At least one rich dude in Florida in the 1970s hired some guys to bootleg a truckload of Coors from west of the Mississippi to Florida. 
A long time ago, like back around 1990, I used to think Michelob was premium beer. :smack:
I used to think Starbucks was premium coffee, too. :smack::smack:
I’m reasonably certain that documents from the time indicate that the beer was in Texarkana and that the gentlemen in question were thirsty in Atlanta. Additionally, that beer was a long way away and there was time pressure to deliver.
Cheese that wasn’t American, Cheddar or Swiss was something only snooty rich people ate, especially spreadable cheese. Now it is pretty common to find dozens of options in any Market.
Well, there was Provolone, Parmesan, etc, on pizza and what-not.
Hummus. In the '90s it was something we got once a year, as a New Year’s Eve treat. Now it’s basically peanut butter for yuppies.
Oh yeah… I remember coming back from the grandparents in Iowa with Dad’s trunk half filled with Coors. Now whenever I get to Ohio I toss a few cases of Yeungling in the trunk.
From what I recall, they were also gonna do what they say can’t be done.
They’ve got a long way to go, and a short time to get there.
My example is Fat Tire. When I started college it was an incredible special treat. When I turned 21 I met my parents in Vegas where they had it on draft. It was terrible compared to what I was used to. When I went back to Golden I asked some questions and they had just been picked up by Coors distributing. Now that they are so wide spread all of it tastes like that beer in Vegas.
The tour is highly recommended if you find yourself in Shiner, Texas. They are absurdly proud of that beer, and get indignant when you point out that adding corn to beer isn’t a sign of quality. The copper brew kettles are gorgeous though.
God, Shiner was such a fucking disappointment when I moved to this state in 1999. I’d heard so much about it in CA, how it was this mythical beer you could only find in Texas, and it was so rich and tasty. Bought a six pack at our first stop in El Paso (in July), and eagerly iced it in the motel sink. Opened it, and the disappointment just filled the room after the first taste.
Now, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout in the hotel after finding it at Sam’s (and getting scared shitless by the cab driving by Cabrini Green to get there)…that lived up to the hype.
When I was a child in the 60s in England, on special occasions we would have an appetizer of… a glass of orange juice. Luxury.
Pretty much anything that’s regional and mass-market is going to work that way. I mean, I think Yuengling is decent, but hardly the nectar-of-the-gods that some make it out to be, and In-n-Out is also decent, but not that awesome. Certainly not any better than Whataburger. And I’m sure people from PA are underwhelmed by Shiner beers, and Californians are underwhelmed by Whataburger.
A whole lot of the phenomenon is pretty much summed up in being a marginally better local alternative to the big national chains, which was a bigger deal when distribution wasn’t so widespread and chains were more local. Yuengling and Shiner Bock are better than Bud or Miller products, just like In-N-Out and Whataburger are both superior to McDonalds’ and Burger King. But none of them are objectively crazy good, and nor have they ever really been.
As far as the OP’s concerned, ISTR that there were a lot of fruits back in the day that were seasonal and even then, not terribly common. Stuff like coconuts showed up a time or two a year for a few weeks. Grapes were available in a defined period of time, as were most berries. Only apples, oranges and bananas were commonly available.
Pizza Hut was the fancy pizza growing up.
With PH, it felt like the parents were putting out *real *money for pizza tonight, so you better appreciate it, son.
One of the songs in Pinnochio describes the high life as “dine on chicken and caviar”. And there’s a dish called “city chicken”, made of veal in a way that’s supposed to vaguely mimic chicken. Caviar is still a prestige product, but chicken is now the cheapest of meats, far cheaper than “city chicken”.
Remember when sushi was considered an exotic delicacy, like 20-30 years ago? About the same time, you started to occasionally see fresh salsa in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. I am so grateful to live in this modern era!
Asgodismywitness, when I was a Kid in the Los Angeles area, you’d send your out of state friends in NY or Canada etc, boxes of oranges as a special Xmas present. It was called “Mission Pak’ and had a cool jingle: "Say the Magic words, say Mission Pak and it’s on its merry way! No gift so bright, so gay, so right, give the Mission Pak magic way!”
and people loved to get it. Yes, a freaken box of oranges.
When I was a tiny kid, I think we lived in a test market area for Pringles. Wow, we thought they were the best thing since… ANYTHING! Potato chips in a can! :eek:
Then we moved west. Didn’t see them for years. Pretty crappy and no big deal now.
Oh, yeah. Back in the 70s, all the yachtsmen were drinking it. Here’s to good friends, tonight is kind of special.
Fat Tire has always been crap. Just sayin’. 