by I have a vague memory of the late 1970’s in Middle America where every female member of my extended family was on a daily diet — at least when in the public company of others. The standard 1970’s diet plate — in case you need reminding or edification — consisted of the following:
- A lump of cottage cheese
- A lean, grey, paper-thin “extra lean” hamburger patty on wilted lettuce
- One slice of tomato
- One canned peach slice in light syrup
- Non-sweetened iced tea, weakly brewed
I can’t remember one person delighting in having to eat that slop. It took ten years — in the late 1980’s — for scientists and dietitians to discover the standard 1970’s diet plate was actually just as fattening and bad for your health as what the men in our family had been eating all along at every meal: Steak and potatoes! Then the Diet Nation turned to the microwave oven as the salvation of homemaker sweat and as an opportunity of everyday convenience for helping to create healthy food fast.
Speed of preparation took precedence over any consumer fears of eating microwaved food and thus helped to set the production of expectation for irradiated food to come. Today, it is hard to find a healthy, pre-packaged meal, that doesn’t require a microwave for the cooking. Five years ago you could heat up your prepared meal in an oven. Three years ago you could boil your prepared meal on a stovetop.
A year ago you had a choice of three preparations: Oven, boiling or microwave. Now, if you don’t have a microwave, you can’t even get in the pre-packaged meal game and you are left to drool on the sidelines with rotting memories of cottage cheese lumps and extra-lean burger patties dancing with wilted lettuce on your tongue.
I think I’m gonna be sick with all the cottage cheese. Grew up on it as moms diet food.
It was in our house, too, Karvain! How did you eat it? We added sugar. Sometimes salt and pepper. Sometimes tomatoes.
Tried not to eat it. Mom put salt on the cottage cheese. Sugar on the tomato. Moms aunt put sour cream on the cottage cheese.
Sugar on tomatoes is not bad — but if you’re trying to eat healthy, why? If you hate the taste of tomatoes, well then…
I confess to loving sour cream in another life — but to put it on cottage cheese seems like heaping cream upon cream and cheese upon curdled cheese!
Sour cream is the lords prize. I put it on all but popcorn.
Sour cream has always reminded me of a less portable, but more delicious, cheese.
Hi David,
I do use microwave a lot but can’t survive on pre packaged food for long…
I need to have fresh cooked meals at least 3/4 days a week!
Cottage cheese rock! So does tomatoes!
KATHA!
THERE YOU ARE!
I’m so glad your real life is allowing you back here in our pretend ether for a bit. 😆
I’m with you on preparing real food.
Do you eat cottage cheese raw or do you use it as an ingredient in a larger dish?
Have you ever tried clotted cream?
Ha..ha..ha…
Sometimes real life interferes…! 😀
I eat cottage cheese both raw and cooked – I make cottage cheese balls and then add it in a mixed vegetable dish – love it!
Never tried clotted cream though!
I know, I know – I didn’t log in!
You’re making me hungry, Katha!
What is that milk product that is sort of like cottage cheese that is used in Indian cooking? I tried that before in another life and it was incredibly delicious.
I haven’t tried clotted cream, either, but I understand it’s a delicacy in the UK.
Heh!
The milk product you are talking about is “Paneer” – it is extremely delicious and is used as a meat-substitute.
Ah, yes, Paneer! Soooooooooo gooooooood! 😀