# Things your family ate that aren't common? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2014, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777 "2014-04-10T03:58:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/121 "2014-04-14T15:34:02Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My mother made “sludge.” Pour a can of soup into a pan, add a half can of water, heat till boiling, then add instant mashed potato flakes until it looks sludgey. > > I still make, eat, and love it. What kind of soup? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/122 "2014-04-14T15:44:19Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > One of the things some people in the family eat, not me, is a pancake with a fried egg on top, then topped with sausage gravy, which doesn’t look too bad but then they add syrup to it. My family eats sausage gravy on biscuits, but then sprinkles ketchup on top. It’s surprisingly good, rather tangy. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/123 "2014-04-14T16:06:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My ex-wife’s family was of Polish/Bohemian descent. Her father made that stuff in their basement and gave me some to try, complete with vinegar. I nearly hurled. He called it what sounded like “szoltza”, but that’s not the correct spelling. We called it _galareta_ or _galaretka_ (the former is I believe only used for the savory aspic varieties, but the latter can be sweet or savory gelatins.) It’s interesting, as anybody who hasn’t grown up with it thinks it’s the most disgusting thing ever, while to me it seems rather innocuous and bland. I guess it’s that whole “meat jello” thing that throws people off. 🙂 _Sulc_ “SOOLTS” (related to German sulze/sulz/sülze, the first one pronounced something like “SOOLTS-uh”) is one of the Czech names for aspic, so maybe it’s some variation of that word you’re thinking of. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/124 "2014-04-14T16:15:29Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Growing up, my family ate fried chicken gizzards. You could buy them by the pound in the market. No bones and they were probably cheap. And they were delicious! Do they still sell them? > What uncommon foods did you eat while growing up? May I suggest a road trip to Potterville, MI (SW of Lansing) for the annual [Gizzard Fest](http://www.gizzardfest.com/gizzardfest.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/125 "2014-04-14T17:35:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > We called it _galareta_ or _galaretka_ (the former is I believe only used for the savory aspic varieties, but the latter can be sweet or savory gelatins.) It’s interesting, as anybody who hasn’t grown up with it thinks it’s the most disgusting thing ever, while to me it seems rather innocuous and bland. I guess it’s that whole “meat jello” thing that throws people off. 🙂 > > _Sulc_ “SOOLTS” (related to German sulze/sulz/sülze, the first one pronounced something like “SOOLTS-uh”) is one of the Czech names for aspic, so maybe it’s some variation of that word you’re thinking of. Well, one of the parents was of Bohemian ancestry, so that fits. Oh, and my mother called her ragout just like it’s spelled: rag out. Yummm. . .try feeding a ten year old something called rag-out and see how far you get. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/126 "2014-04-14T17:39:35Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > My mother used to make the following sandwich: > Mashed bananas, peanut butter, mayonnaise and crispy bacon layered between slices of white bread. Replace the bacon with a slice of american cheese and I ate this all the time as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/127 "2014-04-14T20:44:56Z")
I’ve mentioned before that I loved PB and mayo sandwiches as a kid, and will still occasionally make myself one. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/128 "2014-04-15T13:43:02Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > What kind of soup? Absolutely any kind you want. I’ve yet to find one type that doesn’t taste good. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/129 "2014-04-15T16:20:01Z")
Thought of another- ham salad sandwiches. There was no ham in them- mom would grind a package of bologna along with a bunch of Ritz-type crackers for filler. Sweet pickle relish, Miracle Whip, and yellow mustard stirred in would moisten it up. I asked why we didn’t use ham in it. Dad said bologna tasted better. I’m guessing it was because bologna was cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/130 "2014-04-15T17:25:40Z")
> [@Harg\_Fargusen](#): > > Braunschweiger, sardines on saltines, **morel mushrooms** (when in season) and persimmon pie (also when in season). Morels grew in the woods at the nudist camp we spent summers at when I was a kid. Ate them sliced, fried in butter and mixed in with scrambled eggs. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/131 "2014-04-15T18:03:12Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ve mentioned before that I loved PB and mayo sandwiches as a kid, and will still occasionally make myself one. My dad and I loved PB and mayo sandwiches. My mom and brother thought we were crazy. Daddy and I also ate pickled pig’s feet, creamed herring, and fried Span sandwiches (not all together). Odd thing about our family: My dad grew up in an orphanage where potatoes were cheap and served at every meal. As a result of this “overdose” of potatoes, we rarely ever had potatoes when I was kid and then it was only the new baby red potatoes. First time I had a baked potato was in a restaurant in my late teens. I’m still not much of a potato eater. Loved cinnamon toast! We even kept a big shaker of pre-mixed sugar and cinnamon on the kitchen counter for ease of application. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/132 "2014-04-16T01:36:56Z")
Apparently I have a unique item! My parents were recovering vegetarians, so we ate some odd dishes. The one I remember most clearly was tofu cacciatore. It was dredged in Red Star Yeast instead of flour and lightly browned before being baked. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777/133 "2014-04-16T01:44:23Z")
I grew up with a mother who ate a macrobiotic diet, so we had lots of “unusual” fooods, to put it nicely. Nado beans, seitan, tempeh bacon, and tofurkey, just to name a few. It made me develop a sincere appreciation for GOOD food (and macrobiotic _aint_ it!). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-family-ate-that-arent-common/685777.md?page=6)