Older Adults Are Sharing The Food "Norms" They Grew Up With That Are Foreign To Anyone Under 30

“One thing from the ’70s is that these were fairly common. You could go to many restaurants and just order it as a meal.”

I'm Claudia, an NYC-based editor on the Tasty team covering all things food, whether it's a viral recipe, the latest food drama, or politicians awkwardly standing in a Steak 'N Shake.

"Snacks were 'have an apple.' If you weren't hungry for an apple, you weren't hungry."

"Burger King and McDonald's were a payday treat when I was little. It was also the only time I could have soda."

"Thank you! No one ever thinks of smoking! It's an oral fixation and appetite suppressant. Now, people snack more to make up for it."

"I loved those days. Since COVID, I doubt we'll ever see one again."

"Iceberg lettuce always. I didn't even know other kinds existed back then."

"Yeah, companies pushing 'fat-free' everything with tons of other unhealthy crap added to make it taste better. Eggs were bad, butter was bad, etc. Now, we know better, but the damage was done."

"The microwave oven doesn't get nearly enough credit for how it changed what, how, and when we eat. Hot meals were no longer a luxury. Although the microwave oven had been invented years earlier, it wasn't until the late 1970s that the prices had become affordable for the average American."

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.