Condensed soup is Ebola.

[Whateverist]

Yeah, I grew up on the stuff. Yuck now, but I didn't complain as a kid. What did I know? Non-officer military kid with six siblings, penny pinching was necessary.

[brewer]

I had depression era parents. We ended up eating a lot of yuck, not because they couldn't afford it, but because it was comfort food for them.

Tinned kippers is not comfort food.

[vorlon13]

Yeah, I grew up on the stuff.  Yuck now, but I didn't complain as a kid.  What did I know?  Non-officer military kid with six siblings, penny pinching was necessary.

Didn't think about it much at the time, but when I was a kid there was a big garden on the farm, and we put up tomatoes and green beans and pickles.  Quite a bit of the incentive for that was saving money.  And butchering our own cattle too.

Hand me down clothes amongst all the cousins occurred too.  I had to hurry with my bath, and not let the water out, if I wasn't too grubby, next oldest kid got to sit in it.  I remember getting yelled at for wearing out the soles of my shoes before I outgrew them as it they couldn't go in the hand me down pile.

We had quite a bit of expensive water problems.  The well needed fixed several times, water heater problems, the pressure tank. I remember frequent trips to Sears to get parts to get the water working.  Then as now, I'm sure the plumbing problems were expensive.

We didn't have hail insurance or health insurance either, had to save money to get through problems like that.  If the farm operation needed money for something, that was top priority, if we kids were seen as wasting money, or running up expenses needlessly, we got yelled at.  I recall dad and grandpa repeatedly protesting a county drainage assessment as the ditch it was on didn't drain any water from our land, it put water on it.  Money was money, if the county was costing the farm op we were damned if we were going to pay for the privilege.

I recall sitting in the court house for hours while wrangling went on over a tube we wanted in another ditch so we could have better access to a field, and the answer was no, and it was something we had to pay for.

And yes, we ate condensed soup frequently.  I still love Campbells Cream of Mushroom to this day, and it's hard not to have a bowl without remembering how often I had it as a kid.  I recall it being on sale for 10 cans for a buck and we'd stock up on it.

And that was back in the day of individually stamp priced groceries (no UPCs), which meant you had to pay attention when you were rang up to make sure the checker noticed all 10 cans and gave you the sale price.

[Whateverist]

We've got to be careful or this will turn into another four horsemen of Yorkshire thread. How many in your family? We definitely got cousin's hand me downs but we might have been a little better off since I seem to remember getting at least one new shirt and pair of pants before the start of school each year. Some years we got new shoes then too but I don't think i ever owned two pair of shoes that fit me growing up.

[SteelCurtain]

The only thing I ate growing up that's worthy of note was Cream of Wheat and Chicken Gizzards (not together.)

Every Sunday for breakfast was a bowl of Cream of Wheat and a touch of honey. It is just porridge. I still eat that shit today.

Chicken gizzards could be bought at the commissary for like .99 a pound. My mother would buy 2-3 pounds, bread and fry, and we'd eat them about once a week or so. While my dad was in the Navy, our family often had to live frugally.

I don't eat gizzards any more, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at them if they were on the table.

[vorlon13]

and to splurge:

Campbell's cream of mushroom made with 1/2 can water, and 1/2 can of milk*!!

Boy, we were uptown those nights !!


(we never had dairy cows, so putting some store bought milk in soup that didn't actually need it was an extravagance)

[Violet]

---

We've got to be careful or this will turn into another four horsemen of Yorkshire thread.

Not on my account... I believe only in Decadence. It guides me.

All who wallow in the dirt are the cursed who must suffer Hell! Heaven is within reach if you're only willing to steal grasp it in your wretched CLAWS!

---

and to splurge:

Campbell's cream of mushroom made with 1/2 can water, and 1/2 can of milk*!!

Kill me, Vorlon. Just kill me. To even hear of something so disgusting...

[vorlon13]

I was a very picky eater as a young kid. Everyone was delighted to find something other than cottage cheese and pickle and pimento loaf that I would eat.

And of cream of mushroom soup, cottage cheese and p/p loaf, I still only like the soup, just looking at the other 2 is gag inducing . . .

And how the hell anybody figured out I liked pickle and pimento loaf ????

[frankiej]

Cream of Wheat and Chicken Gizzard

That's actually the name of my new band.