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5 Foods People Over 55 Say Used to Be Better

Evidence-Based
People over 55 say these classic foods used to taste far better than today.

Times have certainly changed, with food quality among certain items being affected. Technology and the use of antibiotics play a role in our food over time, and the 55 plus generation can remember the days when certain foods were just…better. Here are 5 foods that generation says used to taste better overall.

McDonald’s French Fries

McDonald’s

McDonald’s French Fries are one salty treat diners say used to be even better than they are today (if you can believe it). “McDonald’s french fries tasted better frying them in beef fat was much tastier than whatever they are using today,” one commenter said.

Fresh Produce

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Quite a few people mentioned the simple pleasure of better produce. “Fresh fruit and vegetables used to taste better. That was before they were altered to improve appearance and shelf life,” a commenter said. “Some of them were smaller and didn’t look like perfect specimens, but they tasted wonderful. Also many more people had vegetable gardens and fruit trees so the produce we ate was fresher.”

Pork Chops

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Pork chops used to be a regular part of the dinner rotation in many households. “Pork chops had fat on them and when those chops were grilled they were fantastic,” a commenter said. “I would say pork tasted better before they started producing leaner pork as the fat was the flavor,” another said.

Milk and Dairy

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Even dairy was different according to those who remember the simple tasty pleasures of raw milk. “We still had access to fresh raw milk in supermarkets and drive/walk up diaries and in some areas home delivery,” a commenter said. “The quality of the milk, cream, butter, etc was phenomenal and beyond compare to any you could get in contemporary supermarkets. But you can still get fresh raw milk in LA, it’s just really expensive and while it is better than supermarket milk it isn’t as good as my memory of dairy 50+ years ago.”

Hostess Treats

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Some mentioned the popular snack foods from Hostess tasted better back then. “Even processed snack foods were better. Hostess products like Ding Dongs & Twinkies were so much better. So good. Wonder bread was delicious,” the commenter said. “Now snack foods are nothing but preservatives. They taste gross. It’s been decades since I’ve eaten them. Even now with krispy cream donuts have so much preservatives they don’t grow moldy even though they’re made with ‘fresh’ ingredients.”

Jess Kelly
Jess Kelly is an accomplished freelance writer and journalist with nearly a decade of experience contributing to renowned media outlets, including The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, AAA, Elite Traveler, Eater, Food52, Insider, Wine Enthusiast, Kitchn, AAA World Magazine, Thrillist, Conde Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, Hemispheres, and TravelPulse. Read more about Jess
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