# The world is racing to ruin! (disappointing foods you've encountered)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-racing-to-ruin-disappointing-foods-youve-encountered/1027229>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** food-cooking\
**Created:** [January 31, 2026, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-racing-to-ruin-disappointing-foods-youve-encountered/1027229 "2026-01-31T15:54:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 6

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-racing-to-ruin-disappointing-foods-youve-encountered/1027229/6 "2026-02-01T14:00:43Z")

</div>

> [@bump](#):
>
> but my childhood memories of it were that it was exceptionally intense and delicious, but nothing I’ve had since has come close to measuring up.

ISTM that this has nothing to do with cookery and everything to do with rose-colored memories. And the novelty of kidliness. Everything is super tasty (or super awful) and super exciting when you’re age e.g. 7.

I can conjur up memories of party food from my childhood that was pure ambrosia. I bet Duncan Hines isn’t really much different now than then. It was my perceptions, and 60 years of savoring and renewing the memory, that make its _then_ so exquisite _now_.

  

> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> JFC, people, it should theoretically be possible to can a decent clam chowder. If it costs twice as much or three times as much, fine, at least make a decent soup.

You absolutely can get decent canned clam chowder. But buying it from Campbell’s was a doomed effort. After all:

> [@Campbell's exec: our soup is shit for poor people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/campbells-exec-our-soup-is-shit-for-poor-people/1025131):
>
> I always appreciate truth in advertising. Other bigwigs at Campbell’s might not agree. As part of a wrongful termination suit, a former employee has produced recordings of his boss, a VP of information technology, sharing this wisdom along with statements like "it’s not healthy now that I know what the fuck’s in it … bioengineered meat. I don’t wanna eat a piece of chicken that came from a 3D printer.” And for good measure, he threw in some racism about “fucking Indians” too. He sounds like a …

😁

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-racing-to-ruin-disappointing-foods-youve-encountered/1027229)._