# What foods & drinks take you back to the best part of your childhood? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500 "2009-11-13T22:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/21 "2009-11-15T00:38:25Z")
My mom’s sherry wine cake. In a bundt pan. Sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/22 "2009-11-15T01:22:58Z")
Twisty vanilla/chocolate soft-serve custard. Root beer, or Orange Crush. That luncheon meat with flecks of cheese embedded in it, on rye bread, sweet pickle on the side. Fried haddock, french fries, and coleslaw with pineapple in it - we had that every Friday for years and years. Strange now, to think the cost of one fish dinner now is more than my parents spent on fish dinners for all four of us, back in the '60s. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/23 "2009-11-15T01:26:51Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Chocolate meringue pie. My grandmother in Arkansas made a killer one and always had one ready for us when we visited her. Was her maiden name Dodson by any chance, Cousin? She also made spaghetti sauce with lots of garlic, ground beef and a minimum amount of tomato paste; it clung to vermicelli and sort of just colored it. Mother hated it because I liked it better than hers made with tomato soup. Mama Plant could not cook. My other, Maternal grandmother made a dish I make for Mrs. Plant. Yellow squash boiled to death with pepper, sugar and onions. There was also Dr. Pepper, and at my tender age I believed it to be available only in Tennessee. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/24 "2009-11-15T01:45:16Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Dobos torte. My step-grandmother made it for grandpa’s birthday, then my grandma took up the task after her passing, and made it for my mom’s birthday too. Then mom made it for mine, then my wife took up the tradition after mom passed. If you had said Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte I would have loved you even more, especially if you also made yummy sounds. When I was a kid the best thing my mother made was this chicken dish with cream of mushroom soup. I always thought it was her recipe but later in life I discovered it was on the Campbell’s soup can. Anyway, I always asked for it for my birthday along with German Chocolate Cake. I have yet to find a German Chocolate Cake that measures up to my mother’s and I think she just used boxed cake mix and store-bought icing. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/25 "2009-11-15T02:20:21Z")
Fondue was always what I wanted my Mom to set up for us on my birthday. This was of course in the 1970’s. Mom always made a big production out of it for me. But I am also fondly recalling her curry. She would take the time to put out all the little bowls with chopped nuts, chutney, scallions, raisins, diced hard cooked egg, shredded cheese and a few other things I must be missing. Damn her curried shredded lamb over rice with all those sprinklings was good. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/26 "2009-11-15T02:44:33Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > But I am also fondly recalling her curry. She would take the time to put out all the little bowls with chopped nuts, chutney, scallions, raisins, diced hard cooked egg, shredded cheese and a few other things I must be missing. Damn her curried shredded lamb over rice with all those sprinklings was good. Nuts, scallions etc. were sprinklings for the curry? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/27 "2009-11-15T05:43:22Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Nuts, scallions etc. were sprinklings for the curry? Yes. It was delicious, if Americanized. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/28 "2009-11-15T06:33:16Z")
Crescent roll ravioli bake with triangles of american cheese on top. My mom got it out of a Pillsbury Bake Off recipe book and it always makes me feel like a kid again. Or the fried apple pies at my grandmother’s. She always had a big plate full waiting when we’d visit on the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/29 "2009-11-15T06:56:28Z")
My mother was perpetually on a diet ever since I can remember, so I don’t have a lot of fond food memories from my nuclear family. Serving a skinny kid the adult menu from Weight Watchers just didn’t work out for me. My fondest memory is of canned cranberry sauce at my mother’s mother’s house, at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Second fondest is of my mother serving grilled cheese sandwiches for a lazy dinner, with each sandwich cut into four triangles. I do remember my father’s mother serving me hot chocolate and buttered saltines, though, and I loved it. It’s still a comfort food for me. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/30 "2009-11-15T10:20:08Z")
Elbow macaroni, canned tomatoes, browned ground meat, cooked onions, and maybe some corn kernels cooked in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. And I think there’s cheddar cheese? This was my ideal meal at Gramma’s house. I should ask my aunt for the recipe- my grandmother died when I was 8 so I only have a foggy idea of how to make it. If it still existed, the chicken fajita at McDonald’s from 1993-1994. One of the first things I ever ate when we’d gotten our new house put right where the old house used to be. I was not quite 6 and just starting to appreciate slightly spicy things. Then they stopped making it. Jerks! > [@JohnnyMac](#): > > Cocoa, made with condensed milk. Sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk? Either way, sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/31 "2009-11-15T11:34:46Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Yes. It was delicious, if Americanized. I always find it fascinating to see what immigrants choose to americanize traditional foods with … and what traditional ingredients they need to search for specially. It sort of puts me in mind of the musical Flower Drum Song, where tradition and american modern clash and compliment each other. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/32 "2009-11-15T13:32:55Z")
I’m moving this over to Cafe Society. Then I’m going to go make some tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich (white bread, American cheese – quite unlike my adult version with rye and pepper jack), which does it for me. twickster, MPSIMS mod ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/33 "2009-11-15T14:00:53Z")
I’ll add some beverages… Tang, of course Funny Face Drink Mix (Pillsbury’s version of Kool-Aid) Real Coke, with real sugar, and my mother’s meatloaf ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/34 "2009-11-15T16:02:18Z")
peanut butter and banana sandwich. My aunt put them in my lunchbox every day in elementary school. I still make them once in awhile. Place a few spoonfuls peanut butter in a bowl, and half a very ripe banana. Use a fork to squash it up. smear on bread. pure heaven! ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/35 "2009-11-15T16:23:49Z")
Orange Crush. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/36 "2009-11-16T02:11:06Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Lucozade - my Mum always brought it when i was nearly recovered from illness. Exactly what I was going to say!!! I bought some not too long ago. Talk about sugary… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/37 "2009-11-16T03:58:11Z")
Root Beer, the cheap store bands are closest to the Shasta root beer my grandfather always kept in the bottom of the fridge for me and my brother. Veleeta “cheese”, peanut butter and blackberry jam sandwiches, cheese and tortillas rollups and OMG[LAWRY’S® seasoned salt](http://www.lawrys.com/). My dear mother must have put that stuff in everything, because even the smallest taste of it reminds me of her cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/38 "2009-11-16T04:03:40Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Was her maiden name Dodson by any chance, Cousin? No, not at all. Maybe this was an Arkansas thing? This was in Franklin County, about 35 miles east of Fort Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/39 "2009-11-16T04:10:16Z")
Macho nachos at the minor league ballpark in the city where I grew up. In addition to the usual cheese and jalapenos, they had salsa, ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, and maybe chili. A year or two ago I went to a game at the team’s new stadium and was disappointed to find they no longer sold them. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500/40 "2009-11-16T04:11:38Z")
Hot apple cider, hot chocolate with marshmallows, and the smell of evergreen trees. My family and I used to go cut our own Christmas tree at a little tree farm up in the Sierras. They served hot chocolate and cider spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. I must have only been 4 or 5 when we went there the first time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-foods-drinks-take-you-back-to-the-best-part-of-your-childhood/517500.md?page=3)