Noshtalgia

I've just eaten a hazelnut yoghurt. The last time I ate a hazelnut yoghurt was yesterday. The last time before that was 23 years ago. Approximately.

I had forgotten they existed until earlier in the week when John Cooper was telling us about a particularly delicious Indian meal he and his wife Claire had cooked. The naan bread - peshwari I believe - had used some hazelnut yoghurt, and John and his wife tasted, and saw that it was good.

As he was telling me and Toni about this, I was reminded that, at one time, I would eat hazelnut yoghurts all the time - they were one of my favourite things when I was at school. What had happened to suddenly stop my intake of them? And also the other foodstuffs that I would have, at one time, listed in my edible top ten?

I've already spoken about another high entry in this chompable chart - the Iced Gems, now manufactured by Jacobs and currently available nationwide. Although the packet displays faithful representations of the Gems, labelled as Blackcurrant, Lemon and Raspberry flavoured, I assure you they all taste exactly the same. Just as Orange coloured sSmarties taste EXACTLY the same as all other colours of Smartie. I know there are crackpots, junkies and wierdos out there who have for centuries believed that for some reason that Smarties have never stated or advertised, the orange ones actually taste of orange, but I can assure you I have conducted independent trials with over 2,450 individuals - not counting the control group - and the evidence is conclusive in favour of "all Smarties taste the same".

Another major food group that sustained me through my early teens was the packet mix for Vesta Paella with Prawns. I loved that. And I remember a time when we all ate this stuff calles Sos-mix, for weeks and weeks, because my dad, who was a fireman, helped save the factory in Cramlington once, and all the firemen were given the smoke damaged stock or something - so we had a big box upstairs with packets and packets of the stuff in. It made a substance that was in colour at least, similar to sausagemeat. In texture and taste it's hard to describe, but savoury pink weetabix comes close.

I won't bother going into all the arguments about Why Don't They Make Texan Bars Any More, as I'm sure this subject is covered in some detail elsewhere on the Internet, and yes, Marathons and Opal Fruits will be thus forever to me.

Amongst the other foodstuffs I haven't visited much in the past 2 decades, and may be experimenting with in the near future for old time's sake are Soreen Fruity Malt Loaf and Chocolate Flavour Readybrek. Please do send in your own top forgotten food ideas, and remember, there'll be a prize for all those we show.

Comments

[Tim the Enchanter]

Was this the second chapter of your novel?

[AndyC]

Tim - Thank you for giving me a big laugh.

[Liz]

Soreen ,,, oh yes, do try that again ... it's still a regular with me.
We used to go to the local sweet shop and buy a bag of sherbet and some liquorice roots. I did try the liquorice root recently and I don't now why I liked it then ... good toothbrush maybe!
The best thing about the sweet shop was that it was run by an old lady called Mrs Ball. That was naughty enough on its own. However it had one of those old fashioned windows with a curtain across. Mrs Ball was a small lady and so couldn't see over the curtain. We used to go in one at a time and ask for something in the window, leaving our mates outside to laugh, as the hapless woman scrabbled about fruitlessly in the window trying to find whatever it was we'd asked for. Usually, after a couple of visits she'd refuse to look for whatever it was and we'd go back to the bag of sherbet and the roots.

[Mr. Mavin]

"Texan. It sure is a mighty chew"!

Knowing this is almost as sad as knowing all the lines to the Hong Kong Phooey theme tune ... but then we all know who claims this feat.

Iced Gems are in fact the Worlds grreatest sweet. I once bought 10 packets at once, divided them up into the relevant colours and discovered that there was exactly the same number of each! Even the ones where the gem itself had been removed by poor handling was equal. That is surely the sign of a Quality edible article.

[leo]

Oh dear,you're wrong.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A571727