Chili mac is flavored with a Southwestern seasoning palette, sometimes with additions of, e.g., cinnamon and cloves. American goulash has an Italian palette, if anything at all.
One variant of chili mac is Cincinnatti chili:
Scroll down about half way.
My grandma used to take me to the A&P and I would pick out a packet of cold cuts, the bologna with pickle bits, or olives, or cheese bits. White bread and mayo, sweet pickles on the side, what could be better? (that doesn’t sound so bad even now). Every night I had a cup of black tea with sugar and evaporated milk - loved that taste in my tea. When I was old enough to use the stove, my go-to was pasta with butter, parmesan cheese out of the green can, and just a little ketchup to turn it pink…I’m getting hungry now…
Somebody needs to open a “Middle America Comfort Food” cafe that serves only this stuff.
And Sloppy Joe’s. That’s what I’ve been craving (as I eat my wife’s quinoa ‘n’ kale salad).
(“Middle America Comfort Food: The food that comforted American middles”)
Banquet chicken pot pies
Cheez Whiz sandwiches
Catsup sandwiches
Potato chip sandwiches
Fried baloney
Creamed dried beef on toast
I would eat sandwiches that were just a half dozen slices of american cheese with mustard. Basically uncooked grilled cheeses with mustard.
I loved really, really, really fresh, soft white bread with a generous slathering of mayo. For a short, glorious period of time, that was my favorite after-school snack.
One that I still like today, altho I haven’t had it in ages - white bread with cream cheese and salted peanuts. Sheer bliss!!
Vanilla ice cream with Ovaltine liberally sprinkled on the top, allowed to melt until it was soft-servy. Probably my favorite dessert ever.
I just remembered a treat from my youth that I’d like to try today. Chef Boyardee ravioli cooked with a slice of cheese thrown in. Then, when eating, remove the bottom layer off all the raviolis and eat with a bit of cheesy sauce. Scrap the pseudo meat out of the top part, eat the pasta with some cheesy sauce. Then, the grand finale-- mix the meat with the cheesy sauce- enjoy!
Space Sticks were the best!
Those and fish sticks are the only things in this thread that I have (or would) try. You people at some gross stuff as kids!
I do remember eating uncooked spaghetti. Not by the plateful or anything, just nibbling on a few of them. I also used to put salt on cantaloupe.
Not sure if it’s unusual but I could eat black olives by the can. Of course, said olives had to be placed on my finger tips 
I’ve done that, but only a few times.
As a kid I liked frozen hot dogs.
I still do this - love the sweet-n-salty together.
After school snack…a shredded wheat biscuit, topped with a slice of cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese melted and turned dark, dark brown.
When I was really little, I liked potato chip sandwiches. Squish the soft white bread until the potato chips crackle. I’m horrified at the thought of the soft white bread now, as well as the potato chips, but part of me wants to try it again.
My dad did all the shopping and virtually all the cooking. Once in a while we’d have a real treat for dinner: hot roast beef sandwiches. The roast beef and gravy was Gaucho brand and came in a big plastic bucket.
One school I went to had stuffed crust pizza where the part of the pizza that connected the pizza to the crust was uncooked dough. For me that was heavenly.
Oreo and Nesquick cereals.
Those little jello cup things with a small piece of fruit in the middle. No, not jello shooters.
Chicken fried steak w/white gravy and pepper.
Pizza dipped in Papa John’s Garlic Sauce.
Junket! I used to looove Junket, a rennet-based powder that you add to milk to make a fromage frais like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry treat.
My sister found some in a store last year, haven’t been able to bring myself to actually make it again!
Sing along!
Junket!
Rennet!
Custard!
The GROWING UP DESSERT!
I don’t remember that at all, but I grew up in Canada in the 70s. When/where was that jingle used?
We always got Junket when we were sick, no other time. And 7-Up.
I was 7 when the first TV dinners came out, back in the early '50s. My mom would never buy such a thing, so I bought one, let it defrost, and ate it raw.
Junket is hard to find, but when my daughter was young I searched some out, made a beautiful pure white pudding in little dishes, with an apricot half in the center of each: behold, ‘fried eggs’!
