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Post by oldcajun123 on Aug 1, 2024 13:00:46 GMT -5
 “The coffee would boil, the smell mixing in with everything else, and Charlie would begin to make the gravy. Ava would make grits, and fry up a mess of eggs, and twist open the top of a jar of preserves, and they would eat like rich people, only rich people don’t really eat this good.” — Ava's Man by Rick Bragg Excerpts from this book, tells how poor and regular people really lived, you missing something if you don’t read it.
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Post by Ronv69 on Aug 1, 2024 13:17:14 GMT -5
I grew up poor and eating accordingly. Lots of nights we had government cheese toasted on bread from the bakeries day old bread store. Fried bologna was a treat. Our only food splurge was having Westmoreland milk delivered. That stuff made Bordens taste like powdered milk. Ate liver once a week because it was cheap.
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Post by oldcajun123 on Aug 1, 2024 13:28:07 GMT -5
We ate commodity cheese, stood in line my Mom did, well off people would try to buy some, Mom never sold. We wore shirts made from feed sacks made by my grandmas, Dad brought us to Brownsville Texas to shrimp when I was in fourth grade, had to fight the Mexicans every day as they made fun of my shirts, I thank em to this day as they made not fear combat, but I will confess I was scared in Asia, I wanted to be buried home.
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Mrs. Zarnicky
Junior Member
Posts: 396
First Name: Anichka
Favorite Tobacco: (Country Squire) Hunting Creek, Black Arrow. (Sutliff) Vanilla Custard
Location:
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Post by Mrs. Zarnicky on Aug 1, 2024 13:51:52 GMT -5
I grew up poor and eating accordingly. Lots of nights we had government cheese toasted on bread from the bakeries day old bread store. Fried bologna was a treat. Our only food splurge was having Westmoreland milk delivered. That stuff made Bordens taste like powdered milk. Ate liver once a week because it was cheap. When Zarnicky was little I so poor that I couldn't affording to pay attention. Later I working in bakery because I kneading the dough. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Aug 1, 2024 14:03:20 GMT -5
I grew up poor and eating accordingly. Lots of nights we had government cheese toasted on bread from the bakeries day old bread store. Fried bologna was a treat. Our only food splurge was having Westmoreland milk delivered. That stuff made Bordens taste like powdered milk. Ate liver once a week because it was cheap. When Zarnicky was little I so poor that I couldn't affording to pay attention. Later I working in bakery because I kneading the dough. 😁 |
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Post by Darin on Aug 1, 2024 14:23:20 GMT -5
BBM&S ... bread, butter, milk & sugar.  ... Shite on a Shingle Gov' Cheese ... made a great toasted cheese The list goes on but if you were poor you know these and the others we all experienced. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Aug 1, 2024 14:47:22 GMT -5
The government butter was good too. Many days all I ate was buttered rice. Especially when I stayed with my sister in Morgan City LA. 7 kids, widowed and working in a donut shop to support them. Thing is, we're all doing well now, but the younger generations are falling backwards and not finding the opportunities we had. I don't know what the solution is. For a few, raised in luxury they don't want to take a job that is beneath them. But that's not the situation for all. So many are working their butts off and not getting anywhere.
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Post by Ronv69 on Aug 1, 2024 14:49:20 GMT -5
Salmon patties and fried cornbread. Best meal ever. And at the old prices you could feed 5 people for a dollar. Probably 5 dollars now.
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Post by urbino on Aug 1, 2024 17:06:19 GMT -5
We ate sliced up cardboard boxes, drizzled in ditch water and toasted over tire fires. And we liked it!
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Post by Yohanan on Aug 1, 2024 21:40:38 GMT -5
We ate sliced up cardboard boxes, drizzled in ditch water and toasted over tire fires. And we liked it! I always enjoyed that, reminds me of Latakia with a earthy woody flavor. YMMV. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Aug 1, 2024 21:45:37 GMT -5
We ate sliced up cardboard boxes, drizzled in ditch water and toasted over tire fires. And we liked it! Punk. |
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Post by urbino on Aug 1, 2024 21:46:31 GMT -5
We ate sliced up cardboard boxes, drizzled in ditch water and toasted over tire fires. And we liked it! I always enjoyed that, reminds me of Latakia with a earthy woody flavor. YMMV. Earthy, woody, bready, citrusy, grassy, plummy, with notes of sulfur. |
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Post by urbino on Aug 1, 2024 21:47:37 GMT -5
We ate sliced up cardboard boxes, drizzled in ditch water and toasted over tire fires. And we liked it! Punk. Don't hate me because I grew up poor. |
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Post by Plainsman on Aug 2, 2024 8:03:22 GMT -5
Gee. I wish I could join the steerage bunch. But unfortunately I grew up middle class and never went hungry. Not ‘til college anyway.
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Post by CrustyCat on Aug 3, 2024 1:21:30 GMT -5
“The coffee would boil, the smell mixing in with everything else, and Charlie would begin to make the gravy. Ava would make grits, and fry up a mess of eggs, and twist open the top of a jar of preserves, and they would eat like rich people, only rich people don’t really eat this good.” — Ava's Man by Rick Bragg Excerpts from this book, tells how poor and regular people really lived, you missing something if you don’t read it. Ordered |
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Post by oldcajun123 on Aug 3, 2024 7:10:43 GMT -5
For your take Bob, you must of had really good parents cause you turned out to be a mighty good man. I Garronte!
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Post by toshtego on Aug 3, 2024 9:41:35 GMT -5
I can relate to this club. My early days were in poverty. My dad left his government job and was starting his own business. We had lean times. A can of Spam with beans. The better off Chinese family above us used to feed me. Why I like enjoy Asian foods so much, I guess. Mom sobbing at the table. Dad always away. Then it got better little by little as the economy was expanding in the 1950s.
Some years back, I was the USDA Commodities driver for this village. Pick up the boxes and deliver them to the Senior Center in the village of Amalia. Then came The Great Cheese Caper. You see, someone broke into the center at night and stole all the Government Cheese. It is very desirable here since it melts easily for Queso, a popular dish in Hispano northern New Mexico. An investigation ensued led by "Detective Johnny Black", a retired actor living here who appeared on almost every Cop show of the late 1960s and 1970s. You seen him die or be arrested dozens of times at the hands of Friday and Gannon, Cannon, Starsky and Hutch, Berretta. The appellation is from a series of radio ads we produced for my restaurant. Johnny figured he had enough experience from the cop shows to figure this one out. LOL. He pursued a few suspects, me included. No joy. So, someone here had a large of cache of government cheese. Never to be found out.
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Post by urbino on Aug 3, 2024 16:03:27 GMT -5
I can relate to this club. My early days were in poverty. My dad left his government job and was starting his own business. We had lean times. A can of Spam with beans. The better off Chinese family above us used to feed me. Why I like enjoy Asian foods so much, I guess. Mom sobbing at the table. Dad always away. Then it got better little by little as the economy was expanding in the 1950s. Some years back, I was the USDA Commodities driver for this village. Pick up the boxes and deliver them to the Senior Center in the village of Amalia. Then came The Great Cheese Caper. You see, someone broke into the center at night and stole all the Government Cheese. It is very desirable here since it melts easily for Queso, a popular dish in Hispano northern New Mexico. An investigation ensued led by "Detective Johnny Black", a retired actor living here who appeared on almost every Cop show of the late 1960s and 1970s. You seen him die or be arrested dozens of times at the hands of Friday and Gannon, Cannon, Starsky and Hutch, Berretta. The appellation is from a series of radio ads we produced for my restaurant. Johnny figured he had enough experience from the cop shows to figure this one out. LOL. He pursued a few suspects, me included. No joy. So, someone here had a large of cache of government cheese. Never to be found out. Did he consider Wallace and Grommet? |
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Post by trailboss on Aug 3, 2024 22:23:17 GMT -5
I can relate to this club. My early days were in poverty. My dad left his government job and was starting his own business. We had lean times. A can of Spam with beans. The better off Chinese family above us used to feed me. Why I like enjoy Asian foods so much, I guess. Mom sobbing at the table. Dad always away. Then it got better little by little as the economy was expanding in the 1950s. Some years back, I was the USDA Commodities driver for this village. Pick up the boxes and deliver them to the Senior Center in the village of Amalia. Then came The Great Cheese Caper. You see, someone broke into the center at night and stole all the Government Cheese. It is very desirable here since it melts easily for Queso, a popular dish in Hispano northern New Mexico. An investigation ensued led by "Detective Johnny Black", a retired actor living here who appeared on almost every Cop show of the late 1960s and 1970s. You seen him die or be arrested dozens of times at the hands of Friday and Gannon, Cannon, Starsky and Hutch, Berretta. The appellation is from a series of radio ads we produced for my restaurant. Johnny figured he had enough experience from the cop shows to figure this one out. LOL. He pursued a few suspects, me included. No joy. So, someone here had a large of cache of government cheese. Never to be found out. Thanks for sharing, John, sometimes life brings you into meeting interesting people...this one checks that box. My life experience was that alcohol for my dad was more important than feeding our family, my mom was not of the same ilk... we had beans, tortillas, and fried potatoes a lot. I figured that was how everyone else ate. Whenever we got to a military base, my dad met the supply sergeants, I thought everyone got milk in the bulk dispenser bags 3 gallon? jungle/ combat boots when they fit us, GI blankets on our GI bunks, GI belts...etc... |
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Post by toshtego on Aug 4, 2024 10:31:11 GMT -5
I can relate to this club. My early days were in poverty. My dad left his government job and was starting his own business. We had lean times. A can of Spam with beans. The better off Chinese family above us used to feed me. Why I like enjoy Asian foods so much, I guess. Mom sobbing at the table. Dad always away. Then it got better little by little as the economy was expanding in the 1950s. Some years back, I was the USDA Commodities driver for this village. Pick up the boxes and deliver them to the Senior Center in the village of Amalia. Then came The Great Cheese Caper. You see, someone broke into the center at night and stole all the Government Cheese. It is very desirable here since it melts easily for Queso, a popular dish in Hispano northern New Mexico. An investigation ensued led by "Detective Johnny Black", a retired actor living here who appeared on almost every Cop show of the late 1960s and 1970s. You seen him die or be arrested dozens of times at the hands of Friday and Gannon, Cannon, Starsky and Hutch, Berretta. The appellation is from a series of radio ads we produced for my restaurant. Johnny figured he had enough experience from the cop shows to figure this one out. LOL. He pursued a few suspects, me included. No joy. So, someone here had a large of cache of government cheese. Never to be found out. Did he consider Wallace and Grommet? Not sure who Wallace and Grommet are. |
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Post by don on Aug 4, 2024 11:41:05 GMT -5
“The coffee would boil, the smell mixing in with everything else, and Charlie would begin to make the gravy. Ava would make grits, and fry up a mess of eggs, and twist open the top of a jar of preserves, and they would eat like rich people, only rich people don’t really eat this good.” — Ava's Man by Rick Bragg Excerpts from this book, tells how poor and regular people really lived, you missing something if you don’t read it. I ordered a copy. Thanks for the recommendation, Brad! |
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Post by urbino on Aug 4, 2024 17:38:52 GMT -5
Did he consider Wallace and Grommet? Not sure who Wallace and Grommet are. English Claymation tv show for kids. Wallace is a big fan of cheese. |
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Ava’s Man
Aug 4, 2024 17:42:50 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Ronv69 on Aug 4, 2024 17:42:50 GMT -5
Ordered
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Post by Goldbrick on Aug 4, 2024 20:45:13 GMT -5
Poor was a way of life for so many back in the fifties and sixties. My Dad was an ex-sawmill worker who landed a factory job by time i came along. Pop could grow anything that would grow in Virginia soil, and worked his self right into the ground, keeping us fed and producing some extra to sell.
One of my uncles killed hogs in the fall, so there was that, and pop hunted in the winter and fished some in the summer, plus his love of "turkey shoots" kept us in turkeys and slab bacon; but poor isn't just about food...when you grow up in a house without a phone or indoor pluming, you bare the insults and laughter and cruelty of kids more fortunate; even to this day, I'm a bit of a recluse from it...
Being from the country, I never knew there was government cheese till I was a grown man, and didn't need it.
Like Ron I ate liver till i learned to like it, and hobo steak, and sometimes hot dogs, but I also remember supper from those red and white cans, plus lots of rice, and before I found out we were poor, I looked forward to creamed onion soup on Sunday now and then...
we were very poor, but they were mighty rich days.
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Post by don on Aug 16, 2024 17:55:33 GMT -5
Got my copy, Brad! Taking it on my next trip to the mountains. When I am done, I will send it on to whoever claims it first in this thread. Might be fun to see how many times we can pass it on.
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Ava’s Man
Aug 16, 2024 20:28:10 GMT -5
via mobile
don likes this
Post by Ronv69 on Aug 16, 2024 20:28:10 GMT -5
I'm halfway through my copy. Charlie and his friends remind me of my uncles wive's brothers that weren't allowed around the house when there were visitors. They would show up drunk and loud anyway. But during the week they did construction work. A couple of them drove buldozers for Harris County Flood Control.
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Post by trailboss on Aug 16, 2024 20:51:28 GMT -5
I'm halfway through my copy. Charlie and his friends remind me of my uncles wive's brothers that weren't allowed around the house when there were visitors. They would show up drunk and loud anyway. But during the week they did construction work. A couple of them drove buldozers for Harris County Flood Control. I figure that still stands… ya got any motels nearby? |
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Ava’s Man
Aug 17, 2024 18:23:01 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Ronv69 on Aug 17, 2024 18:23:01 GMT -5
I'm halfway through my copy. Charlie and his friends remind me of my uncles wive's brothers that weren't allowed around the house when there were visitors. They would show up drunk and loud anyway. But during the week they did construction work. A couple of them drove buldozers for Harris County Flood Control. I figure that still stands… ya got any motels nearby? Not that I could recommend for adults. They're all long dead. |
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“The coffee would boil, the smell mixing in with everything else, and Charlie would begin to make the gravy. Ava would make grits, and fry up a mess of eggs, and twist open the top of a jar of preserves, and they would eat like rich people, only rich people don’t really eat this good.”
... Shite on a Shingle 
