5 1950’s Dishes That We Used To Actually Enjoy
The 1950’s was quite an interesting decade for many who lived through it. Times were changing, and changing fast. The colored television was all the rage, and the latest in technology. Elvis Presley became an icon for his catchy rock ‘n’ roll music, and soon became known as the King. Alaska and Hawaii also became recognized as states in 1959. Yes, the 50’s was quite the time to be alive. One thing that made this decade unique were the types of food that were eaten. Most 1950’s dishes were pretty good, and are still eaten today, but there are some that should definitely be left in the past; never to see the light of day again. These five 1950’s dishes will not only make you want to run for the hills, but will also have you questioning your grandparent’s decisions to make these meals in the first place.
1. Green Bean Pizzarino
I’ll start off by saying that just the name of this 1950’s dish makes me want to yack. It honestly looks like a meatloaf gone horribly wrong, and to make up for the disturbing mystery meat styled Bundt cake, they put green beans in the middle as a sort of garnish. To make matters worse, they add an artificial pizza flavoring to the meat; how about no? The whole thing put together was just plain ugly. It resembles a Bundt shaped ring of meat injected with fake pizza flavoring with salami and condiments draped over the top of it, and green beans nestled in the middle (I’m talking the crummy canned kind here). Honestly, it looks like a nightmare to eat; never mind the taste. I can’t believe that people actually thought this dish, out of all the other 1950’s dishes, was acceptable to serve at dinner parties, and other fancy gatherings.
2. Jell-O Molds
Jell-O is a delicious tasting, not to mention, fun food to eat. But leave it to the 1950’s to mess up an already perfect food on its own. This 1950’s dish can be made several different ways, and involve others foods like tuna, shrimp, tomatoes, green olives, and the list of atrocities goes on. I truly couldn’t decide if the Jell-O mold made with tuna and shrimp or just straight up tomatoes was worse. Both of these Jell-O molds look like something a toddler would put together, and proudly present to their mortified parents. I hate to say it, but the tomato Jell-O mold looked much more presentable than the tuna and shrimp one; at least you couldn’t see the bits of fish frozen inside the Jell-O. Even while currently writing this, I’m getting a tad nauseous. It’s just so wrong on so many levels. There’s definitely a good reason why we stopped eating these types of Jell-O molds. Jell-O is good, but when you start to add things like tuna? That’s a big nope from me.
3. Frosted Ribbon Loaf
Now, I’ve heard of this 1950’s dish as some point in time, and had completely erased it from my mind, but after seeing a friend post about it on social media recently, I remember why I had forgotten it in the first place. It’s a nightmare-inducing combination of bread, eggs (think egg salad-like), ham, tomatoes and frosting. Yep, you read that right, frosting, as in the kind you would put on a cake. Surprisingly, it looks pretty good put together, like a normal cake you would see in a bakery. But as soon as you cut into it, you realize with utter horror that it’s the furthest possible thing from a cake. I wouldn’t touch that loaf with a 10 foot pole to be honest. I would rather eat Lutefisk 20 times over before I would even consider eating a ribbon loaf. And that’s saying a lot, considering that Lutefisk is fish fermented in Lye. Who thought that this revolting loaf was a good idea?! I can say with confidence that this is the 1950’s dish from Hell.
4. Orange Delight Pie
This ghastly dessert sounds delectable, but it’s anything but. This ‘pie’, if it can even be called that, consists of sour cream, canned mandarin oranges, crushed pineapple, chopped walnuts, orange Jell-O and thawed Cool Whip. Seriously, what is with the 1950’s dishes and Jell-O? This recipe is basically orange Jell-O with fruit, nuts, Cool Whip and sour cream all mixed together in a pie dish. I’m literally getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it; it’s a real disgrace to all pie-kind out there! And some people, interestingly enough, still eat this dessert to this day, and claim it to be delicious. I just might have to question their taste buds on this one, because sour cream alone in Jell-O makes me want to ralph all over the place. Those are just two things that really shouldn’t go together; it just sounds like a slimy yucky mess in a pie dish. Orange Delight Pie, try it if you dare.
5. Bologna Cake
This 1950’s dish is exactly how it sounds, and it is horrifying to say the least. Bologna is stacked as high to your heart’s content with cream cheese stuffed between each layer, and spread around the rest of the bologna mimicking a cake. But wait, that’s not all! To finish off the look of this abominable cake, American cheese from a can is used as a decorating tool, while green olives serve as a garnish on top. I basically turned a lovely shade of green when I saw a picture of this once-popular party appetizer. I just don’t understand the appeal of it? I mean did people want to poison their house guests in the ’50s? Did they seek to punish their neighbors for their large oak tree encroaching over the property line? This is definitely one of those appalling 1950’s dishes that should just stay there!
