What did people eat in the 1950s?

Answer 1

Before my time, but I have an old cookery book from the 1940s. (From the UK.)

I gather there were no fast foods. Housewives were expected in general to stay at home and look after the house, so they would have cooked proper meals for their families from scratch.

There would have been less variety than we now know; today, many more people travel and try different cuisines, and we expect the ingredients, like virgin olive oil, etc, to be available for us at home. Garlic, for instance, was rare; my old cookery book gives a few salad recipes where the author tentatively suggests giving the bowl a rub with it.

Otherwise, I think there would have been (in the UK) some really well-cooked traditional recipes, like Lancashire Hotpot; Shepherd's Pie; casseroles; roasts, etc, and puddings like Spotted Dick and Bread and Butter Pudding. (All of which are popular again now!)

Again, the variety of vegetables we now know wouldn't have been in general use in the 50s.

My book uses gills and quarts as measurements, and it also tells how to make your own lemonade. Some of the recipes are excellent.

Answer 2

TV dinners were popular. TV was new, and people didn't want to leave the TV in the living room to go and eat dinner in the dining room or kitchen. That's why they were called TV dinners. There were comedy programs in those days about how neighbors who did not have TV went to to visit neighbors who did. The TV-owners could not turn the "guests" away, so the living room was filled all night long. And of course the "hosts" had to serve the "guests" something.

There were no microwaves, so leftovers were re-heated in the oven or stove top. Food was as expensive as today. Steak at $1/lb was high, but fish was cheaper, unlike today. There were frozen vegetables, but canned vegetables were more common. Fresh fruits and vegetables were common, but considered too much of a bother. It was easier to open a can or thaw something.

There were Chinese restaurants and take-out. In my town, there was a Chinese family that had a laundry and take-out restaurant. I went to school with their children. But they were the only Chinese family in town. My father took me to lunch once in Chicago at Wan Kow's. He showed me hot mustard. I think that Wan Kow's is still there.

There were fast-food drive-in places. These were burger places, and there were no pizza parlors. Girls called car-hops came to the parked cars to take orders. They brought the orders to the parked cars, put a tray against the car window next to the driver's side, and put the food on that. The driver would pass the food to other passengers in the car.

Answer 3

Actually, TV dinners did not become popular until the very late 50's and early 60's.
As far as what type of food people ate, it is just like today mostly. A lot of meat, potatoes, salads and veggies. Very few, if any, preservatives, chemicals, etc. Lots of whole milk. Breakfast was eggs, meat, juice, milk.
Families ate together, at least 2 meals a day. (Breakfast and dinner). 3 on weekends, and families very seldom went out to eat...Only on important occasions.
Also, You didn't have the fast food restaurants, or the ethnic restaurants. You very seldom heard of someone having Chinese for dinner, unless they were Chinese...

Answer 4

Whatever it was, it did not make them as obese as the present diet. What we call junk food was simply not there, and that may explain some of the difference in avoir poid.

Answer 5

Food just like today
But much less fast food and processed food

Answer 6

tv dinners were popular for many. but home cooked meals were most prevalent

Answer 7

I know TV dinners were big.

Answer 8

Real food.
I remember when there were no tater tots.

Answer 9

~Food (and, a few risque ones, women)

Answer 10

food i suppose