My husband introduced me to things like mayonnaise and butter after we married. My family had more plebeian tastes. We used Miracle Whip and margarine.
I ate tomato sandwiches when I was a child, consisting of white bread, tomato, and Miracle Whip. I loved them. I've tried eating these as an adult on our robust multi-grain bread with mayo, but it's just not the same.
My grandson prefers white bread, so I had some in the freezer. This morning I decided to make myself a tomato sandwich with that white bread. What a disappointment! Maybe mayonnaise isn't sweet enough? It just wasn't what I remembered. It also wasn't the least bit filling.
Sometimes childhood favorites don't hold up well. Our tastes evolve. Don't even get me started on Velveeta grilled "cheese" sandwiches.
Plebeian tastes, lol. Ditto! I still eat miracle whip tomato sandwiches, only on sourdough now.
ReplyDeleteThat would work!
DeleteI was born in 1959 and my young parents took full advantage of the "new" convenience foods like Miracle Whip, Cheese Whiz, Velveeta cheese, cheese slices, margarine, Duncan Hines cake mixes, white sliced bread, and so on. For a long time these were what I thought were normal food! For example, a cake made from scratch was considered (by me) gross in comparison. Now anything not made from scratch is considered (by me) to be "lesser than."
ReplyDeleteNot sure where I was going with that. Just to respond, I guess!
I'm glad you did (respond). I was born in the early 1950s, so I know exactly what you mean.
DeleteI find miracle whip and mayo very different, so maybe that's the answer. Or maybe your taste buds have matured. I like cooked tomatoes, but have never had a tomato sandwich. Doesn't appeal to me. I do however like fresh pico de gallo.
ReplyDeleteMmmm, pico de gallo!
DeleteI, too, grew up in the South, with Miracle Whip and squishy white bread and margarine, and when I met my future in-laws in Michigan, discovered mayonnaise, real butter and whole wheat, seeded bread. Oh, my gosh, I thought they were food for the gods. These days the seedier the better, and Irish butter is an expensive but sublime treat.
ReplyDeleteI actually grew up in Northern Indiana, but my Dad was from a Kentucky/Tennesse family. Real butter and cheese were a revelation!
DeleteOh my this hit me. I just had a tomato sandwich for lunch yesterday, Because I'm celiac I had GF white bread, garden tomatoes, mayo and horseradish. To me it's the taste of summer.
ReplyDeleteNo I can't handle miracle whip or margarine so I bet that makes a big difference for you.
It is also the garden tomatoes. I simply am unable to grow any in Central Florida. Horseradish? Intriguing. I will try that.
DeleteOur tastes evolve. Truer words were never spoken. My anecdotal evidence: peppermint sticks in dill pickles. :-)
ReplyDeleteOMG, you win!!!
DeleteWhen I was grown I was surprised that people used either butter or mayonnaise on sandwiches. We had always eaten them dry. I still prefer them that way.
ReplyDeleteWell that's interesting. Fewer calories, too.
DeleteWe got white bread (toasted) when we had a stomach upset, otherwise sourdough every day. I envied the kids from the US army families who would eat these soft slices of bread.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter used to beg us to give her white bread sandwiches for school lunch so she could be like the other kids.
DeleteSo, what kind of tomatoes did you use? Were they good garden tomatoes? Really good homegrown tomatoes, a sweet, dense white bread (never wheat) Duke's mayonnaise, and a touch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper...now THAT'S a tomato sandwich!
ReplyDeleteSadly, they were store bought tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteWell then, there you go. No wonder it wasn't good. Try again with a real tomato! :)
DeleteYes, ma'am! I will try to find some. lol.
DeleteI imagine the recipe for mayonnaise must have changed over the years, which might explain your disappointment with today's version.
ReplyDeleteWhat I had as a child wasn't really mayonnaise. It was a mayo substitute that was cheaper. It is still popular in the U.S. because it is sweeter than mayo. It's called Miracle Whip.
DeleteI only like Hellmann's mayo. I never ate tomatoes as a kid because of the seeds but now I love tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDelete