Living for over 60 years I’ve seen a lot of restaurants, foods and businesses come and go. David and I enjoy talking about these places and I thought you might like to revisit the past with us. Because there are some things you don’t realize you miss until someone mentions them. This could be a restaurant sign you haven’t seen in twenty years. A cereal box that disappeared from the grocery store. A candy bar you used to look for every time you went shopping or a favorite meal that tasted completely different after the recipe changed.
And sometimes, it isn’t even the food itself that we miss. We miss when we ate it. We miss who was sitting across the table from us. We miss the restaurant where our family celebrated birthdays, the place we stopped after shopping, or the little neighborhood restaurant where everybody seemed to know your name. That is what gave me the idea for a new Greatful Moments series: Foods & Restaurants We Remember.
I hope you will join us for a new kind of Greatful Moments conversation where were going to spend some time remembering the foods, restaurants, snacks, and favorite products along with businesses that have disappeared, changed, or simply aren’t what they used to be. Some of them will bring back wonderful memories.
Some might make us laugh. And a few may make us say, “Oh my goodness, I had completely forgotten about that!” We’re going to talk about restaurants we wish would come back, foods we can’t buy anymore, and favorite products that changed somewhere along the way. And I’m hoping you will help me build this list. Because I know my memories aren’t the only ones out there.
I don’t know about your family but for mine there are restaurants that became part of our lives without realizing it. Maybe you remember Steak & Ale, where going out to dinner felt like an occasion especially on New Years. Maybe you remember Bennigan’s, or Furr’s Cafeteria. Maybe there was a little local restaurant in your hometown that meant far more to your family than any national restaurant ever could.
That’s one of my favorite things about memories. Your favorite restaurant may be one I’ve never heard of. And that’s exactly what I want to hear about. Tell me the name. Tell me what you ordered. Tell me who you went there with. Tell me what made it special. Because when we remember the restaurant, we’re often really remembering the people and moments that happened there.
Then there are the foods. The ones we remember seeing on grocery store shelves but can’t seem to find anymore. Maybe it was a cereal you loved as a child. Maybe it was a candy bar you bought with pocket change. Maybe it was a snack cake you used to put in your lunchbox. Maybe it was something your children loved when they were little that suddenly disappeared.
And sometimes it isn’t even something that disappeared completely. Maybe the company still makes something with the same name, but the version we remember is gone. That can be almost as frustrating. Because sometimes you aren’t looking for a chocolate snack cake. You’re looking for the chocolate snack cake you remember. There is a difference.
And then there are the food that changed which might be the category that gets the biggest reaction. Because some of our favorite foods didn’t disappear. They’re still sitting on grocery store shelves. They just don’t taste the same. The recipe changed. The ingredients changed. The package got smaller. The company changed the way it was made.
And you take that first bite expecting the flavor you remember—and instead you’re thinking, “What happened?” Maybe it’s just nostalgia. Maybe our taste buds changed. Or maybe they really did change the recipe. Either way, we notice and more times than not were disappointed and miss that food even more.
Because food is more than food. I think that’s why this subject is so much fun. Food has a way of holding memories. A bowl of cereal can remind you of Saturday morning cartoons. A particular restaurant can remind you of dating, family dinners, birthdays, or shopping trips. A candy bar can take you straight back to childhood. A discontinued product can remind you of a child who isn’t little anymore.
And suddenly you’re not just remembering something you ate. You’re remembering a piece of your life. That’s what I want this series to be about. Not just what disappeared from store shelves. Not just which restaurants closed their doors. But the stories behind them that we remember all of our lives.
So let’s start remembering over the next several posts, we’re going to take a little trip down memory lane. We’ll talk about restaurants we miss. We’ll remember foods we can’t buy anymore. We’ll compare the foods we remember with the ones we have today. And I’m sure you’re going to remind me of things I’ve completely forgotten. That’s the fun part.
So let’s start with an easy question: What food or restaurant do you miss the most? Was it a restaurant that closed? A favorite meal that disappeared from the menu? A cereal, candy, or snack that you can’t find anymore? Or maybe something that is still available but just doesn’t taste the way you remember? Tell me about it in the comments. Because around here, we’re not just remembering food. We’re remembering people, places, family, and moments. And some things just taste like home.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates