10 Disgusting Foods That Were 1980s Staples & 10 We're Nostalgic For
Were The 80s Delicious Or Just Deranged?
The 80s were a wild time, characterized by over-the-top fashion choices, neon-colored everything, music with too much synth, and of course, questionable foods. It was a decade that seemed constantly at odds with itself: as consumers were pushing for "healthy" low-fat options, they were also obsessed with convenient, instant, and highly processed foods. It was the decade that gave us microwavable mystery meat, jellied entrees, and sprayable dairy products. While there was no shortage of cringe-worthy products that came out of the 80s, there were also plenty of nostalgic gems that live rent-free in the minds of Gen Xers. Here are 10 disgusting foods that were mainstays of the 80s and 10 that we'd happily smash if they still existed.
1. Easy Cheese
The whole concept of putting neon-colored liquid "cheese" in a spray can is so cringe and so 80s. The resulting orange strands it would spit out were so unappetizing and so unlike real cheese.
Steven Depolo from Grand Rapids, MI, USA on Wikimedia
2. Lean Cuisine
Lean Cuisine was the unfortunate result of the 80s aerobics trend that dieting adults swore by. These frozen dinners promised all the flavor with none of the guilt, but in reality, they were usually small portions of mushy vegetables and bouncy chicken. Given how unappealing they were, it's no wonder people lost weight on them.
3. Hubba Bubba Soda
The Hubba Bubba soda was a strange novelty drink of the 80s that put the sweet, indescribable flavor of bubble gum into a liquid format. It was cloyingly sugary, not refreshing at all, and just felt wrong as a drink.
4. Chocolate Pasta
The 80s saw a surge in experimental cuisine, of which chocolate pasta was a star. Just like upscale Italian restaurants add activated charcoal or squid ink to pasta today to make it visually dramatic on the plate, cocoa was used in the 80s. Chocolate pasta was often served savory but sometimes, it was a dessert, topped with whipped cream, coulis, or even ice cream.
5. Spray Butter
What was the deal with putting fatty dairy products in spray cans in the 1980s? This product was marketed as a low-fat alternative to butter and came out of the hardcore diet fad of the decade. You could spray this chemically fake butter directly onto your toast, though we're not sure why anyone would want to.
6. Sloppy Joe
Although the Sloppy Joe likely originated in the 1930s, it became synonymous with 1980s American comfort food and a mainstay in school cafeterias. In case it escaped you, the Sloppy Joe was ground beef simmered in a sweet, ketchup-heavy sauce, and slapped on a hamburger bun. It was always a mess to eat and horrendous to look at.
7. Steak-umm
The 80s was full of contradictions: it was at once a decade obsessed with "health" and dieting whilst also being fascinated with instant, highly processed foods. Steak-umm, a frozen sheet of beef that would turn into a hot, greasy pile of thinly sliced meat in seconds on a hot pan fits into the latter category. Served on a hoagie roll with a spray of Cheese Whiz and you had a quintessential 80s meal.
8. Hi-C
Hi-C was a cultural icon of the 80s. It was a fruit drink that came in powdered form, juice boxes, or giant plastic jugs. It had just enough actual fruit juice in it to legally be called juice (about 5 percent), the rest of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavor.
9. Sizzlean
Another unfortunate product of the 80s low-fat craze was this sad alternative to bacon. Made from a mix of beef, pork, and sometimes turkey, it was highly processed and weirdly spongey. If you were craving bacon, it definitely didn't fit the bill.
10. Aspic
Aspic was a gelatin made from meat stock or consommé that was bafflingly popular during much of the 20th century and persisted throughout the 80s. People used to suspend meat, seafood, vegetables, and eggs in the stuff to create what they must've thought looked modern and elegant.
Now that we've covered some of the many horrible foods that were mainstays in the 1980s, let's talk about the ones that actually kind of slapped.
1. Pudding Pops
Pudding Pops were arguably the best product ever to come out of the Jell-O company. They were essentially frozen pudding on a stick and they were amazing. They came in chocolate, vanilla, and the MVP, swirl.
2. Mr. T Cereal
Nothing screams the 1980s like this Mr. T breakfast cereal. With the tagline "I pity the fool who don't eat my cereal," no one wanted to be that fool, so everyone was eating this sweet corn and oat cereal. It faded off grocery store shelves along with Mr. T's pop culture presence.
Fotopersbureau De Boer on Wikimedia
3. Peanut Butter Boppers
The Peanut Butter Bopper was essentially a candy bar that snuck onto the snack shelf. They were made up of all the good stuff in granola bars, minus the oats, However, they didn't survive in the low-fat, low-sugar market of the 80s.
4. Tato Skins
Tato Skins were potato chips made in the 80s that used the whole potato, including the skin. Gloriously greasy with a unique baked potato-esque flavor thanks to the skins, it's a wonder why all other companies insist on peeling the potatoes before frying. These chips were also different because they were super seasoned and boldly flavored compared to other chips on the market.
5. Kudos
With flavors like M&M's, Snickers, and Cookies n' Cream, Kudos were candy bars disguised as granola bars. They continued to be fixtures in school lunchboxes well into the 2000s but were discontinued in 2017 once parents finally understood they weren't giving their kids granola.
6. Fruit Bars
Fruit Corners Fruit Bars were essentially more refined fruit roll-ups in a bar shape. In contrast to other fruit snacks of the era, these were actually 100 percent fruit-based, but minus the fiber, which basically means they're just sugar anyway.
7. McDonald's McDLT
The McDLT (McDonald's Lettuce and Tomato) was a gimmicky version of a deluxe burger that served the burger in two halves: one side for the hot meat and the other for the lettuce and tomato. The idea was to keep the veggies fresh and cool because no one likes soggy, warm lettuce on their burger.
8. Taco Bell’s Enchirito
The Enchirito was a hybrid between an enchilada and a burrito filled with beef, refried beans, and onions, smothered in enchilada sauce and cheese, and served in a little black tray with a spork. It was the epitome of greasy Tex-Mex cuisine and it's an absolute wonder why they would discontinue such an item.
9. Orange Julius
Mall runs in the 1980s were never complete without an Orange Julius. The frothy, tangy drink was made of orange juice concentrate, ice, sugar, and a mysterious substance that gave it its characteristic foaminess. It tasted like a dreamy orange creamsicle.
10. Bonkers Fruit Candy
Added to the long list of fruit-flavored snacks from the 80s is Bonkers Fruit Candy. The rectangular fruit chews with a liquid center administered an almost overwhelming explosion of flavor to your mouth and the company used bizarre, culty advertising that matched the surprising boldness of the candies themselves.
