RETRO FARE
Retro food is in the eyes of the reader. Kids of the Depression era ate whatever was on their plate; there was no option. Liver and onions or head cheese were not uncommon. In the ’80s, if these items had graced children’s plates, the dishes would have been met with a grimaced face, whereas children of the 21st century would think some form of odd experiment was being concocted in the kitchen. Today’s kids would assume a prank was being filmed for YouTube and look online to see how many likes it got. RETRO FARE
F
ood trends in the West are ever changing. Like language, which builds off the past and creates new iterations of slang that eventually move into everyday language, food fashion also evolves. And let’s face it: kids eat liver and head cheese — now
they’re just called hot dogs.
The fashion of food for the average family also evolves. And the core determinant of whether families are eating luxury foods versus budget options is the economy. Anyone who’s visited a grocery store lately knows the dollar doesn’t go nearly as far as it did even a few years ago. A decent-sized prime rib roast has tripled in cost over the last five years. It’s more difficult now to make family dinners or serve guests than it has been for a long time. It’s caused many of us to rethink our grocery budgets. So the Savour Manitoba team thought we could roll up our sleeves to help out. It’s time to take a look at retro food. We looked at the lessons learned from previous generations to see how they handled economic uncertainty and food choices. So make room in your freezer, bring out that slow cooker and Tupperware, and get ready to cook. Your mom’s bell bottom jeans might be coming back into style — and so is Depression-era meal planning!
52 SAVOUR MANITOBA | FALL 25
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