# Jetson's Dial-a-Meal **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** cartoons-animation\ **Created:** [July 30, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663 "2021-07-30T19:34:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/1 "2021-07-30T19:34:17Z")
No, Discourse, not dial-up settings. I’m writing a chapter about the history of food pills and I have to include _The Jetsons_. It’s a moment’s work to find the [Dial-A-Meal](https://thejetsons.fandom.com/wiki/Dial-a-Meal), which apparently spit out burnt toast pills. Weirdly, every other gadget mentioned on the Jetsons fandom wiki lists what episode it appears in except this one. And I can’t find anything through Google. So I’m throwing out an appeal to the collected groupmind. What episode is the Dial-A-Meal in? Or was it from the 80s revival? Or the _Jetsons_ movie? As George says, Heeeeeeeeeeellllllllllppppppppppp! ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/2 "2021-07-31T07:15:29Z")
The episode is called “Test Pilot.” It’s season one, either episode 14 or 15. Wikipedia says it’s episode 14, the fandom Jetsons wiki says it’s episode 15. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/3 "2021-07-31T12:04:05Z")
I always remembered the name as [‘Foodarackacycle’](https://thejetsons.fandom.com/wiki/Foodarackacycle). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/4 "2021-07-31T16:02:22Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > The episode is called “Test Pilot.” It’s season one, either episode 14 or 15. Wikipedia says it’s episode 14, the fandom Jetsons wiki says it’s episode 15. That may be it. I found a reference to episode 15, no name. I have the Jetsons Season 1 DVD and in that episode 15 is Millionaire Astro, which doesn’t have a Dial-A-Meal. I’ll watch Test Pilot today. > [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I always remembered the name as [‘Foodarackacycle’](https://thejetsons.fandom.com/wiki/Foodarackacycle) The program made almost a fetish of ignoring continuity if the writers could come up with a new gag. I don’t think we ever see a four-person car outside of the opening credits. George usually flies a single seat car unless he needs a passenger seat, in which case the car somehow knows that when he drops into it. (He can drop directly into the car but has to take an elevator up.) The Foodarackacycle (fandom spelling) or Food-a-Rac-a-Cycle was in the first two episodes. After those food was in several more from other gadgets, including a Dial-A-Meal. Oddly, I don’t think they ever showed a telephone with that old-fashioned dial ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/5 "2021-07-31T23:26:59Z")
Yes, it was “Test Pilot.” Right at the beginning, too, so I didn’t have to watch the whole thing. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/6 "2021-07-31T23:43:45Z")
Now that that is settled : for your project have you got the Leacock short story about a food pill? > **[The New Food](https://americanliterature.com/author/stephen-leacock/short-story/the-new-food)** > > The New Food by Stephen Leacock ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/7 "2021-08-01T01:32:37Z")
As the guy who runs the Flying Cars and Food Pills website, the answer is [yes](https://www.flyingcarsandfoodpills.com/the-new-food). ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/8 "2021-08-01T01:48:04Z")
Marvellous! I’m going to be poking around for a bit. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/9 "2021-08-01T15:07:44Z")
That’s a whole lot of good stuff. I saw no mention of Moller, who I thought was an influential conman, but had pretty cool looking prototypes. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/10 "2021-08-01T17:04:43Z")
Moller’s too recent for me. I stop the history of the future with _The Jetsons_. Everything after that is too knowing and ironic to be fun. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/11 "2021-08-01T19:07:04Z")
Note that dehydrated space “food pills” were already developed for Project Mercury before the Jetsons—see the photo on page 12 of the following PDF > **[143163main\_Space.Food.and.Nutrition.pdf](https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/143163main_Space.Food.and.Nutrition.pdf)** > > 2.24 MB ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/12 "2021-08-01T20:00:38Z")
Concentrated or compressed foods for explorers had been around for at least a half century by then, almost a century if you include some of the less successful stabs made in the 1800s. The military had a long history of experimenting on soldiers. The space program had the advantage of freeze-drying, which itself had been around for half a century but only recently had been successfully applied to foods. Instant coffee had a similar history, being invented in the 19th century but not really taking off until 1964 when a pure freeze-dried instant coffee was put on the market. Everything is older than you think it is, I’ve found. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/13 "2021-08-01T22:08:32Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Concentrated or compressed foods for explorers had been around for at least a half century by then Lots longer. > **[Pemmican](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican)** > > Pemmican (also pemican in older sources) is a mixture of tallow, dried meat, and sometimes dried berries. A calorie-rich food, it can be used as a key component in prepared meals or eaten raw. Historically, it was an important part of indigenous cuisine in certain parts of North America and it is still prepared today. The word comes from the Cree word ᐱᒦᐦᑳᓐ (pimîhkân), which is derived from the word ᐱᒥᕀ (pimî), "fat, grease". The Lakota (or Sioux) word is wasná, originally meaning Pemmican was w... > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The space program had the advantage of freeze-drying, which itself had been around for half a century Lots longer. > **[Chuño](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu%C3%B1o)** > > Chuño (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Spanish pronunciation: \[ˈtʃuɲo\]) is a freeze-dried potato product traditionally made by Quechua and Aymara communities of Bolivia and Peru, and is known in various countries of South America, including Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Northwest Argentina. It is a five-day process, obtained by exposin Th... > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Everything is older than you think it is, I’ve found. Very often true! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/14 "2021-08-01T22:20:40Z")
Gelatin-coated pills also date from the early 19th century, if not earlier, but I wonder if anyone used them on food before those Mercury pills, or since. Historically, non-perishable rations have been bad enough as is. Incidentally, the other day I tried some brand of energy bar which turned out to be so dry that it was nearly impossible to choke down without chugging copious amounts of water. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2021, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jetsons-dial-a-meal/947663/15 "2021-08-01T22:32:15Z")
As far as I could search, cheese is the oldest documented food designed by humans to last beyond its normal expiration date. I don’t doubt that pemmican or jerky may be older but I couldn’t find proof of that. Cheese is dated to 8000 BCE so if you have an archaeological cite of something earlier, please pass it on. As for freeze-drying, I meant as a commercial process.