Bring Back Any Memories?

[ozsamurai]

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favourite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'

'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.

'All the food was slow.'

'C'mon, seriously.. Where did you eat?'

'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained. !

'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

By this time, the lad was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I'd figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore jeans, set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card.

My parents never drove me to school. I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10.

It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. and there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people....

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --My brother delivered a newspaper, seven days a week. He had to get up at 6AM every morning.

Film stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the films. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or almost anything offensive.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?

MEMORIES from a friend:

My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it... I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.

How many do you remember?

Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car.

Ignition switches on the dashboard.

There were two postal deliveries per day.

Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.

The street lights were turned off at about 11pm each night.

Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.

Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators.

Corona drink ( Cherryade ) was delivered in glass bottles by lorry each week, and the empties returned.

.>

Older Than Dirt Quiz:

Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.

Ratings at the bottom.

1. Sweet cigarettes

2. Coffee shops with juke boxes

3. Home milk delivery in glass bottles

4. Party lines on the telephone

5. Newsreels before the movie

6. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning.. (There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])

7. Peashooters

8. 33 rpm records

9. 45 RPM records

10. Hi-fi's

11. Metal ice trays with levers

12. Blue flashbulb

13. Cork popguns

14. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young

If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older

If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age

If you remembered 11-14 = You're positively ancient!

I must be 'positively ancient' but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.

[ableguy]

Yep remmember all of the above with the exception ov Pizza I had never heard of it, ref the Corona pop I worked for them for many years they started out as a private company in Wales and were bought out by Beechams of the infamous Beechams powder, later when Beechams was bought out or merged I forget which, they sold the company off in bits, Tango orange for instance was bought out by Schweppes, happy memories, we did not have a TV but a radio which ran off some kind of liquid filled battery, in winter an extra coat on the bed and a hot water bottle, frost on the inside of the window every morning, I was six years old before I saw my first sweet due to rationing but all of the hardships ( which were normal to me at the time ) never did me any harm.

[smokie36]

In my small fishing village eating out was a fish supper. No one went hungry of course as you could always wait for low tide and go out catching crabs or whatever at the beach.

A real dicovery was food with taste....herbs....garlic....ohh and parmesan. I liked that so much I poured a while pot of it over a bowl of pasta first time I tried it. My girlfriend at the time was less than impressed! Oh well happy memories!

[domprz]

I used to be caned every Wednesday morning at school (with a fibreglass one which drew blood) for not going to cricket on Tuesday afternoon. I preferred five minutes of pain to 2 hours of boredom.

[StreetCowboy]

Stair rods

Coal deliveries

Darning needles

Tobacco tins

Cigarette coupons

On the subject of fast-food I really cannot believe that there were many of us (you) posting here before we had take-away chip shops though...

SC

[p_brownstone]

I well remember being sent by my Grandfather to buy 1 Woodbine - a brand of unfiltered cigarette in the UK at that time, and I do not mean 1 pack, literally 1 cigarette - from the local corner shop, often late at night - this happened regularly from when I was 6 or 7 years old until my Grandfather died many years later:

These days:

There are very few - if any - unfiltered cigarettes available (I don't smoke, so I don't know for sure I admit)

No way can you buy just 1 cigarette - anywhere

No-one can buy cigarettes at the age of 6 or 7

Few parents would allow their child to go out alone at night for fear of street violence - or worse

Any parent who did would probably be prosecuted for "child endangerment" or similar "offenses"

Patrick

[kenny999]

I well remember being sent by my Grandfather to buy 1 Woodbine - a brand of unfiltered cigarette in the UK at that time, and I do not mean 1 pack, literally 1 cigarette - from the local corner shop, often late at night - this happened regularly from when I was 6 or 7 years old until my Grandfather died many years later:

These days:

There are very few - if any - unfiltered cigarettes available (I don't smoke, so I don't know for sure I admit)

No way can you buy just 1 cigarette - anywhere

No-one can buy cigarettes at the age of 6 or 7

Few parents would allow their child to go out alone at night for fear of street violence - or worse

Any parent who did would probably be prosecuted for "child endangerment" or similar "offenses"

Patrick

The one thing I remember most of all is the Flying Scotsman steam train passing under the Iron bridge at the end of my road, I used to run up to the middle of the bridge and disappear amongst the steam. a great memory!!!!

[IanForbes]

Growing up on the west coast of Canada after the 2nd World War I remember all of the OP's comments. I never saw a television until 1950 when we towed a Star class sailboat across the States to a race in Chicago. My father was a competitive racing sailor.

We didn't have heat in the duplex we were living in because only the "special" customers got the Douglas fir sawdust that would actually burn. All heating was done by sawdust burners and the smoke made the city a smog hole when there was a temperature inversion. The fog was so thick you could get lost 20 feet from your house. Coming home from school we had to count the number of street crossings just to know where we were. My sister and I played hide and seek using the fog to hide. In our game you couldn't go off the path.

I never thought we were poor, but by today's standards we were very poor. It was so cold inside our room at night there was an inch of ice on the window every day. I used to enjoy seeing all the free form ice pictures. When it started to thaw I would watch droplets of water race down the window pane and tried to guess which one would reach the bottom first.

[PhilHarries]

We used to have a darn great radio, bigger than some TV's these days, that took five minutes to warm up. I remember listening to a program broadcasting music and messages from wives and girlfriends in Britain to their loved ones in the BFPO (British Forces Posted Overseas). I used to listen to the messages going out to guys in faraway places like Cyprus, Singapore, Aden, Hong Kong in awe. These places sounded so foreign, like another world which they were in the 50's when only the rich and servicemen ever travelled to the far flung corners of the globe. The rich, of course, travelling by air while the squaddies most likely by stinking troop ships.

The trouble with nostalgia is that as life goes on there are less and less folk who really know what we are talking about. Talk to anyone under thirty about a time without mobile phones, the internet, personal computers and they think you are having them on. The slightly worrying thing is that a lot of people now regard these things as essentials for life yet we invented them without their being there.

Sorry, gotta go cycle ten miles for a loaf of bread.

[rgs2001uk]

I well remember being sent by my Grandfather to buy 1 Woodbine - a brand of unfiltered cigarette in the UK at that time, and I do not mean 1 pack, literally 1 cigarette - from the local corner shop, often late at night - this happened regularly from when I was 6 or 7 years old until my Grandfather died many years later:

These days:

There are very few - if any - unfiltered cigarettes available (I don't smoke, so I don't know for sure I admit)

No way can you buy just 1 cigarette - anywhere

No-one can buy cigarettes at the age of 6 or 7

Few parents would allow their child to go out alone at night for fear of street violence - or worse

Any parent who did would probably be prosecuted for "child endangerment" or similar "offenses"

Patrick

You obviously dont live in a neighbourhood with a local Patels franchise.

Single cigarettes are sold as tip singles, dont ask me the price.

Your local Patels will also sell you, 1/2 a loaf of bread or single paracetamol.

I hear these franchises are popular with dope smokers, when a dose of the munchies comes on there is no need to head for the nearest motorway service station at 2 o'clock in the morning, Mr Patel & family are more than happy to cater for you, at a price of course.

Dont know if its still true but I remember some of the more enterprising branches also offering the facility to cash giros.

[MAJIC]

Yes times were hard when I was a boy :

I was 15 years old before I found out a Peach wasn't a Suede Apple... Quote "Les Dawson" (Comedian)

And from the same Comedian: Things were so hard when we were kids,we all had to get our clothes from the Surplus Army and Navy Stores,I didnt mind that,......but did they have to dress me up in a Japanese Generals Uniform.

[smokie36]

The one thing I remember most of all is the Flying Scotsman steam train passing under the Iron bridge at the end of my road, I used to run up to the middle of the bridge and disappear amongst the steam. a great memory!!!!

As a young laddie I would often stand on the railway bridge and wave to the Edinburgh to Inverness train....the driver always blew the horn as he passed.....and so he should as he was my grandfather!

[smokie36]

Stair rods

Coal deliveries

Darning needles

Tobacco tins

Cigarette coupons

On the subject of fast-food I really cannot believe that there were many of us (you) posting here before we had take-away chip shops though...

SC

Used to get 5p back on each bottle of Barr's fizzy juice.....seemed a great deal at the time.....mind you dental treatment was free then poor though it was......

[StreetCowboy]

Stair rods

Coal deliveries

Darning needles

Tobacco tins

Cigarette coupons

On the subject of fast-food I really cannot believe that there were many of us (you) posting here before we had take-away chip shops though...

SC

Used to get 5p back on each bottle of Barr's fizzy juice.....seemed a great deal at the time.....mind you dental treatment was free then poor though it was......

Hapy days sorting the Corona bottles from the Barr's

I can get Irn Bru in the supermarket here (gloat gloat)

SC

[smokie36]

Stair rods

Coal deliveries

Darning needles

Tobacco tins

Cigarette coupons

On the subject of fast-food I really cannot believe that there were many of us (you) posting here before we had take-away chip shops though...

SC

Used to get 5p back on each bottle of Barr's fizzy juice.....seemed a great deal at the time.....mind you dental treatment was free then poor though it was......

Hapy days sorting the Corona bottles from the Barr's

I can get Irn Bru in the supermarket here (gloat gloat)

SC

Always preferred red cola myself....or lemonade for my Grouse. This was of course while my malt was still in the barrel all those years ago.....

Irn Bru is the best hangover cure though....best served from the glass bottles which....you've guessed it....I can get from the garage across the road.

Back on the Lipton Ice Tea next month.

McGowans toffees were another favourite....although I suspect my dear old mum only bought them so she'd have five minutes peace and quiet!

Edited November 13, 2010 by smokie36

[smokie36]

1953, the Queens coronation. We were the only family that had a TV in our street so most of the street crammed into our house to watch the coronation.

I can remember having a day off school for the royal wedding in '81. All the men sat outside getting pissed while the women sat glued to the TV. Aye that and my old man setting the Betamax video recorder to the wrong channel so my mum never had a copy.

I still wonder if he did that deliberately....

[p_brownstone]

Our first TV was B & W with a very small screen - maybe 9 inches.

I made a point of being in front of it every Wednesday evening to watch the series "Last of the Mohicans", it was an incredibly gory series (OK, not so bad in B & W of course) and these days would probably be banned completely.

Patrick

[lanny]

I grew up in Southern California and I remember the Good Humour ice cream trucks and the Helms Bakery trucks. These use to come around every day and you could buy ice cream bars or cups and fresh bread and other bakery items.

Each had a unique horn or whistle they would use to announce their arrival.

As kids, we used to wait anxiously for the Good Humour ice cream. I don't remember for sure but I think an ice cream bar was a nickle or dime! Can't imagine the business would make any money today.

[StreetCowboy]

Used to get 5p back on each bottle of Barr's fizzy juice.....seemed a great deal at the time.....mind you dental treatment was free then poor though it was......

Hapy days sorting the Corona bottles from the Barr's

I can get Irn Bru in the supermarket here (gloat gloat)

SC

Always preferred red cola myself....or lemonade for my Grouse. This was of course while my malt was still in the barrel all those years ago.....

Irn Bru is the best hangover cure though....best served from the glass bottles which....you've guessed it....I can get from the garage across the road.

Back on the Lipton Ice Tea next month.

McGowans toffees were another favourite....although I suspect my dear old mum only bought them so she'd have five minutes peace and quiet!

Do you still get a shilling back on the bottle?

Do you still get evening / sports editions of the papers after the football? probably not, due to the arbitrary timing of the football games now...

HItch-hikers? When did you last see a hitch-hiker?

SC

[smokie36]

Do you still get a shilling back on the bottle?

Do you still get evening / sports editions of the papers after the football? probably not, due to the arbitrary timing of the football games now...

HItch-hikers? When did you last see a hitch-hiker?

SC

Imagine asking a neighbour for some milk....or inviting them round for a drink etc......you'd get locked up most likely.

Playing football in the street.....and the car waiting for a throw in or goal to be scored before passing. Haha can just imagine it now......ten kids mown down in hit and run!

In fact kids playing even in a park...theyall seem empty nowadays.....except in Shetland its still the same as I remember....little scallywags knocked my tammie off with an accurate snowball last time I was up there.

Hitching has gone....people have been programmed to believe they're all muggers and vagrants etc....best bet nowadays would be a long distance lorry park I reckon.

[StreetCowboy]

Do you still get a shilling back on the bottle?

Do you still get evening / sports editions of the papers after the football? probably not, due to the arbitrary timing of the football games now...

HItch-hikers? When did you last see a hitch-hiker?

SC

Imagine asking a neighbour for some milk....or inviting them round for a drink etc......you'd get locked up most likely.

Playing football in the street.....and the car waiting for a throw in or goal to be scored before passing. Haha can just imagine it now......ten kids mown down in hit and run!

In fact kids playing even in a park...theyall seem empty nowadays.....except in Shetland its still the same as I remember....little scallywags knocked my tammie off with an accurate snowball last time I was up there.

Hitching has gone....people have been programmed to believe they're all muggers and vagrants etc....best bet nowadays would be a long distance lorry park I reckon.

I reckon things aren't really thast different now than they ever were - people just think that they are...

I reckon hitching now would be not too bad - I reckon everyone that stopped would start with either "I've not seen a hitch-hiker for ten years now..." or "You can't hitch hike now, its not safe", but I reckon you'd not have to wait long before one or the other turned up.

I reckon the further you live from your neighbours, the more likely you'll invite them round for tea... I've never been one for speaking to the neighbours, but then I've lived most of my adult life in a flat - I spoke more to the neighbours when I lived in a terraced house than any of the flats - and my dear old mother, who lives in a detached villa, has the neighbours round every year, rain or shine - snow... Except now she;s moved on to greener pasturesm, which reminds me that I should ask her new address for the Christmas card...

Haha - postal addresses - remember when you could fill in "home address" the same from one year to the next..."permanent address"...! "address in home country" - how quaint! How 20th century!

SC

[smokie36]

I reckon things aren't really thast different now than they ever were - people just think that they are...

I reckon hitching now would be not too bad - I reckon everyone that stopped would start with either "I've not seen a hitch-hiker for ten years now..." or "You can't hitch hike now, its not safe", but I reckon you'd not have to wait long before one or the other turned up.

I reckon the further you live from your neighbours, the more likely you'll invite them round for tea... I've never been one for speaking to the neighbours, but then I've lived most of my adult life in a flat - I spoke more to the neighbours when I lived in a terraced house than any of the flats - and my dear old mother, who lives in a detached villa, has the neighbours round every year, rain or shine - snow... Except now she;s moved on to greener pasturesm, which reminds me that I should ask her new address for the Christmas card...

Haha - postal addresses - remember when you could fill in "home address" the same from one year to the next..."permanent address"...! "address in home country" - how quaint! How 20th century!

SC

Maybe we're all just too affluent these days.

I remember moving out of my council estate at 11 where I knew everyone and poppling in and out of my mates houses was just normal everyday behavior....doors were never locked except late at night.....always a feed or a glass of juice available for a thirsty kid.

We moved into a Barratt box of wannabe rich or aprirational fools estate you might call it. First month there I took a sponsorship form around the estate...well what a snooty bunch with triple locked doors all asking if I came from the nearby council estate....no one would give me a penny until they thought my parents were 'like them'.

Is the whole of the UK like this now or is my old council estate the same thriving hotbed of gossip and fun?

I'd go back and check but.....the lassie next door had a kid at 16 and well......

I just realised the 'kid' might have finished uni by now!

Anyway this was before DNA testing thank God.....

A link just for you SC.....here!

[StreetCowboy]

....

.....

A link just for you SC.....here!

TOP CHAP! Thanks very much indeed

Our first TV was B & W with a very small screen - maybe 9 inches.

I made a point of being in front of it every Wednesday evening to watch the series "Last of the Mohicans", it was an incredibly gory series (OK, not so bad in B & W of course) and these days would probably be banned completely.

Patrick

I'm sure you'll all recall the intro to the Mason Boyne slot on the Robbie Coltrane Show; in those daysI had a B & W TV

Anyway, it was only years later I realised that Mason Boyne was painting his geranium leaves orange. Or maybe blue; perhaps someone who had a colour box could fill me in?

Talking of which, the introduction to Rainbow, and the advert for the SUnday Mail or Daily Record didn't come over too well.

"Up above the streets and houses, rainbow climbing high

Paint the whole world...." grey.

SC