Back in our day....

Morag

Saw this and tougth I would share.

http://gaasedal.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/anyone-over-the-age-of-35-should-read-this-as-i-copied-this-from-a-friends-status/

Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days“.

The clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations“.

She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have….

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

The Princess Bride

Thank you for that,Sharrow.
Wow- how quickly one forgets.

Reminds me of the lyrics from Mike & The Mechanics-The Living Years.

"Every generation, blames the one before.
And all of their frustrations,come beating on your door.""

pool8

recently when racing against my kids i said "bet ya a pound i will win" to which the reply was " what's a pound" that makes you feel old..

Rubecula

pool8 wrote: »

recently when racing against my kids i said "bet ya a pound i will win" to which the reply was " what's a pound" that makes you feel old..

Be thankful you never said a Guinea.

policarp

When you made a purchase, the shop assistant would wrap it in brown paper, neatly, and tie it up with cord, so that you could carrry it home on the bus, as if it were a bag with a handle.

OldGoat

When tools were manual and every toolbox had a spokeshave in it.

looksee

I want a spokeshave, one of those proper old fashioned ones.

Alice1

This remids me of something my Mam said one day when I was visiting her:

An ad on the TV was screeching "reduce, reuse, recycle" My Mam said "Ah anyone would think they invented recycling. They didn't you know, that was me and my generation. We had to reduce because we lived through the war and all sorts of thing were rationed. Oh we reduced alright! We reused clothes because there was very little money so we had to use hand-me-downs. And I recycled more with my needle and thread than any of the young wans these days. I turned up hems and let down hems. I stitched a lace collar and cuffs onto blouses that had seen better days. I "turned" a coat or two in my day"

She was right - she may not have known the "green" thing but did reduce, reuse and recycle.

Jellybaby1

When an idea becomes 'trendy' it becomes a 'new' idea. Ridiculous! We all know that the saying 'waste not, want not' is not a new idea after all. Do you remember when we used to eat to prevent pangs of hunger? These days they eat to 'excite the taste buds'. Piffle!

Rubecula

I remember eating scouse cos it was all we could afford. and blind scouse when we couldn't afford any meat. Oh and sugar-butties, a round of bread sprinkled with sugar from the bit you borrowed from next door.

Mum's home made bread pudding from stale bread and some currents.

When we were a bit flash we had Blancmange, and chips from the chip shop as a good meal. If we were really well off I got a milky way off me dad and my sister got a 1d bar of Cadbury's chocolate.

Poor but happy?? Well, yes we were.

Best bit was not knowing enough to be scared when my mum cooked chips over an open fire. :eek:

looksee

Thick slices of bread toasted over the open fire on the range, then spread with beef dripping and Marmite, mmmm, and having to be quiet because dad was taking the football results...Forfar 5, East Fife 4...

Pulsating Star

Rubecula wrote: »

Poor but happy?? Well, yes we were.

I used to wind my gran up with this, it always sent her into one.
Blah,blah,blah but sure ye were happy back then so that made up for it!

" We were not happy, life was pure misery .............
..........things only got better when cars appeared"

There were no rose tinted glasses there and she always gave a lot of credit to the age of the automobile

Her times covered a lot though as she lived to be 103 and saw three centuries!!

chucken1

Rube! We need a recipie for Scouse

And yes..sugar on bread..Has anyone tried it lately? o/

OldGoat

Went to a Tapas bar in The Wirrel recently and they had scouse on the menu! Little finger bowls of scouse.
Lolz.

BBDBB

here you go for a scouse recipe

http://www.scouser.com/scouse-recipe/

and you'll need to fill in an EU Risk Assessment Form if you want to try a Sugar Buttie:rolleyes::D

sh1tstirrer

Alice1 wrote: »

This remids me of something my Mam said one day when I was visiting her:

An ad on the TV was screeching "reduce, reuse, recycle" My Mam said "Ah anyone would think they invented recycling. They didn't you know, that was me and my generation. We had to reduce because we lived through the war and all sorts of thing were rationed. Oh we reduced alright! We reused clothes because there was very little money so we had to use hand-me-downs. And I recycled more with my needle and thread than any of the young wans these days. I turned up hems ande let down hems. I stitched a lace collar and cuffs onto blouses that had seen better days. I "turned" a coat or two in my day"

She was right - she may not have known the "green" thing but did reduce, reuse and recycle.

I read what your auld wan said in a Dublin accent

Spread

Pulsating Star wrote: »

I used to wind my gran up with this, it always sent her into one.
Blah,blah,blah but sure ye were happy back then so that made up for it!

" We were not happy, life was pure misery .............
..........things only got better when cars appeared"

There were no rose tinted glasses there and she always gave a lot of credit to the age of the automobile

Her times covered a lot tho' as she lived to be 103 and saw three centuries!!

Pulsating Star - looks like you'll be costing the government a fair few bob in pension money before your final evolution into a Black Hole. Long may you live!

chucken1 wrote: »

Rube! We need a recipie for Scouse

And yes..sugar on bread..Has anyone tried it lately? o/

Last night chucken ........ though with added blackberries from Mehico. But when young I would mix sugar and butter together and put about 1/4" on the crust of the pan loaf. Gordon Ramsey? Pfffff.

OldGoat wrote: »

Went to a Tapas bar in The Wirrel recently and they had scouse on the menu! Little finger bowls of scouse.
Lolz.

First heard of this as I worked in the digging of the New Mersey Tunnel (1971 I think). The local Chinese takeaway used to deliver it to the evening shift on a Friday. Spring rolls and a lump of hard stale bread completed the extravaganza. It was good stuff and it really lined the tum-tum for the major counter assault at Davy Jone's Locker in Wallasey around midnight .
I can't believe I just said that
Snow falling since before dawn

Good Moaning all

sh1tstirrer

Back in the 70's there wasn't much plastic around. Meat came from the butchers wrapped in brown paper. Groceries were brought home in canvas bags. Cardboard boxes were also used and the countryside wasn't littered with rubbish.

Spread

double posting

Spread

We might as well go the full hog in hilarity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeXMKygwSco

Rubecula

BBDBB thanks for posting the Scouse recipe on the forum. You do realise it is meant to be a special secret held only by the mysterious brotherhood of Scouse Makers from Lime Street don't you?

Revealing the secret of such a deadly weapon of mass indigestion to the general public is punishable by a six month sentence of tripe and onions.

By the way, if you decide to follow that recipe and make scouse, be sure you have the right 'additions'.

1) Sprinkle pickled red cabbage straight from the fridge over the top of a HOT bowl of scouse.

2) A couple of slices of pickled beetroot on the top of the cabbage.

3) A few rounds of bread with butter on. (Soda bread goes very well with it too)

4) A nice cup of tea for afters.

For those of you who have never tried scouse. It is a wonderful filling meal and really great on a cold day.

And anyone who calls it stew will have me to deal with

chucken1

...and today I learned why folk from lovely Liverpool are called Scousers

Rubecula

chucken1 wrote: »

...and today I learned why folk from lovely Liverpool are called Scousers

We also used to be called Wacks or Wackers. due to the food stuff Pea Wack that we also used to eat.

(Basically it is pea and ham soup, although the ham was usually a boiled bone rather than actual meat. Nourishing and hot food for the permanently poor)

BBDBB

jeez dem scousers are a touchy bunch:D:p


tbh, the less well off communities have often found a recipe for a filling hearty stew type dish, be it Tattie Pot, Lancashire Hot Pot, Scouse etc and then finding a way of making it more filling with things like dumplings or yorkshire puddings etc

one thing you can be sure of, there is little better on a cold wet evening after a hard days graft

aido 1976

The only invention of the green thing is the word 'RECYCLING', it always existed but just had no name.

looksee

BBDBB wrote: »

jeez dem scousers are a touchy bunch:D:p


tbh, the less well off communities have often found a recipe for a filling hearty stew type dish, be it Tattie Pot, Lancashire Hot Pot, Scouse etc and then finding a way of making it more filling with things like dumplings or yorkshire puddings etc

one thing you can be sure of, there is little better on a cold wet evening after a hard days graft

Right! That's lamb stew. Only strange ingredient is Worcester Sauce (yuk), otherwise its lamb stew.

Jellybaby1

I usually add a splash of Worcestershire Sauce. S'nice.

Rubecula

looksee wrote: »

Right! That's lamb stew. Only strange ingredient is Worcester Sauce (yuk), otherwise its lamb stew.

Blasphemer! :D

BBDBB

Rubecula wrote: »

Blasphemer! :D

I dont want anyone to begin stoning anyone else until I blow this whistle....even if they do say Lamb Stew

Rubecula

BBDBB wrote: »

I dont want anyone to begin stoning anyone else until I blow this whistle....even if they do say Lamb Stew

And Irish Stew is just a runny hotpot? LOL

looksee

Ah don't bring Irish Stew into the discussion, it will lead to debates on whether or not there should be carrots...

Rubecula

Well of course there should be carrots. (What you do with them is another matter)

franc 91

I remember being given a dish of breakfast cereal (I must have been about four at the time - in the early 1950's) which consisted of strips of white bread, just a little demerara sugar and some milk poured over it - and I thought was great fun eating that.

looksee

franc 91 wrote: »

I remember being given a dish of breakfast cereal (I must have been about four at the time - in the early 1950's) which consisted of strips of white bread, just a little demerara sugar and some milk poured over it - and I thought was great fun eating that.

Sometimes known as 'pobs' - in England anyway, I think it has another name in Ireland but I can't remember what it is.

Alice1

looksee wrote: »

Sometimes known as 'pobs' - in England anyway, I think it has another name in Ireland but I can't remember what it is.

Some folk in Ireland call it "goody"

Spread

You got it in one Alice! I lived close to the National school so used to go home for my lunch. Goody ........ made from wedges of currant bread, layered with sugar and hot milk poured over. To be washed down with a mug of Cocoa. Have had neither since, er, 1961

chucken1

franc 91 wrote: »

I remember being given a dish of breakfast cereal (I must have been about four at the time - in the early 1950's) which consisted of strips of white bread, just a little demerara sugar and some milk poured over it - and I thought was great fun eating that.

Spread wrote: »

You got it in one Alice! I lived close to the National school so used to go home for my lunch. Goody ........ made from wedges of currant bread, layered with sugar and hot milk poured over. To be washed down with a mug of Cocoa. Have had neither since, er, 1961

Goody! A staple in our house.

When my Mam minded my babas in the early 80s they got goody as well...and rusks in the bottle...and mashed spuds

Looks like you cant fill the babas bellies anymore.? They slept then

rich.d.berry

I have started doing something that I remember my mother doing. She would save the bones and put them in the freezer until she had collected enough to put on a stock pot. Home made stock is so much nicer than the stock cubes and stock pots from the supermarket. It's a money saver too.

Rubecula

looksee wrote: »

Sometimes known as 'pobs' - in England anyway, I think it has another name in Ireland but I can't remember what it is.

Lord I remember pobs, me dad loved it when he had all his teeth out. (He had to, as it was all he could stomach for a week or two.)

rich.d.berry wrote: »

I have started doing something that I remember my mother doing. She would save the bones and put them in the freezer until she had collected enough to put on a stock pot. Home made stock is so much nicer than the stock cubes and stock pots from the supermarket. It's a money saver too.

YES home made stock with ham bones to make "pea wack" with. I still love it when I can be bothered to make it. Pea and ham soup is the poor version of it that you can buy fairly cheaply in a supermarket. Not quite as good, but not that bad really. Dunk yer bread in that.

franc 91

Isn't that where the other term for a Liverpudlian comes from? as opposed to scouse, that is?

Rubecula

franc 91 wrote: »

Isn't that where the other term for a Liverpudlian comes from? as opposed to scouse, that is?

Yes I think so franc. I used to always have to nickname Wack as a youngun.