Another young upstart would-be influencer has popped up to taunt us Boomers. This time, the post is about items we all had in our homes 30 years ago that have since ‘disappeared’. Well. I’m here to tell you, many of mine are still in daily use!
My ‘newstalgized’ crock pot’: I still use it at least once or twice a week!
The author of the inflammatory post we’re spotlighting today, Dave Stopera, describes himself thus: “Hi, I’m Dave, author of all those articles your aunt sent you that you may or may not have clicked on. […] When I’m not working, I can usually be found in a dark room staring at an empty wall, wondering where it all went wrong.”
Need I say more? Yes…
His mantra, like those of many younger folks (Dave looks to be no more than mid-20s, in his official bio photo), seems to be that anything older than he is – is OLD. And, therefore, outmoded, useless and lame. Well… I fit into that category, personally. And I beg to inform my readers that many of the kitchen and cooking items Dave consigns to the scrap heap are far from ‘over’…
Forthwith…
… A select list of tools and appliances Dave says have disappeared, but which I still use regularly…
Crock Pot
I use mine mine several times a week. But it’s a newstalgized version: the Instant Pot.
Potato Masher
It’s too easy to over-mash your spuds, especially if they were overcooked in the first place. Manual potato mashing takes mere moments and gives me much greater control over the process.
Toaster
I know self-professed ‘gourmet cooks’ who insist on making their toast in a frying pan or in the oven. That’s showboating. I know how I like my toast, and I know the exact setting to achieve that on my old, reliable pop-up toaster.
Can Opener
We all need can openers, regardless of how often we cook, or what we cook. One brash, clueless young whipper-snapper I read suggested that all the canned foods anybody would want to use to eat days come with ‘pop’ tops. Nonsense.
But there’s more!
Other Gen X-and-later internet posters have dared to suggest additional food-related items they say are now on display beside the dinosaur fossils…
‘Bar’ Blender
I use mine daily. So many applications! And so easy to clean.
Pizza Wheel / Mezzaluna
Anybody who says they use a knife to cut their pizza just doesn’t get it. And a good pizza wheel or Mezzaluna (curved ‘rocker’ knife) has myriad uses beyond partitioning the legendaey savoury pie!
Personal Coffee Mug
I love mine. I used it at work in every job I ever held. I now use it for beverages I consume at my desk at home. Because I’ve never stopped working.
Stand Mixer
How could any serious cook get along without a Cuisinart or Kitchen Aid mixer?
Fondue Pots
Fondue Pots are back! The whole fondue tradition and ‘ceremony’ is enjoying a renaissance, even among younger people. It was always a great idea. And it’s steeped in generations of tradition. Not only that, but ‘Fundue’ is a great way to ‘mingle’ with friends…
Panini (Sandwich) Press
Never went away and never will! Cubanos, Paninis (of course), and grilled sandwiches, wraps and rolls of all stripes can benefit from a few minutes in the press.
Tea Strainer
What van I say? I love herbal teas, and have always favoured more-exotic teas, such as Earl Grey (and not just because Captain Picard insisted on it!), Lapsang Souchong, Oolong and Darjeeling. Most of those (including the best exemplars of all) come as loose tea, in traditional tins. I couldn’t get along without my strainer. And I have a whole collection of Tea Balls…
My take
I wouldn’t mind it if these ‘kid’ food commentators actually disclosed that they were writing specif-ically to their peers. But they seem to have either forgotten us older people. Or maybe (consciously or unconsciously) given us up as lost culture causes.
What they’re doing is just bad journalism, plain and simple. But they’re everywhere, these days. The best someone who still remembers how to think critically can do is avoid or, of necessary, ignore them.
Marvin, the paranoid android from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, said it best: “Loathe it or despise it, you can’t get away from it!”
~ Maggie J.