# Foods that were "improved" where you prefer the old version **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402 "2011-05-10T15:59:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/81 "2011-05-17T17:13:50Z")
Everything that uses oil tastes like chemical wang now. I don’t know who to blame, the transfat nazis, the rapeseed lobby or just the usual buzzkill capitalist pigs, but everything from tortilla chips to french fries now tastes like something you clean house with. Look, assholes, I’ll pay more, I’ll sign a waiver, whatever, just give me the real stuff! ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/82 "2011-05-17T17:53:08Z")
When frozen yogurt first appeared in the late 70’s, it had a wonderful, strong yogurt tartness and was usually paired with a berry flavor that would be strong enough to match that tartness. I remember “Danny” boysenberry as an absolute explosion of flavor in your mouth. Then they started marketing frozen yogurt as a “healthier” alternative to ice cream, and in the process added enough sugar/corn syrup to cover the tartness and toned down the added flavorings to the level of typical ice cream flavors. So it went from being a distinctive frozen treat to just another set of boxes in the grocery ice cream section. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/83 "2011-05-17T18:18:57Z")
Yeah, most yogurt is just pudding. The greek yogurt or the stuff I get at the farmers’ market just blows the others away. (I’m talking about fresh, not frozen, but same difference). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/84 "2011-05-17T23:03:05Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I don’t know if this qualifies as it’s not advertised as “improved”, but what the hell happened to Chili’s chili? I used to be able to make a meal out of a bowl and some curly fries. Now it’s basically tomato soup and the curlies are long gone. Chili’s used to have curly fries? How long ago was this? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/85 "2011-05-18T14:34:49Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Chili’s used to have curly fries? How long ago was this? Yikes, I’m probably going back twelve years or so. The chili only started to suck about two years ago, though. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/86 "2011-05-19T00:30:54Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Wheatables crackers back in the late 1980s were great. Very, very yummy. But then they messed with the recipe and made 'em awful. Dunno if they’re even sold anymore. Yes, “Wheatbles” are still in the supermarket, but I don’t know why they bother. We lived on those things in college. So good. Now so bland and ordinary and pointless. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/87 "2011-05-19T03:33:59Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > For fries, McDonald’s are still good, but they lost something when they went from using beef tallow to vegan. > > Adding to the list, Sara Lee Butter Strusel Coffee Cake. Used to be flaky and tender and delicious but is now just blah Just for the record, so as not to confuse anyone, McDonald’s fries are still NOT vegetarian. Beef flavor is added in the initial process at the plant, before being frozen and shipped. Not that it makes much difference in flavor (compared to the old) since they still use vegetable oil for final frying. But just so vegetarians know, they’re still not edible for us, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![pompeybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8c91f0/32.png) [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/88 "2011-05-19T04:28:41Z")
Cheerios were made crunchier back in the early nineties I think. Now I just buy generic. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/89 "2011-05-19T13:08:54Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Yes, “Wheatbles” are still in the supermarket, but I don’t know why they bother. > > We lived on those things in college. So good. Now so bland and ordinary and pointless. Another one here who misses the old Wheatables (not that old…I mean, they were like that until the late 90’s/early 2000’s.) But they decided to jump on that God-damn honey wheat bang wagon and never went back. The old ones were so good! Salty, herby, and savory…the new ones are shit. If I want a honey wheat thing, and sometimes I do, I get the Rold Gold honey wheat pretzel sticks…just bring back the classic Wheatables! Hell, they can just make them a variety and keep the honey wheat ones someone executive has a hard-on for. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/90 "2011-05-19T13:33:41Z")
I like whole wheat pasta. Not the product, but the package: Cherry Coke Zero bottles have been redesigned so that they no longer fit in the inside door of my refrigerator. Pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/91 "2011-05-19T16:23:52Z")
I may be in the minority, but I always liked that watermelon had seeds. Improved the look, and it was actually fun to go around spitting them out. The seedless ones just have those pasty white bits that remind me of just how anemic and bland the rest of the fruit is. If I had more space, I’d like to find some old varieties and grow my own. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/92 "2011-05-19T21:56:42Z")
Curly fries! I like regular old straight fries. Curly fries are “spicy” - ugh. Arby’s stopped selling Homestyle fries completely, and only offer curly fries or potato cakes. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/93 "2011-05-20T00:51:14Z")
> [@cpastu](#): > > Cheerios were made crunchier back in the early nineties I think. Now I just buy generic. I think Cheerios are one of those cereals that became a victim to the annoying “whole grain” trend. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/94 "2011-05-20T02:29:58Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > Strawberries (or any produce) aren’t grown for flavor, they are grown for shipping. Exactly this. If it’s not from a local farm, I mainly just don’t bother with fresh fruit, because nothing has any flavor any more. Strawberries and tomatoes are the most egregious examples. Just mushy red nothingness. Ew. I don’t bother with that sort of thing often, because I bake at home as often as I can, but I wouldn’t mind an old-style Hostess fruit pie. They’re smaller, they’ve got less filling, the filling has less fruit, they changed the glaze and most egregiously, they’ve changed the best part, which was the corners, they’re folded differently. It’s a completely different snack. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/95 "2011-05-20T02:59:25Z")
traditional steak and kydney pie is steamed for 3 hours with the ingredients inside raw. now they usually slow cook the meat in a pot, add to a pie dish with crust, and bake. steaming makes a superior gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402/96 "2011-05-20T04:20:46Z")
Schlitz [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-were-improved-where-you-prefer-the-old-version/581402.md?page=4)