What just doesn't taste the same anymore - foods from childhood

I got to thinking about Breyer’s Dixie Cups. Breyers vanilla ice cream with the vanilla beans - it tasted so good! And for the New Yorkers out there, Dugan’s cup cakes! Well, they don’t taste the same because they don’t make them anymore! Anyone have any old favorites that have lost their luster?

Tinned sago pudding. I used to love it as a kid, with raspberry jam stirred through it). Now, the idea of the little balls of sago just repulses me.

On the other hand, rice pudding has grown on me, particularly as the fashion is now to serve it cold.

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My husband claims that the chunk light tuna of his youth was in chunks, while today it is almost always basically a paste. (The one exception was the Kirkland brand, which they apparently stopped making. :frowning: )

Hershey’s chocolate bars. Did they just taste better 50 years ago? Or did I have no better comparisons back then.

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Hershey’s tastes like sour milk to me now. I do not remember that sour flavor from childhood.

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This is a hard question because foods used to be so much more regional and much more seasonal.
I didn’t see Breyer’s or Dreyer’s till well into adulthood, for instance. Now brands like that are ubiquitous.
My Aunt used to send us big baskets of citrus :tangerine: from South Texas around the holidays every year. We’d go down to the Railway Express depot to pick them up. A true treat in Winter!
:slight_smile:

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Cadbury crème eggs. I used to love those things and now they are just repulsively, sickeningly sweet.

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Cadbury is now made by Hershey

In general, one’s taste/tolerance for sweetness decreases with age, which is why children tend to prefer milk chocolate and older adults dark chocolate.

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I have to add Twinkies and Hostess cup cakes. Where’s the filling? Entenmanns and Dunkin Donuts too. Every variety tasted like the next!

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In that may lie the problem.

Cadbury is now owned by the American company, Mondelez and whilst UK production remains in the UK, American production is by Hershey which, i think, also markets Cadbury products in the US. That may mean that the product in the US may differ from that in the UK if Hershey perceibes American tastes to be different

Apparently, UK sales have dramatically dipped since a recipe change in 2016 which moved production use from Dairy Milk to a cheaper chocolate. Mrs H is a fan of the Creme Egg - personally, I can’t stand it and never could. Now, get me on the subject of Cadbury’s mini-eggs and I will tell a different tale, even though they are now made in Poland, but if they fuck with the recipe for that, I’m going to start organising protests

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:laughing:

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That’s definitely part of it - the chocolate definitely changed in taste and texture at some point. My decreased tolerance for sweet is part of it as well though, no doubt.

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Butterscotch was one of my favorite flavors as a kid, I haven’t found a brand that even comes close.

Rootbeer popsicles were my absolute favorite summer treat. If I can even find them, the root sap flavor is completely fake and watered down.

I also believe that once you started sourcing ingredients to make foods from scratch, brand packaged foods taste less authentic.

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Velveeta used to have a cheddary flavor. Now it barely tastes like American cheese.

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The original Booberry blueberry flavored cereal - the boxes they sell today are not even close to what they used to taste like.

And I know these really are different things today, but nothing will ever replace those fried apple pies at McDonalds. :sob:

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Yes.

Every few years I get a craving for the hot Velvetta/Rotel dip. After the last time I had to say never again - just plain didn’t taste good to me any more. Not worth the calories or the waste of food/time/money.

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As a kid I took swimming lessons at the local YMCA. There were vending machines for snacks. If you knew to ask you could purchase frozen candy bars at the same price. My weekly snack money went for frozen Zero bars.

I recently came across a Zero bar and decided to revisit the memory. Meh…

Not sure if it is my taste that has changed or the formulation of the candy bar.

I agree!

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I think they screwed up Honey Maid graham crackers at some point. They used to be a favorite of mine, especially with a little peanut butter. But last time i bought some- after years of not buying them- I wouldn’t have known they were graham crackers if i had been in a blind taste test.

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