You're overlooking an important detail - kids love that cheap, shitty food. It was also quick and easy to make, so their tired, overworked parents were easily persuaded to make it.

Naturally there's a line where it becomes too much, but even rich kids love hot dogs and Mac & cheese.

Grew up poor, didn't know it. Lots of Mac 'n Cheese w/ hotdogs and canned vegetables. I remember the first time I had a fresh green bean, I was put off by the texture. Wasn't used to vegetables with structure.

Edit: also a fair amount of Hamburger Helper in my childhood. It's OK.

It could still be very much middle class. Parents make it out of nostalgia from when they were kids, instead of making it out of necessity.

I really disagree with this. My parents grew up in the 50s and just thought this kind of highly processed food was normal and easy. There were also commercials that constantly reminded them to buy it. We could 100% afford better food, this is just what they wanted 🤢

I figured it out we were poor once I hit middle school, and me asking about this and further realizing the truth of it... well of course that sent Republican dad further into an insecurity/rage/alcoholism loop.

Being honest would have been too difficult, I guess.

Middle class isnt a clear cut distinction anyway. It mostly serves to divide those of us who live off of labour rather than ownership so we go after one another instead of the capitalists.

I mean, maybe, but in my case I’m sure a good part of it was neither of my parents were good cooks lol

If I didn’t watch them make it, it was pretty hard to tell if the veggies were canned or not; they boiled fresh veggies to the same consistency as the canned ones.

No way we did that too! I still do it every once in awhile, not because it's that good but fit the nostalgia

No one would call that donkeys anus in a temu bratwurst a banger.

When she says she wants a hot dog, she's not talking about the kind you have to cook :-D

What a privilege it is to live in walking distance to a supermarket - this problem doesn't even exist for me, being out of something just means I walk 4 minutes and buy it.

Man hotdogs in KD is still awesome. Hotdogs in beans is also great.

Canned green beans have such a nostalgic taste, love them

Canned green beans are great. I don't care how many fancy meals I eat, there's always gonna be a place for that nostalgic flavor.

And canned corn is basically my preferred method of adding corn to soups.

Creamed corn and green beans are amazing agreed.I also picked up a love of canned sweet peas.

Some things can way better than others.

The one I remember is corn, carrots, and peas. That mixture is why I thought cooked carrots were the most disgusting thing... And I think the corns' flavor took a hit as well because the only good canned corn was creamed corn.

Oh, you eat it without the bread?

ooh, hamburger as in, ground meat? For me a hamburger is always the round puck of meat between buns, makes more sense if it's just the generic name for the meat itself!

Thickeners too. Modified corn starch. Less objectional ingredient really since starch as a sauce thickener instead of reduction is pre industrial and modified starch is frankly a good innovation. I don't want to sit there and stir. People who make pudding from scratch with regular corn starch are insane.

Ah, Real Cheese brand cheese flavored product.

Pretty sure fake cheese is made with vegetable oil, no?

Also the other day I bought a small block of kraft brand Colby cheese. A little treat for myself.

I always buy whichever brand is on sale. I'm not a cheese snob or anything.

Anywho. I got it out to eat it.

It's super soft. Like. .. well like fake cheese. Just like their kraft singles.

Floppy oily yellow cheese.

I got swindled. It says it's Colby. But it's not ! It's the fake cheese !

Not happy. Won't ever buy it ever again.

They just started doing this. It was real cheese not that long ago. I suspect it's been "cut," with fake cheese.

Like it's not 100% fake cheese. But like 60% fake cheese.

I checked packaging to make sure I just didn't buy the wrong stuff. Nope. It definitely says Colby cheese.

"Minimum viable product" describes a lot of the items that end up in my grocery cart these days -- produce especially.

or they just place a block of cheese near by as a shelf or counterbalance for the chopping board for the actual ingredients.

Not to mention la queue du rat, la tête de pigeon, and la languette de la botte!

Hehe. I'm eating marbles!

Cronch cronch cronch