# Foods that nobody buys, even in a pandemic. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 24, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187 "2020-03-24T16:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/21 "2020-03-24T18:55:58Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Okra is nasty stuff. I’d leave it behind too. Acey! And you claim to be a loyal Arkansas guy. I freeze my own okra. I have a bunch in the freezer. We love it. I like broccoli not the mushy frozen stuff though. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/22 "2020-03-24T18:58:50Z")
All the rice, brown rice, and rice-a-roni was gone. Weird grains were still there. The first time we went they were out of frozen peas. Who the hell is ever out of frozen peas? They had plenty of cream cheese, which showed me yet again I don’t live in New York any more. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/23 "2020-03-24T18:59:17Z")
My grocery store is completely stocked, apart from, you guessed it, toilet paper. Well, the paper towels were also kinda low, but zero toilet paper. This after, what 10 days? Unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/24 "2020-03-24T19:22:13Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > 99% of the canned soup was gone. Except onion soup. Which is awesome for cooking. Snatched 4 cans up. In my town, it is cream of mushroom that nobody is hoarding. Looking back, my mother would often use it as a flavoring in other recipes, but she never actually used it as soup. Over in the dry goods, 99% of the soap is gone. But nobody seems to be buying Dove. Personally, I prefer Ivory, but can anybody explain why Dove would be unpopular? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/25 "2020-03-24T19:47:35Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Over in the dry goods, 99% of the soap is gone. But nobody seems to be buying Dove. Personally, I prefer Ivory, but can anybody explain why Dove would be unpopular? Dove has advertised for years that it’s 1/4 moisturizing cream. People probably prefer 100% soap, fearing the cream would cut effectiveness. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/26 "2020-03-24T19:59:56Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Over in the dry goods, 99% of the soap is gone. But nobody seems to be buying Dove. Personally, I prefer Ivory, but can anybody explain why Dove would be unpopular? At my local Target, the shelf of liquid hand soap was pretty sparse, but the bar soap looked to be fully stocked. I wonder if people view bar soap as unsanitary, and think they can get the virus by touching a bar of soap someone else had touched. I actually prefer Olay or Dove. The regular non-moisturizing soaps like Ivory and especially Dial seem to make me incredibly itchy. ETA: I wonder if it’s just that Dove is more expensive, and therefore the last to sell out. Over in canned goods the store brand and mainstream name brand canned tomatoes were gone, but there were some expensive organic tomatoes left. In the meat case there was lots of filet mignon left. Maybe it’s the same with the Dove soap (I usually get Olay precisely because it’s cheaper). ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/27 "2020-03-24T20:17:44Z")
I saw a picture three weeks ago showing UK shelves empty except for the vegan food, three days later I went to Whole Foods in Cambridge, MA which had a 30 minute line for the cash register and fairly well stocked shelves, except for the empty vegan food section. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/28 "2020-03-24T20:48:37Z")
The meat cases at our store are scarily near bare. One exception: the small section of veggie “meats”. Completely stocked. In the frozen veggie section, the main item that’s sitting there all by itself in the middle is spinach. At the top and the bottom are the usual things that don’t sell well like frozen corn on the cob and okra\*. It’s the middle shelves that should have the more popular stuff. I guess spinach doesn’t belong there. - Yes, this is okra country, supposedly. But it’s definitely not selling. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/29 "2020-03-24T21:36:10Z")
I posted in another thread that I was the only person buying any gefilte fish the last time I went shopping. But that was a few weeks ago, and it’s possible that’s changed now. It helps that I’m not in a Jewish area. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/30 "2020-03-24T21:48:32Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > All the rice, brown rice, and rice-a-roni was gone. Weird grains were still there. However, Minute Rice was still on the shelves. Of course, our stores have no toilet paper or paper towels. There are plenty of napkins available, however. ---
**Author:** ![Garak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d78d45/32.png) [@Garak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garak)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/31 "2020-03-24T22:29:34Z")
all the Bush’s baked beans were gone except onion flavor ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/32 "2020-03-24T22:39:05Z")
Mentioned this in another thread. When I went to Kroger last Friday the canned vegetable aisle was mostly depleted except for many cans of artichoke hearts. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/33 "2020-03-24T22:44:46Z")
Last time I was out of the house for shopping, all the bread loaves were like dust in the wind … but the gluten-free remained. Nobody wants to eat that shit unless you really HAVE to. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/34 "2020-03-24T22:51:57Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > First time I went out I went to grab some frozen vegetables. Only option left was frozen broccoli. Why is it the black sheep of the frozen vegetable world? I don’t know, but I bought some for the first time in my life. I use a fair amount of of frozen broccoli for a lazy stir-fry\*\*\*. One of my go to too-damn-tired-to-stand but still want to be healthy days. Throw some rice in the cooker, or maybe even have some in the fridge. Then put some frozen broccoli, green beans or snap peas, and onion pepper mix in a microwave steamer when it is done dump it on the rice, and pour several Asian liquids over for a sauce, if I haven’t already made some stir-fry sauce and stored it in the fridge. \*\*\* Obviously there is no stir-frying, but if you say you’re “having a steam” it sounds like a Scandinavian leisure activity, rather than a food. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/35 "2020-03-24T23:06:14Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > In my town, it is cream of mushroom that nobody is hoarding. > > Looking back, my mother would often use it as a flavoring in other recipes, but she never actually used it as soup. I find this amusing because in the upper Midwest (Wisconsin/Minnesota area), it’s the basis of pretty much every other casserole (aka “hot dish.”) Also known as “Lutheran glue” in some circles (Googling that term only reveals a small handful of hits, oddly.) ETA: Looks like “Lutheran binder” is the more usual expression, according to Google and Wikipedia. I’ve heard it referred to as “Lutheran glue.” ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/36 "2020-03-24T23:28:01Z")
Aside from what hasalready been mentioned I noticed my local Wal-Mart had almost all of its canned meat sold out—except for canned sardines. I guess they are not popular. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/37 "2020-03-24T23:45:30Z")
Frozen okra is perfectly fine as a base for gumbo. I always use fresh okra, but I would get frozen if it were all that was available. It disintegrates into the soup, so why not? Pickled okra is also scrumptious. Why all the okra hate? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/38 "2020-03-25T00:01:40Z")
Yeah, I have no idea how to cook any okra-related dishes (my family’s from northern Appalachia), but the dishes I’ve had cooked by others, I’ve liked. If I didn’t have an overabundance of leftovers that need to be used up, and had to buy provisions and that was all that was available, I’d look up some recipes. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/39 "2020-03-25T01:17:29Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Why all the okra hate? For many it’s not the flavor, it’s the texture. Okra and tomatoes has all the appeal of a dish of bloody mucus, and fried okra is just fried boogers. (I could eat the stuff if I had to, but as long as I’m not socially obligated, I’ll pass. In a soup or stew, it’s OK.) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187/40 "2020-03-25T01:26:22Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > The only available sour cream at the two supermarkets I went to was… Tofutti Milk Free Sour Cream, which was in abundance. > > I guess people would rather die than eat that stuff. Tofutti rocks; I prefer it to sour cream. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187.md?page=3)