be?
>> Here's the ones I know.
>
> One thing that you have to remeber is that as we age our toungs loose
> sensitivity. So food tends not to taste as good as time goes by.
>

Sometime wishing that were true --
Dee Dee

notbob wrote:
> On 2005-09-06, djs0302 > wrote:
>
>> Campbell's chicken noodle soup:
>
>> Doritos, both the nacho and taco flavors:
>
> I no longer buy either of these products. Tha amount of salt they
> contain make them inedible, for me.
>
> nb

Not sure this qualifies as "food". I remember my mom used to pack one
Hostess Twinkie in my lunch (IIRC they came in single packets, not the
double-pack, back then). They tasted good! Then we left the U.S. for 2
years and when we came back Twinkie's weren't the same. There was a
decidedly chemical taste to them. I never looked at a Twinkie the same way
again and have never bought any.

Jill

On Wed 07 Sep 2005 11:21:58a, Bob Myers wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Faux_Pseudo" > wrote in message
> news:GGpTe.9706$dm.4800@lakeread03...
>> _.-In rec.food.cooking, Bob wrote the following -._
>> > Corn: It doesn't taste like CORN anymore.
>>
>> Corn chips. We should all get together and kill the guy who thought
>> that white corn chips that taste like flour was a good idea. It is
>> sad that when I get the craving for corn chips that I have to go out
>> of my way to find ones made of yellow corn and that most of the time
>> Fritos (salt licks) are the only national brand of yellow corn chips
>> still made.
>
> Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
> seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
> local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips,
> none of which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.
>
> Bob M.

Not sure where you live in the West, Bob, but here in the Phoenix area some
of our supermarkets have fresh made tortilla chips most of the day.
They're excellent.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

"Faux_Pseudo" > wrote in message
news:GGpTe.9706$dm.4800@lakeread03...
> _.-In rec.food.cooking, Bob wrote the following -._
> > Corn: It doesn't taste like CORN anymore.
>
> Corn chips. We should all get together and kill the guy who thought
> that white corn chips that taste like flour was a good idea. It is
> sad that when I get the craving for corn chips that I have to go out
> of my way to find ones made of yellow corn and that most of the time
> Fritos (salt licks) are the only national brand of yellow corn chips
> still made.

Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips,
none of which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.

Bob M.

Bob Myers wrote:

>
>
> Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
> seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
> local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips,
> none of which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.

Another food that doesn't taste as good as it used to is the Canadian
version of Grape Nuts. I used to love that cereal but then it went
downhill. A good friend of mine loves Grape Nuts and, according to him,
the Canadian recipe was changed. He makes a few trips into NY state each
year and stocks up on Grape Nuts. I made a few cross border shopping
trips and added that to my list, along with blue cheese and Franks Hot
Sauce.

One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:
> On Tue 06 Sep 2005 10:59:06a, S'mee [AKA Jani] wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
> > I wonder if that's less a cost cutting measure and more a response
> > to consumer requests? I don't miss having to get that tomato soup to
> > jiggle out of the can (or remove the other end).
>
> Admittedly, it comes out of the easily, but I honestly don't think it
> tastes the same as it did years ago. The WalMart brand reminds me of the
> way it used to taste.

Okay, now I just *have* to try it. :-)

> > Good point! I almost tried some store brand soup the other day, but
> > since it is to be an ingredient for a meal (Chicken Divan on Thursday
> > for my niece), I didn't want to take a chance. But there's no reason
> > I can't buy a can and try it as soup -- why didn't I think of that..?
> > ;-)
>
> I just used a can of the WalMart Cream of Chicken soup in a chicken-rice
> dish, and can tell you it's really just as good if not better. Chicken
> Divan? Haven't had that in years. Recipe please? Thanks!

No problem -- got this from my grandmother and the whole family
loves it:

Chicken Divan

2 whole chicken breasts, steamed
10-16 oz. chopped broccoli, blanched fresh, or frozen
1 can sliced water chestnuts
2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 C. mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. curry powder (optional)
8 oz. or more shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 C. dried bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350º F. Remove chicken from bone, cube and cover
bottom of glass 9" X 13" baking dish. Add broccoli and water
chestnuts, also in layers. In medium mixing bowl, combine soup,
mayonnaise, and seasonings. Spread evenly over chicken and veggies.
Cover evenly with cheddar, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake
for 30-35 minutes or until top is brown.

--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, VidGamer, novice cook, dieter ~

On Wed 07 Sep 2005 10:42:45p, S'mee in WA wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:
>> On Tue 06 Sep 2005 10:59:06a, S'mee [AKA Jani] wrote in
>> rec.food.cooking:
>>
>> > I wonder if that's less a cost cutting measure and more a response
>> > to consumer requests? I don't miss having to get that tomato soup to
>> > jiggle out of the can (or remove the other end).
>>
>> Admittedly, it comes out of the easily, but I honestly don't think it
>> tastes the same as it did years ago. The WalMart brand reminds me of
>> the way it used to taste.
>
> Okay, now I just *have* to try it. :-)
>
>> > Good point! I almost tried some store brand soup the other day, but
>> > since it is to be an ingredient for a meal (Chicken Divan on Thursday
>> > for my niece), I didn't want to take a chance. But there's no reason
>> > I can't buy a can and try it as soup -- why didn't I think of that..?
>> > ;-)
>>
>> I just used a can of the WalMart Cream of Chicken soup in a
>> chicken-rice dish, and can tell you it's really just as good if not
>> better. Chicken Divan? Haven't had that in years. Recipe please?
>> Thanks!
>
> No problem -- got this from my grandmother and the whole family
> loves it:
>
> Chicken Divan
>
> 2 whole chicken breasts, steamed
> 10-16 oz. chopped broccoli, blanched fresh, or frozen
> 1 can sliced water chestnuts
> 2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
> 1 C. mayonnaise
> 1 tsp. lemon juice
> 1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire
> Salt and pepper to taste
> 1/2 tsp. curry powder (optional)
> 8 oz. or more shredded cheddar cheese
> 1/3 C. dried bread crumbs
>
> Preheat oven to 350º F. Remove chicken from bone, cube and cover
> bottom of glass 9" X 13" baking dish. Add broccoli and water
> chestnuts, also in layers. In medium mixing bowl, combine soup,
> mayonnaise, and seasonings. Spread evenly over chicken and veggies.
> Cover evenly with cheddar, then sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake
> for 30-35 minutes or until top is brown.
>

Thank you, Jani! It looks delicious. Saved to use very soon!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:
> On Wed 07 Sep 2005 10:42:45p, S'mee in WA wrote in rec.food.cooking:
> > One time on Usenet, Wayne Boatwright > said:

> >> Chicken Divan? Haven't had that in years. Recipe please?
> >> Thanks!
> >
> > No problem -- got this from my grandmother and the whole family
> > loves it:

<snip>

> Thank you, Jani! It looks delicious. Saved to use very soon!

Great, let me know what you think... :-)

--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, VidGamer, novice cook, dieter ~

On Thu 08 Sep 2005 10:10:04a, Bob Myers wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> > Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
>> > seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
>> > local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips, none of
>> > which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.
>> >
>> > Bob M.
>>
>> Not sure where you live in the West, Bob, but here in the Phoenix area
>> some of our supermarkets have fresh made tortilla chips most of the
>> day. They're excellent.
>
> Same here (northern Colorado); picking up fresh-made
> corn or flour tortillas from local, family-run shops is
> a big plus, too!
>
> I tried once to get ingredients for a Tex-Mex meal I
> was TRYING to make for some friends I was staying
> with on the East Coast (Boston area). Pitiful....:-)

It wasn't that much better back in Ohio where I moved from.


--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four,
unless there are three other people.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...

> > Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
> > seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
> > local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips,
> > none of which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.
> >
> > Bob M.
>
> Not sure where you live in the West, Bob, but here in the Phoenix area
some
> of our supermarkets have fresh made tortilla chips most of the day.
> They're excellent.

Same here (northern Colorado); picking up fresh-made
corn or flour tortillas from local, family-run shops is
a big plus, too!

I tried once to get ingredients for a Tex-Mex meal I
was TRYING to make for some friends I was staying
with on the East Coast (Boston area). Pitiful....:-)

Bob M.

Bob Myers wrote:
> "Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>>>Another reason to live here in the West, I guess - we
>>>seem to have no shortage at all of good (although
>>>local, certainly!) brands of yellow-corn tortilla chips,
>>>none of which are anywhere near as salty as Fritos.
>>>
>>>Bob M.
>>
>>Not sure where you live in the West, Bob, but here in the Phoenix area
>
> some
>
>>of our supermarkets have fresh made tortilla chips most of the day.
>>They're excellent.
>
>
> Same here (northern Colorado); picking up fresh-made
> corn or flour tortillas from local, family-run shops is
> a big plus, too!
>
> I tried once to get ingredients for a Tex-Mex meal I
> was TRYING to make for some friends I was staying
> with on the East Coast (Boston area). Pitiful....:-)
>
> Bob M.
>
>

You should have seen Canadian customs when I was packing the fixings for
a dinner in Windsor, Ontario. Glad the guy did not want to try the hab
as he said jalapenos were way too hot.


jim

"They" are test marketing a *new* pork here in Maine it has a higher
fat content than the stuff that has been thown at as in recent years.
It isn't perfect but it is a hell of a lot better than what had been
available since the low fat fad kicked in. I don't know who's
producing it as it's sold under house labels.

Jessica

Jessica V. wrote:
> "They" are test marketing a *new* pork here in Maine it has a higher
> fat content than the stuff that has been thown at as in recent years.
> It isn't perfect but it is a hell of a lot better than what had been
> available since the low fat fad kicked in. I don't know who's
> producing it as it's sold under house labels.
>
> Jessica
>

For grins, next time you can, take a look a the Nutritional label and
let us know the differences in fat, sodium . . .


jim

sd wrote:
> In article >,
> (Alex Rast) wrote:
>
>> Grapes. No grapes today are worth even looking at. The invention of
>> seedless grapes is the worst violence ever inflicted upon an innocent
>> fruit. And they've shoved out of even local farmers' markets the
>> really good grapes. Everything you find are large, insipid waterbags.
>
> I've given up on grapes as merely packaged sugar water.
>
>> And
>> Washington is a big grape state - there's no excuse for that here,
>> as there might be for, say, Minnesota. The move to Zante grapes for
>> currants and to Thompson grapes for raisins has had disastrous
>> effects on the qualities of these baking staples.
>
> At the co-op the other day, I found some locally-grown grapes
> similar to Concords, called Hoeft grapes (IIRC). Small, seeded, but
> they actually taste like grapes. Let's see if they ever show up
> again.
>
>> Speaking of Minnesota - wild rice. There *are* sources, but you
>> generally have to mail order. Real *wild* rice is unobtainable not
>> only in supermarkets, but even in specialty stores. Paddy "wild"
>> rice is a completely different thing, so much worse than the real
>> deal that the still-high price you pay for it is a total ripoff. The
>> paddy stuff is invariably tough and tasteless.
>
> Fortunately for us Meeneesohtans, real wild rice (harvested by
> Indians) is available at the better grocery stores. You're right,
> though -- there is no comparison between the slender brown wild rice
> harvested by hand and the cheap fat black grains most usually sold
> as "wild rice."
>
> I hope Barb chimes in on this; IIRC she has a source for wild rice
> here in the Twin Cities metro area (?) that's supposed to be the
> real deal and not terribly expensive, and they ship by mail. I know
> she's posted about it before, but I can't find the note in my files.
>
> sd

She sent me some once - delicious! Gosh I wish I could remember the name of
it, Steve. I can picture the label in my mind but can't make out the words


Jill

Bob Myers wrote:

> I'm originally from Indiana, myself - which is a place I always
> refer to as "that state where 'chili' is a dish which MUST
> contain macaroni..." :-)


It's like "BBQ" in Wisconsin, for the Cheezeheads up there it consists of
Sloppy Joes, most often the sauce used comes straight out of the Manwich
can...

--
Best
Greg

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> >> Not sure where you live in the West, Bob, but here in the Phoenix area
> >> some of our supermarkets have fresh made tortilla chips most of the
> >> day. They're excellent.
> >
> > Same here (northern Colorado); picking up fresh-made
> > corn or flour tortillas from local, family-run shops is
> > a big plus, too!
> >
> > I tried once to get ingredients for a Tex-Mex meal I
> > was TRYING to make for some friends I was staying
> > with on the East Coast (Boston area). Pitiful....:-)
>
> It wasn't that much better back in Ohio where I moved from.

I'm originally from Indiana, myself - which is a place I always
refer to as "that state where 'chili' is a dish which MUST
contain macaroni..." :-)

Bob M.

On Fri 09 Sep 2005 11:13:56a, Gregory Morrow wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> Bob Myers wrote:
>
>> I'm originally from Indiana, myself - which is a place I always
>> refer to as "that state where 'chili' is a dish which MUST contain
>> macaroni..." :-)
>
>
> It's like "BBQ" in Wisconsin, for the Cheezeheads up there it consists of
> Sloppy Joes, most often the sauce used comes straight out of the Manwich
> can...
>

OMG! That's not BBQ?

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> > It's like "BBQ" in Wisconsin, for the Cheezeheads up there it consists
of
> > Sloppy Joes, most often the sauce used comes straight out of the Manwich
> > can...
> >
>
> OMG! That's not BBQ?

Sigh...the only cure for such abject ignorance is to haul thyself
immediately to Hot Springs, Arkansas (yes, the boyhood
home of our 42nd President), go to McClard's, and partake
of the Holy Sacraments...:-)

(There are probably somewhat lesser establishments which
might also fill the bill - no pun intended..:-) - but this appeared
to be a severe case...)

Bob M.

Banana popsicles seem watered down and lack the kick they had years ago.
They will still freeze your brain on a hot summer day,so it just may be that
nostalga ain't what it used to be. :-)

Hubert

at Thu, 08 Sep 2005 10:18:03 GMT in
>,
(sd) wrote :

>In article >,
> (Alex Rast) wrote:
>
>> Grapes. No grapes today are worth even looking at. ... Everything you
>> find are large, insipid waterbags.
>
>I've given up on grapes as merely packaged sugar water.
>

I wonder why it is, in fact, given that there seems to be some consensus
on this point, that grape growers don't wake up and start growing some
better-tasting (hopefully seeded) grapes again.

>> And
>> Washington is a big grape state - there's no excuse for that here, as
>> there might be for, say, Minnesota. The move to Zante grapes for
>> currants and to Thompson grapes for raisins has had disastrous effects
>> on the qualities of these baking staples.
>
>At the co-op the other day, I found some locally-grown grapes
>similar to Concords, called Hoeft grapes (IIRC). Small, seeded, but
>they actually taste like grapes. Let's see if they ever show up
>again.

Yeah, that's been my experience. Occasionally you get lucky (a few years
ago a local organic farmer brought in Cabernet Sauvignons - I bought as
many as I could afford, more or less cleaned him out in conjunction with
one other buyer) but the general picture is bleak. And such appearances
rarely get a repeat.

>> Speaking of Minnesota - wild rice. There *are* sources, but you
>> generally have to mail order.
>
>Fortunately for us Meeneesohtans, real wild rice (harvested by
>Indians) is available at the better grocery stores. You're right,
>though -- there is no comparison between the slender brown wild rice
>harvested by hand and the cheap fat black grains most usually sold
>as "wild rice."
>
>I hope Barb chimes in on this; IIRC she has a source for wild rice
>here in the Twin Cities metro area (?) that's supposed to be the
>real deal and not terribly expensive, and they ship by mail.

Yeah, as I said, by mail order you can get the real deal. I've ordered from
http://www.northernlakeswildrice.com and been pretty happy. I usually get a
5-lb bulk sack when the harvest comes out and this lasts me through the
year. But as far as getting it in local supermarkets, not a chance, and I
think without the awareness that there is a better option, most people
don't even realise what they're missing, which further reduces the demand
and hence availability of the better real wild rice.


--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex Rast wrote:
> (sd) wrote :
> > (Alex Rast) wrote:
> >
> >> Grapes. No grapes today are worth even looking at. ... Everything you
> >> find are large, insipid waterbags.
> >
> >I've given up on grapes as merely packaged sugar water.
>
> I wonder why it is, in fact, given that there seems to be some consensus
> on this point, that grape growers don't wake up and start growing some
> better-tasting (hopefully seeded) grapes again.

I find quite a varied selection but one needs to remember that grapes
have a rather short window of opportunity, especially the less common
varieties, most have but one picking, some two at the most.... I tend
to buy more than I really want because I know that when I return two
weeks later most of the varieties will no longer be available The rest
of the year only imports are available so generally you'll find just
those that ship well... the more interesting grapes are usually more
fragile. And once picked grapes don't ripen further, they begin to
rot/ferment. For years I grew my own grapes. They would all ripen
within a week and had to be harvested immediately, before they'd begin
to rot and/or the birds got them. Then after I harvested them what was
I to do with a couple hundred pounds, couldn't even give them away...
within a week of harvest they would begin detaching from their stems, a
few days more and they'd go into the composter.

Geeze but some folks are so used to instant gratification that they
think everything they desire should always be within arms reach.


Sheldon