Could you stomach these Great Depression Meals?

[EChryst]

Found this from another site

Could you stomach these Great Depression meals?

Milk toast
Chipped beef on toast
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches
Mayonnaise sandwiches
Ketchup sandwiches
Hot milk and rice
Turtle/tortoise
Gopher
Potato soup – water base, not milk
Dandelion salad
Lard sandwiches
Bacon grease sandwiches
Sugar sandwiches
Hot dogs and baked beans
Road kill
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center
Oatmeal mixed with lard
Fried potatoes and hot dogs
Onion sandwich – slices of onion between bread
Tomato gravy and biscuits
Deep fried chicken skin
Cornbread in milk
Gravy and bread – as a main dish
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy
Creamed corn on toast
Corn mush with milk for breakfast, fried corn mush for dinner
Squirrel
Rice in milk with some sugar
Beans
Fried potato peel sandwiches
Banana slices with powdered sugar and milk
Boiled cabbage
Hamburger mixed with oatmeal
American cheese sandwich, ‘American’ cheese was invented because it was cheap to make, and didn’t require refrigeration that may or may not exist back then.
Tomato gravy on rice
Toast with milk gravy
Water fried pancakes
Chicken feet in broth
Fried bologna
Warm canned tomatoes with bread
Butter and sugar sandwiches
Fried potato and bread cubes
Bean soup
Runny eggs with grits
Butter and grits with sugar and milk
Baked apples
Sliced boiled pork liver on buttered toast (slice liver with potato peeler)
Corn meal mush
Spaghetti with tomato juice and navy beans
Whatever fish or game you could catch/hunt
Tomato sandwiches
Hard boiled eggs in white sauce over rice
Spam and noodles with cream of mushroom soup
Rag soup: spinach, broth and lots of macaroni
Garbanzo beans fried in chicken fat or lard, salted, and eaten cold
Popcorn with milk and sugar – ate it like cereal

[duodecima]

There's about 6 things on there that I haven't either eaten or eaten something so similar I don't worry about "stomaching" the thing on the list. (One is chicken feet - I've eaten them. I'd have be damn hungry, I don't care for them at all. The broth sounds fine.)

I make&serve a a few of those now (we call one-eyed sam, "eggs in a basket," roasted garbanzos are a favorite snack, I call it "braised" cabbage rather than boiled...)

[Mister Dark]

[quote="EChryst"]Found this from another site

Could you stomach these Great Depression meals?

Havent done all of these, but wanted to toss in a few thoughts on the ones that stick out to me.

Milk toast Not my fav, but with warm milk is good when you are getting over a cold. Add a sprinkle of sugar, not bad at allChipped beef on toast
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches
Mayonnaise sandwiches
Ketchup sandwiches I was a broke college student once, so of course I tried variations on this.
Hot milk and rice Actually quite goodTurtle/tortoise
Gopher
Potato soup – water base, not milk
Dandelion salad I add dandelions to my regular salads, so why not?
Lard sandwiches
Bacon grease sandwiches
Sugar sandwiches
Hot dogs and baked beans Its called "beanie weinies" and I think I have some in my pantry right now
Road kill Not yet, but if its fresh and free...
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center I dont like em runny, but otherwise yea
Oatmeal mixed with lard
Fried potatoes and hot dogs
Onion sandwich – slices of onion between bread yup. Not my fav, but add a few slices of bacon...
Tomato gravy and biscuits
Deep fried chicken skin I eat pork rinds now, not much difference I would imagine.
Cornbread in milk This has been a fav of my dads since before I remember. He was a kid in the 30's, maybe thats where he got it from. Pretty tasty!
Gravy and bread – as a main dish
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy
Creamed corn on toast Yup. Pretty darn good actually. I like this in warm weather for some odd reason.
Corn mush with milk for breakfast, fried corn mush for dinner
Squirrel Tastes like chicken!
Rice in milk with some sugar Cook it a little while, it becomes a kind of rice pudding. Very good, and quite filling
Beans duh
Fried potato peel sandwiches
Banana slices with powdered sugar and milk
Boiled cabbage Yep. Not my fav, but if I have some pot roast with it... yum
Hamburger mixed with oatmeal Never done this, but it actually sounds good. Wonder if dehydrated ground beef and oatmeal would keep on the trail??
American cheese sandwich I have young kids running around. Grilled cheese is its own food group around here. And I happen to like American cheese!
Tomato gravy on rice hmmm. tomato gravy?
Toast with milk gravy
Water fried pancakes
Chicken feet in broth
Fried bologna
Warm canned tomatoes with bread
Butter and sugar sandwiches
Fried potato and bread cubes
Bean soup
Runny eggs with grits Nope. I cook my eggs a little longer. Runny eggs = ick. but mix scrambled eggs with grits, I could see that being good.
Butter and grits with sugar and milk Never tried it, but whats not to like? Butter, sugar, milk, grits. WIN
Baked apples Love em
Sliced boiled pork liver on buttered toast (slice liver with potato peeler) Never tried that, but I bet its awesome with a few saute'd onions.
Corn meal mush
Spaghetti with tomato juice and navy beans
Whatever fish or game you could catch/hunt not as often as I'd like
Tomato sandwiches Fresh off the vine, with a dab of mayo and salt? Heck yes!
Hard boiled eggs in white sauce over rice
Spam and noodles with cream of mushroom soup
Rag soup: spinach, broth and lots of macaroni
Garbanzo beans fried in chicken fat or lard, salted, and eaten cold
Popcorn with milk and sugar – ate it like cereal

Ok, so yea, I have at least experienced most of these once or twice. Quite a few are common snacks or quick lunches around the household. Some, I dunno if I would actually add to my weekly meal planner, but that doesnt mean I wouldnt try it. Actually most everything here sounds pretty good. And can be fixed even today for a lot less money than most McDonalds combos.

[grennels]

Hold the lard sandwiches and the chicken feet. I've eaten most everything else.
Some of it routinely. Chipped beef on toast, Mmmm. Better on mashed potatoes, though.

[Cybrludite]

Milk toast - Sure
Chipped beef on toast - I cook this already
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches - Odd combo, but sure
Mayonnaise sandwiches - Sure
Ketchup sandwiches - Sure
Hot milk and rice - Sure
Turtle/tortoise - It's not bad
Gopher - Sure
Potato soup – water base, not milk - What, you've never put too much water into your instant mashed taters?
Dandelion salad - Sure
Lard sandwiches - Sure
Bacon grease sandwiches - Had these when I was unemployed after 9/11
Sugar sandwiches - I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but sure
Hot dogs and baked beans - How posh do you have to be to include franks & beans on a list like this?
Road kill - Ok, this one is iffy. I'd have to be pretty damn hungry, and the roadkill very fresh & not too mangled.
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center - I prefer my eggs over hard, but I see no problem here
Oatmeal mixed with lard - Sure
Fried potatoes and hot dogs - Sure
Onion sandwich – slices of onion between bread - Only if I didn't have a date that night
Tomato gravy and biscuits - Sure
Deep fried chicken skin - Actually, they still make this. I've gotten it at a couple of local convenience stores
Cornbread in milk - Sure
Gravy and bread – as a main dish - Do biscuits & gravy count?
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy - Sure
Creamed corn on toast - Sure
Corn mush with milk for breakfast, fried corn mush for dinner - Sure
Squirrel - Makes a good stew
Rice in milk with some sugar - Sure
Beans - Sure
Fried potato peel sandwiches - Sure
Banana slices with powdered sugar and milk - Sure
Boiled cabbage - Really, who doesn't eat this?
Hamburger mixed with oatmeal - Well, that's one way to stretch the burger. I'd be pissed if I only found out about it after the fact, though
American cheese sandwich, ‘American’ cheese was invented because it was cheap to make, and didn’t require refrigeration that may or may not exist back then. - Again, who hasn't had this?
Tomato gravy on rice - Sure
Toast with milk gravy - Sure
Water fried pancakes - The hell does "water fried" mean?
Chicken feet in broth - I don't think there's enough meat there to be worth the effort. Supposed to be a delicacy in China, though
Fried bologna - Sure
Warm canned tomatoes with bread - Sure
Butter and sugar sandwiches - Again, not much of a sweet tooth here, but it beats going hungry
Fried potato and bread cubes - See my comment on the burger & oats
Bean soup - I make this now
Runny eggs with grits - Again, I prefer my eggs over hard, but I see no problem with this either
Butter and grits with sugar and milk - Only Yankees put sugar on grits!
Baked apples - Yum!
Sliced boiled pork liver on buttered toast (slice liver with potato peeler) - I don't care for the taste of liver, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at this
Corn meal mush - Sure
Spaghetti with tomato juice and navy beans - Sure
Whatever fish or game you could catch/hunt - BTDT
Tomato sandwiches - Sure
Hard boiled eggs in white sauce over rice - Sure
Spam and noodles with cream of mushroom soup - Sure
Rag soup: spinach, broth and lots of macaroni - I'm gonna have to find a recipe for this
Garbanzo beans fried in chicken fat or lard, salted, and eaten cold - Sure
Popcorn with milk and sugar – ate it like cereal - Sure

Really, most of these sound like what a bachelor might throw together with what was in the pantry after his girlfriend walked out on him. Heck, except for the roadkill & chicken feet, most of this is pretty tame.

[EChryst]

That's what I was thinking.. .most of these aren't so bad, some of these I actively seek out as meals, and... well... Chipped Beef on Toast is my FAVORITE meal.

[TravisM.1]

Chipped beef on toast
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches
Gopher
Dandelion salad
Hot dogs and baked beans
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center (my mom calls it "egg in a hole", others call it "egg in a basket")
Fried potatoes and hot dogs
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy
Creamed corn on toast
Squirrel
Fried bologna
Fried potato and bread cubes
Bean soup
Butter and grits with sugar and milk
Baked apples

Those aren't so bad. The rest probably are pallatable, but suck.

My in-laws family has this recipe, macaroni and kidney beans. Cook macaroni, drain, put in some milk, and a can of kidney beans. About the nastiest, most bland shit I've ever tried.

[BA_SOONER]

Found this from another site

Could you stomach these Great Depression meals?

Milk toast - What's this
Chipped beef on toast - Yum!
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches - Sounds odd - I'd rather eat them seperatly but I could eat it if hungry
Mayonnaise sandwiches - Had it in college - Not horriable
Ketchup sandwiches - Used to eat these as a kid...taste fine, just grew out of that phase (my neices eat them now)
Hot milk and rice - Again, odd combo, I'd rather eat them seperatly
Turtle/tortoise - Had it, tastes like frog or "fishy chicken" as my wife says. Cooked right it can be tastey
Gopher - Not had it, but I'd guess it tastes like squriell - Over a fire, meat is meat
Potato soup – water base, not milk - Can we add some spice? Yes this would be ok, the potatos would thicken up the soup
Dandelion salad - Yum!
Lard sandwiches - I'd rather use the lard to cook some meat....I'd pass on eating the lard to wait on meat and eat the bread.
Bacon grease sandwiches - Same as above or at the very least, I'd toast the bread.
Sugar sandwiches - Again, why eat this combo when you can use sugar to make something else more palitable? But yes.
Hot dogs and baked beans - YUM!!
Road kill - Depends how old. Why eat something that will only make you sick?
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center - YUM!!
Oatmeal mixed with lard - This sounds gross.
Fried potatoes and hot dogs - YUM!!
Onion sandwich – slices of onion between bread - Rather use the onion for a soup....but if I had to sure
Tomato gravy and biscuits - Sounds differnt but do able
Deep fried chicken skin - LOL, some people eat only the skin off fried chicken....
Cornbread in milk - Do able
Gravy and bread – as a main dish - YUM!!
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy - YUM!!
Creamed corn on toast - YUM!!
Corn mush with milk for breakfast, fried corn mush for dinner - Never seen it, but sounds ok
Squirrel - Tastes fine
Rice in milk with some sugar - Sounds odd but I could eat it
Beans - ??????
Fried potato peel sandwiches - This would be hard
Banana slices with powdered sugar and milk - Sounds like desert
Boiled cabbage - Do able
Hamburger mixed with oatmeal - Sounds like it'd be ok
American cheese sandwich, ‘American’ cheese was invented because it was cheap to make, and didn’t require refrigeration that may or may not exist back then. - Uh...eat this every day
Tomato gravy on rice - Sounds ok
Toast with milk gravy - Again, sounds ok
Water fried pancakes - WTF are these? LOL
Chicken feet in broth - NO F'ing WAY
Fried bologna - YUM!!
Warm canned tomatoes with bread - Eh, I'd eat it if hungry
Butter and sugar sandwiches - Sounds ok....
Fried potato and bread cubes - I'd eat it if needed
Bean soup - ???????
Runny eggs with grits - Rather the eggs be cooked but sure
Butter and grits with sugar and milk - Sure!
Baked apples - WTF?? Yes?
Sliced boiled pork liver on buttered toast (slice liver with potato peeler) - No way!
Corn meal mush - If I had to yes
Spaghetti with tomato juice and navy beans - Yes
Whatever fish or game you could catch/hunt - Uh....of course!
Tomato sandwiches - Hate tomatos but if I had to yes
Hard boiled eggs in white sauce over rice - Sounds ok
Spam and noodles with cream of mushroom soup - Yes, this sounds tastey
Rag soup: spinach, broth and lots of macaroni - Sure if I was hungry
Garbanzo beans fried in chicken fat or lard, salted, and eaten cold - Why cold? But yes
Popcorn with milk and sugar – ate it like cereal - Sounds gross but I'd eat it

Most of those I eat a on regular basis....and it made me hungry. If this is the PAW menu - COUNT ME IN!

Come back when you add cockaroaches, cow tail, and some Andrew Zimmerman food. Then I may gag.

[GMScooter]

That's what I was thinking.. .most of these aren't so bad, some of these I actively seek out as meals, and... well... Chipped Beef on Toast is my FAVORITE meal.

Ditto, sir. I grew up eating chipped beef on toast....although we used the army name for it.

[Confucius]

Oh god, sugar on grits...


I'm not sure I could stomach that abomination.

[ruralranger]

That's what I was thinking.. .most of these aren't so bad, some of these I actively seek out as meals, and... well... Chipped Beef on Toast is my FAVORITE meal.

Ditto, sir. I grew up eating chipped beef on toast....although we used the army name for it.

yea,it was known as ''sos'' lol

[TravisM.1]

And tomato sandwiches? I wait all year for those in the summer! Sliced tomatoes, bread and miracle whip. Salt and pepper to taste. Like anything else, better with bacon.

[bonanacrom]

If it isn't eggplant I can eat it. ( before the doc's no-no list of food for me )

[jamoni]

N=have not tried and don't want to, Y=have tried and liked, X=have tried and not liked, W=want to try
Milk toast Y
Chipped beef on toast Y
Cucumber and mustard sandwiches W
Mayonnaise sandwiches N I HATE mayonaise.
Ketchup sandwiches X
Hot milk and rice Y
Turtle/tortoise Y
Gopher W
Potato soup – water base, not milk Y
Dandelion salad Y
Lard sandwiches N
Bacon grease sandwiches N
Sugar sandwiches W
Hot dogs and baked beans Y
Road kill N
One eyed Sam – piece of bread with an easy over egg in the center Y
Oatmeal mixed with lard W
Fried potatoes and hot dogs W :These are both delicious, so why not?
Onion sandwich – slices of onion between bread W
Tomato gravy and biscuits W
Deep fried chicken skin X
Cornbread in milk Y
Gravy and bread – as a main dish Y
Toast with mashed potatoes on top with gravy W This sounds delicious!
Creamed corn on toast Y
Corn mush with milk for breakfast, fried corn mush for dinner W
Squirrel Y
Rice in milk with some sugar Y. This is delicious
Beans WTF? It's BEANS.
Fried potato peel sandwiches W
Banana slices with powdered sugar and milk W BTW, who the hell had bananas in the depression?
Boiled cabbage X I love cabbage, but it always gives me the shits
Hamburger mixed with oatmeal W
American cheese sandwich, ‘American’ cheese was invented because it was cheap to make, and didn’t require refrigeration that may or may not exist back then. Y Uh, cheese sandwich? Sounds pretty good
Tomato gravy on rice W yum!
Toast with milk gravy Y yum!
Water fried pancakes ??????
Chicken feet in broth N blech. I'll take the broth
Fried bologna Y yum!!!!
Warm canned tomatoes with bread Y
Butter and sugar sandwiches Y, except we used cinnamon too.
Fried potato and bread cubes Y I think this is called "Normal breakfast"
Bean soup Y Uh, yeah.
Runny eggs with grits Y Also falls under "Normal breakfast" category
Butter and grits with sugar and milk See above
Baked apples Yes please!
Sliced boiled pork liver on buttered toast (slice liver with potato peeler) Not a big liver fan, but I'd eat it
Corn meal mush Y
Spaghetti with tomato juice and navy beans Y I love all of these things
Whatever fish or game you could catch/hunt Y
Tomato sandwiches Y
Hard boiled eggs in white sauce over rice W
Spam and noodles with cream of mushroom soup W
Rag soup: spinach, broth and lots of macaroni W
Garbanzo beans fried in chicken fat or lard, salted, and eaten cold Y
Popcorn with milk and sugar – ate it like cereal W

Um, most of these sound pretty damned good.
EDIT: Hey, I've got one to add to the list!!!!
Nothing. Nothing at all.
That's the only one I'd have a problem with.

[duodecima]

Most of those I eat a on regular basis....and it made me hungry. If this is the PAW menu - COUNT ME IN!

Come back when you add cockaroaches, cow tail, and some Andrew Zimmerman food. Then I may gag.

Yeah, while not gourmet, that doesn't look bad.

And "ox tail" is sometimes considered gourmet food, that can be braised in water until falling apart with a nice stock around it, add other stuff if you've got it, would make a nice addition to rice and/or beans...

[RickOShea]

Looks like the menu from several of the country cookin' restaurants in my AO.......It's missing the BBQ pigs feet and mountain oysters, though.

[Czechnology]

Um, most of these sound pretty damned good.
EDIT: Hey, I've got one to add to the list!!!!
Nothing. Nothing at all.
That's the only one I'd have a problem with.

Almost as bad as nothing is a Wish Sandwich.

[RickOShea]

Um, most of these sound pretty damned good.
EDIT: Hey, I've got one to add to the list!!!!
Nothing. Nothing at all.
That's the only one I'd have a problem with.

Almost as bad as nothing is a Wish Sandwich.

Or a rubber biscuit. If it don't bounce back, you go hungry.

[DarkandShiny]

Most of the items made me hungry.

The only thing that is iffy for me is the 'road kill' which, depending on condition may be unsafe. I've had chicken feet soup in the Philippines and it was nasty and certainly not worth the effort nutritionally speaking.

[ZombieGranny]

Well I don't like mustard, so ick to the cucumber & mustard sandwiches.
Gopher is supposed to taste like squirrel.
We never used lard, just bacon grease.

Fried potato peels are good, not sure why you'd put them in bread though.
Chicken feet is something I don't want to eat, and my dad always ate the pork liver...
Personally (don't hate me guys) I can't stand Spam...

Other than that, yes I have eaten the rest of them. Some we still eat.
Chipped beef we eat over rice, not toast.

[RickOShea]

Both of my Grandfathers would use pure, white lard on their biscuits instead of butter.

[raptor]

Gumbo, Jambalaya and Poor Boy sandwiches are also depression fare. The first two can be made with damn near anything edible. Gumbo's key ingredient is water and Jambalya's rice. An original poor boy was simply cheap french bread and bottom of the pot beef leftovers, gravy and potatoes.

Eating cheap does not have to taste bad.

A word of advice...invest in some cooking lessons. Cooked properly anything can taste great. Cooking is not hard; it simply requires attention to details.

[pahwraith]

Chicken feet are delicous. Just trim the toenails.

My mom used to give them to me when I was 3-4 all the time as a snack. She also fed me every other piece of offal in existence at one point or another. Which you can now pay a premium for in fancy restaurants. Go figure.

[Czechnology]

Interesting note about "American" Cheese Product. It was invented in Switzerland, but nobody thought anyone would actually pay money for it, until Kraft bet that Americans, historically not known for producing decent cheese, would eat anything cheap enough. It was originally white, like margarine, after protests by the people who made actual cheese, but later dyed yellow (like margarine) when they could no longer claim that people were unfamiliar enough with the fake stuff as to be incapable of telling the difference. Ask anyone over 60 about the dye packets their margarine used to come with.