Remember when TV dinners came out in the 50's?
dreher
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My Mother was a good cook so TV dinners were not served in the Dreher household. TV dinners were really popular with those women that couldn't boil water!! 😂 One of my best friends mother's idea of a home cooked meal was cold meat sandwich. I don't ever remember a pot or pan sitting on her stove so she thought TV dinners were wonderful. The sad part was, as bad as those TV dinners were, my friend loved them because they were so much better than what his Mother fed him. 😁
We must not forget the little folding TV dinner trays people had sitting in their living rooms. Throw the appropriate number of TV dinners in the oven, set up the TV dinner trays carry the TV dinners into the living room and you could eat your supper while watching your favorite programs.
This didn't say much about society in the 50's!! 🤔
Comments
my mother was an excellent cook also so we didnt have TV dinners, but we did have TV trays.
In the sixties T.V. dinners were for me a rarity. Never had one at home, just a few times at friends houses. I thought they were pretty nasty and they made me appreciate moms cooking. Out of curiosity I have tried them a few times since and my opinion hasn't changed. I figured the name "Hungry Man Dinner" was appropriate because I would have to be starving to eat one. I do occasionally buy some of the frozen entrees like lasagna for when I am to lazy to cook but have given up on the t.v. dinners. We did have a set of the t.v. tray/tables when I was growing up but they were used for other stuff because mom insisted on family dinners around the table with no distractions like watching television until the meal was over. I think she was a wise woman. Bob
I still have TV trays as well. As a matter of fact, the laptop I'm typing this post on is sitting on one.
My mom was the best cook in the whole wide world! Just ask me about that anytime! 😁 Even so, growing up us kids (big family) were served TV dinners on "Special Occasions" and they were a special treat that I looked forward to. Not served very often just like getting pizza or a bottle of pop.
Either my taste buds have changed or the quality of TV dinners has gone way down hill but they are the last thing I would even consider eating now days. When they first came out the dinner tray was solid aluminum foil including the top cover. Before microwaves were household.
we would have them once in a blue moon if then . as for my parents the " fancy things "like that was too much money to feed all the family just one meal , it was more of a special treat to get one as I recall turkey was most popular I remember the most . by the time I was about 13 yrs old or so they got way more common for us still remember the cardboard as in plain tase of peas and taters in those little trays
like most all southern women my mom cooked what seemed like all the time of course any one who stop by to visit she would always whip up some food or at least ask if they wanted to eat . we had little but sharing what we had was a given
as a kid we never had the tv trays a plate balanced on the couch or chair arm in the living room was as close as it got when not at the table
times were sure different in countless ways some good some not so good
I wish I had the privilege to eat TV Dinners back in the '50-'60s. The words most heard at our house from Mom was "It's not burnt, it's just browned, now shut up and eat it." Yeah right Mom, it's black, not brown.
We had to eat in the kitchen, so TV trays didn't appear until after Janet and I bought our own house.
Joe
They call them frozen meals today. Since June died that's pretty much what I live on. The ones they call Healthy Choice are not to bad compared to the hungry man brand.
Cooking is not high on my list of things to do, actually there's much of anything on that list anymore. High point of my day is usually going to the doctor's office which is where I'm at right now. Then I'll probably top the day off with a trip to the pharmacy.
Almost forgot, a heart monitor is supposed to arrive in the mail today so there will be some exciting stuff to do tonight.
Never happened at my house .Growing up on a farm meant Mom cooked what we grew /canned / froze etc .Trips to the grocery store was for staples mostly with some hamburger etc on occasion . Never owned any of the TV trays either
Still have a set of the wood folding tv trays out in one of the barns... TV dinners in 60's were something I had once in awhile at a neighbors' house. A few times while in the Army or after as a bachelor I would by some frozen foods, nowadays once or twice a year might get a frozen pizza for when I just don't want to make the 7 mile trip to my local joint.
TV dinners used to be a passible meal back in the 70's... My parent split up when I was 12 and my brother and I lived with my Dad. I remember the early days where suppers were TV Dinners, Pot pies or soup and sandwiches. AND a lot of pizzas !! Mostly we focused on things that did not leave much to be washed or cleaned up after the meal..
Slowly but surely we learned how to cook other things. I learned how to grill and in 1974 we bought our first microwave.
To this day I can not even look at TV diners..
Things haven't changed that much since watching TV while eating dinner. There was a "party" last week for my step-daughter's 60th birthday: Seven of us were there and 5 people spent the dinner playing on their cell-phones. At least in the old days we were all watching the same program and could comment with each other.
I remember that time well, but never ate one until I was a fresh hire at Lake Ouachita State Park. I would visit my college friends on days off, and there was a Tyson plant in the town. You could buy over runs there for $.25, and I would load up for the coming week. That helped a lot when I was making $325/month plus living quarters.
Mom had to go to the hospital for a couple of days when I was in HS. My great grandmother stayed with us. Dad came out of the living room because there was smoke... he thought something was wrong with the fireplace in the family room . nope my great grandma was cooking beef of some sort on top the stove . We couldn't cut it when served. Dad got up and said.. well Mom said they were for emergencies and pulls out two TV dinners of the freezer
I lived on them in the 70's and they were bad! Todays are much better imo. Home cooking is about as rare as 3 legged chickens at my house. 🤐
I ate them some from the time I got out of the military until I married a girl that could cook.They were a little better than C-rations but not much.
Never could ever stand the thought of eating one
And not going to start unless it is the last thing on earth to eat.
I just remembered I do have have a set of 4 TV trays / stands that have a stand that hold all 4 there all wood and fold up into a neat small space . there out in the pole barn . I picked them up at thrift sore years ago . I have used one or two in the past as work tables while watching tv not to eat off of
My mom was a great cook but she still bought TV dinners because I liked them (back then) now TV dinners taste like swill. Swanson's Salisbury Steak w/mashed potatoes & gravy was my favorite. The current version sucks.
No, but I remember the song by ZZ Top.
Had a few when I was younger, most don't qualify as food unless you are drunk.