Barb, Judy, and I were sitting in the kitchen at work the other day, in the aftermath of a belated Fourth of July barbecue, reminicing about how we used to have to walk ten miles to school and back each day, barefoot in the snow, uphill in both directions, . . . well, you know how you get to talking with your contemporaries about the old days, right?
Before long, the discussion turned to food. And we learned that two of us had been raised with Miracle Whip and one of us had mayonnaise. And all of us, by the time we hit our teens, stumbled upon whichever one we had not had growing up, and thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. And speaking of sliced bread, two of us hardly EVER had soft commercial white bread, so a loaf of Wonder Bread was a real treat. With bologna. And Miracle Whip . . . or mayonnaise.
Barb and her husband Richard, before he passed away last year, took a lot of road trips, visiting family on vacations and seeing the country. She remembered that sometimes they'd just CRAVE bologna on soft white bread with mayo--or Miracle Whip, I can't recall which. So they'd stop at a little grocery store along the way and buy what they needed in order to slap together several sandwiches before they pulled back onto the road.
With that conversation in mind, last night I added a poll to my sidebar--you may or may not have noticed. The question is: mayonnaise or Miracle Whip? I'm just curious. And maybe thinking about it will get you thinking about some of the good childhood memories. Like walking ten miles uphill to school in the snow each day.
I gotta think the stuff our kids remember of their childhoods can't be nearly as good as ours, don't you think? Maybe the next time we get together, I'll have to ask them. What do you remember fondly of your growing years?
Well, I'm shocked that mayo is beating Miracle Whip in your poll!! GAds! All I can say is GO MIRACLE WHIP!!
ReplyDeleteWell, I was raised on Miracle Whip and I still prefer it to Mayo...I must say, I never came across Mayo feeling that it was wonderful in any way....I always prefer Miracle Whip. =) Oh, it's amazing on a BLT! Nothing like it.
ReplyDeleteWith all that said, my children like Mayo...I think it's what you're raised on...but who knows. =)
Memories: One with food - watching the Ed Sullivan show eating dip and potato chips. There! I've dated myself. Now you know my era - the earth was still cooling.
ReplyDeleteMiracle Whip hands down! My grandpa's wife always served us mayo and it was just WRONG! We may buy a lot of generic and/or store brand items, but we always buy Miracle Whip!
ReplyDeleteYou need a button that says "Both." I made Miracle Whip sandwiches on white bread for my school lunch for years. But you had to have mayo for deviled eggs, potato salad and dips! We had large jars of both in the refrig. Now, it's a small jar of MW since hubby is a mayo man.
ReplyDeleteOne last thing... my quilting buddy made us grilled cheese sandwiches at retreat a couple years ago - and slathered the bread with Miracle Whip on the inside before she added the cheese. OMG! It was delicious! It's how I fix them now. (Don't tell hubby...)
ReplyDeletebutter and sweet onion slices on Rainbo bread ... butter and sugar on Rainbo bread ... Miracle Whip and Rainbo bread ... Miracle Whip and Peter Pan peanut butter on Rainbo bread ... Miracle Whip and lightly salted, sliced tomatoes on Rainbo bread ... but usually the bread was Soft Twist (not nearly as good - stuck to the roof of my mouth when i'd take a big bite) cuz it was 10 cents a loaf instead of 29 cents ... an outside loaf of Carbone's bakery italian bread - hot from the oven and entrusted to me on cold winter days (cuz of the time my mom ate all of the center of the loaf on the ride back from Auntie Mabel's house and all the rest of us had to eat with dinner was crust)
ReplyDeleteLove me a bologna sandwich with mayo on DWIB! DWIB is Doughy White Bread!
ReplyDeleteOMG - fried SPAM or bologna sandwiches with Miracle Whip on the Wonder Bread --- it doesn't get any better !! It was the only thing my grandpa cooked for us ... (and himself) ... and my Dad still makes them for himself ...
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with the person who said BOTH :) I grew up on MW and still use it in my pasta and potato salad, but as an adult, I discovered mayo and now use that on my sandwiches. My kids would tell you mayo all the way as that is what we use most often now!
ReplyDeleteI was raised on Miracle Whip and could never understand why my mom's hamburgers and potato salad weren't as good as my friends' mothers. Then I discovered mayonnaise (Best Foods only, please) and have never looked back.
ReplyDeleteMayonnaise and Miracle Whip are two different "animals" and are used for two different things. Mayonnaise is for smearing on broccoli and asparagus and for ham sandwiches. Miracle Whip has but one job in life, bologna sandwiches!!! I had one just the other day!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was first married my hubs and I went to the grocery store and my brother-in-law was our checker. He said, "hey, you picked up Miracle Whip intead of Mayonnaise!" "Well, yeah!" Oh, the memories!!
Mayo all the way--and it must be Best Foods! Miracle Whip always tasted revolting to me, the few times we were forced to have it cuz we were staying with family friends for a week in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 11-12 years old I was addicted sandwiches made of two slices of white bread, mayo and a dab of mustard, with one slice of Kraft American cheese. I ate that every day all summer and most weekdays for school lunch for a couple of years! Now I prefer whole wheat bread, mesquite broiled turkey, cheddar, and two Clausen Kosher dill pickle slices. With mayo, of course, and some fancy mustard :)
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Oh, and I walked or rode my bike to school even in the rain most times because my mom didn't drive and there was no bus since we only lived a mile from the school!
My mom just bought what was on sale so grew up eating both. My favorite and probably gross to most people was my mom's bacon with a little bacon grease and green onion sandwiches. I bet we smelled to high heaven but those were wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWe had white bread with baloney and ketchup. None of this mayonnaise nonsense. LOL And Mom is British, so of course, the bread was always buttered. :-)
ReplyDeleteSuch good & I mean tasty memories! Best Food Mayo, Bologna & Wonder Bread but sometimes we had Langendorf White Bread ~ anyone remember Langendorf bread in the blue checked wrapper? I still use only Best Food Mayo!
ReplyDeleteI'm just pass 60 and don't remember eating mayo - ever. It was probably in pot. or Mac salad, but I don't remember. For a fond memory - getting milk and bread delivered to the door.
ReplyDeletecindy
When I was a teenager, I really didn't know the difference. My mom sent me to the store for a jar of what we commonly called mayonaise at our house, and that's what I bought. She made me return it for Miracle Whip, which is all she'd eat. I prefer Miracle Whip, especially after walking 10 miles, uphill, in the snow!
ReplyDeleteYou didn't have my choice. I don't eat mayo or miracle whip on a sandwich. MUSTARD is the only way to go..lol
ReplyDeleteToo funny! We are a two sandwich spread family...and so are many others we talk to. My hubby loves Miracle Whip and I love BEST FOODS Mayo. I was brought up with Miracle Whip but when we went to G'ma's house she used Best Foods. Her sandwiches were so good that I swore, even as young as second grade, that I was going to only eat BEST FOODS when I grew up. And I do!
ReplyDeleteWe too did road trips with a loaf of white bread, bologna, and margarine. If you wanted a little crunch you put potato chips into it.
Thanks for the memories, as they say! Toni
My grandparents lived on a farm where the bakery truck would come to visit. My gran often bought me fig newton cookies and a doughnut. I spent most of my summer on the farm all through my childhood- they were simpler times that had clear rhythms to getting all the jobs done. The wash was put through a wringer washer and then hung out to dry. They always had a big garden (my parents still have a smaller one) and we picked peas, pulled weeds, went berry picking and helped gran look after the animals. My grandfather would be working out in the fields most of the time so we would need to take him afternoon lunch that included white cake with pink icing and coconut on top.
ReplyDeleteAs for mayonnaise or Miracle Whip- I am guessing we used mostly miracle whip but as an adult I prefer mayo - especially for dips.
My mother always made homemade bread and we longed to have store bought bread- We must have been crazy !!!
Regards,
Anna
Strictly white bread and Miracle Whip at my house when I was growing up! My mother never made supper on Sunday evenings (although she cooked a big meal at noon) and just set out things for us to make our own sandwiches. In addition to the bologna and Miracle Whip on white, my brother and I also fixed ketchup and butter sandwiches and sometimes put potato chips in as well. I was thrilled to discover ketchup potato chips when I visted the Herr's factory in PA with my kids a number of years ago. Sadly, they didn't last long in the mainstream market.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own family--my children have never seen a loaf of white bread in this house and they prefer mayo (my husband's influence). And I shudder to think what would have happened if I had told them to make their own dinner on Sundays. I'd probably have been turned in for child abuse!
I grew up with butter on my sandwiches. I was raised on a farm; the guy who picked up the cream brought a pound of butter every week!! I'd never even heard of mayo or Miracle Whip on a sandwich until I met my first boyfriend in high school. My mom made her own potato salad dressing...which I didn't eat...smelled funny!!! We never had tuna, chicken, ham or egg salad. Miracle Whip makes me gag but I can tolerate mayo in chicken, tuna, potato salad now. I really LIKE sour cream!!!
ReplyDeleteI always used mayonnaise until i got married and my husband was a Miracle Whip person so I changed.
ReplyDeleteBut now I find it depends on how I want to use it. For example, for coleslaw it has to be Hellman's mayo. Nothing else works.
But for my devilled eggs it has to be miracle whip.
So I go both ways!!!
Linda
Half & half for potato & mac salad. Stricly mayo for anything else. Took a car ride last summer to see if my ten milehike inthe snow uphill was acurate. Yep. And then we had PE class. Oh, the good old days!Judy B
ReplyDeletehmmmm kinda spoiled here... I make my own Mayo with my grandmothers recipe!! So I do love me my Mayo! There is nothing like the realy homemade thing!! Especialy in Potato Salad or deviled eggs!!
ReplyDelete