Friday, December 11, 2009

Tastes Different? or Different Tastes?

As I get older, I find myself thinking that some commercial foods just don't taste the same as they used to. My flavor memory is pretty strong, and in my mind's palate, I can still taste a 70s Milky Way bar. I eat one today, and there's no comparison - it's just not the same. Tastykakes? Again, not the same. I blame it on high fructose corn syrup. Were Doritos and Cheetos always so salty? Or is that an effect of my now more-sophisticated sense of taste?

I'm happy to occasionally discover that some things have stayed much the same: gherkins, Utz potato chips, Hershey bars (not that they were ever good). But I'm sure eventually they will change. Or I will.

What are your favorite snack items/candies that just aren't the same as they used to be?


6 comments:

Kate said...

Goetze's Caramel Creams. These were my favorite candies as a kid, and back in the day they were truly creamy, both the caramel ring and the white center. Somewhere along the way it seemed as though they reduced the amount of actual cream in the candy and replaced it with sugar, because they lost the creamy mouth feel and became too sweet and almost gritty by comparison. I stopped eating the years ago. :o(

Chris said...

Mmmmm, Utz potato chips . . . I really miss those (we used to get them in PA, but they don't have 'em here in TX). The BBQ flavor ones are my favorite.

We also don't get Tastykakes here. :(

Kate said...

Tastykake cakes are not what they once were, but the pies are still pretty good. Utz potato chips are as good as they ever were. I like the BBQ flavor too!

Miss Ginger Grant said...

I'm with Kate- the caramel creams used to be creamy, but now the center is just sugar mixed with Crisco®! Sam for Little Debbie Oatmeal Cakes- ask any southerner! They used to be sinfully creamy and delicious- now they are just sugar and shortening with a few flakes of oatmeal stirred in!

theminx said...

I think this is a case of "different tastes" - I ate both Goetzes Caramel Cremes AND Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies in the 70s and both were disgusting. :) I can't imagine they've gotten worse!

Dara Bunjon said...

Coddies, they just aren't the same anymore and OMG, inflation. I used to pay 11 cents for a coddie and coke and now about $2.50. Then again, I'm older than the hills. But there was nothing like the coddie and a fountain coke after school.