Bring back any memories?

[KBs PensNmore]

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.
'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously.. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained. !
'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'


By this time, the lad was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.


But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I'd figured his system could have handled it:


Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore jeans, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card.


My parents never drove me to school... I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed (slow).


We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 PM, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air at about 6 am.
And there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people....


Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.


All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --My brother delivered a newspaper, seven days a week.
He had to get up at 6 every morning.


Film stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the films There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence or almost anything offensive.


If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren, just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?


MEMORIES from a friend:
My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old lemonade bottle.
In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea..
She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.


How many do you remember?
Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car.
Ignition switches on the dashboard.
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards.
Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators.


Older Than Dirt Quiz:
Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.. Ratings at the bottom


1. Sweet cigarettes
2. Coffee shops with juke boxes
3 Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5. Newsreels before the movie
6. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning.
(There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])
7. Peashooters
8. 33 rpm records
9. 45 RPM records
10. Hi-fi's
11. Metal ice trays with levers
12. Blue flashbulb
13. Cork popguns
14. Wash tub wringers


If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age
If you remembered 11-14 = You're positively ancient!


I must be 'positively ancient' but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.


Don't forget to pass this along!
Especially to all your really OLD friends.....I just did!


(PS. I used a large type face so you could read it easily)

[Dareen]

Thanks KBs, Brings back great memories. So glad I have lived through all those times. Cheers, Fred

[Handyjack]

You left out these:

78 RPM records,
Camera's that used film that you left at the chemist and a week later you got the negatives and one set of prints.
Service Stations where you got service that included putting fuel in your car, Standard or Super (or BP supermix) and had your tyres and oil checked.
Supermarkets where your groceries were put in large brown paper bags.

Trains where you had to manually open and close the doors or travel with them open in the warmer months.
Trams with conductors who not only collected the fare but helped you on and off if you had a pram or gave you directions if you were unfamiliar with the area.

When doing jobs around the home you used hand tools including a screwdriver and the screws had slots in them.

Sorry I must be ancient.

[A Duke]

Hi,
I must be even older, I remember heating soldering irons with a blowlamp before gas bottles and I was already an apprentice.
Regards

[Fuzzie]

How about grocery stores where they served you everything across the counter?
Bread delivered by the man in a van pulled by a horse? Same as the milk delivery, but the Milko didn't have to drive his, the horse and cart trotted along without him on board - what's so new about driver less cars?

[Handyjack]

Perhaps I should add that in Victoria, Australian Rules football, then the VFL played the whole round, six games on a Saturday afternoon. Replays of parts of some games in the evening. The VFA played their games on the Sunday. A live broadcast of one match was on a commercial TV station.
Rugby and soccer was hardly heard about.

No doubt it was a similar situation in other states.

Newspapers, The Sun and The Age in the morning (and before my time The Argus as well) and the Herald in the evening (and briefly there was another afternoon paper in the 60's). Monday to Saturday.
There was not really a newspaper on Sunday.

The Age was quiet thick on Saturday, full of Ads, now it is a shadow of its former self.

If the paper was delivered, it came unwrapped and was put in a paper holder. Often children were employed to deliver the newspaper.

[rrich]

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.
'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously.. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'home,'' I explained. !
'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'
Or Dad would say, "Eat it or you'll wear it for a hat".


Some parents NEVER owned their own house, wore jeans, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country or had a credit card.

We moved from Brooklyn, NY to North San Diego County, California in 1958. My parents never had a checking account until then. To their horror The Bank of America sent them a 'BankAmericard'. To them it was a card to get cash. Later it became Visa. The card, was never used but it followed them around the country for the next 15 years or so. Finally, B of A sent a letter explaining the law had changed and for my parents to keep the card they had to sign an application for the card.

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 10.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 PM, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air at about 6 am.
And there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people....
We got our first Television November 1, 1950. Something to do with taxes in New York. I wasn't allowed to touch the Television for a couple of years. Then my parents realized that I could be the remote control.


Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was.
And the milk man was invited to Grandma's beach house and family events.


All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers --My brother delivered a newspaper, seven days a week.
He had to get up at 6 every morning.
I delivered newspapers for about 3 years. The New York World Telegram and Sun was an afternoon paper and did not have a Sunday edition.


MEMORIES from a friend:
My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old lemonade bottle.
In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea..
She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.
My Mom used a ginger ale bottle.

How many do you remember?
Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car. Yes
Ignition switches on the dashboard. Yes
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards. Yes
Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner. I have seen them but never used one.
Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators. Yes and I'll still use them today when making a turn at an unexpected place. The advantage is that the car behind is doing a What's That Fool doing.


Older Than Dirt Quiz:
Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.. Ratings at the bottom


1. Sweet cigarettes
2. Coffee shops with juke boxes
3 Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5. Newsreels before the movie
6. TV test patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again in the morning.
(There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])
7. Peashooters Plastic ones or aluminum ones made from a Television antenna.
8. 33 rpm records
9. 45 RPM records
10. Hi-fi's
11. Metal ice trays with levers
12. Blue flashbulb
13. Cork popguns
14. Wash tub wringers


If you remembered 0-3 = You're still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age
If you remembered 11-14 = You're positively ancient! Only missed the 'Sweet Cigarettes',

[nine fingers]

I was brought up on a dairy farm,during WW2 I attended a small school, a bike ride of 4 miles, as, rubber was needed for war time effort ,no new tubes for the bike were available, Dad stuffed the tyres with straw.
Our neighbours were share farmers , little income , could't afford shoes for the kids, they ran to school across the paddocks . Dads old Chev had a gas producer, as petrol was rationed..
People complain today about living conditions , get a life. Worked bloody hard all my life , now enjoying a nice holiday in Qld, with compliments to our son who owns the unit over looking the beach. John.

[Tonyz]

How many do you remember?
Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car. Think I have converted about 10 cars to work like this, getting rid of this was one of lives big mistakes.
Ignition switches on the dashboard. Comming back into fashion/trend abit its a button too thats even earlier.
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards. When is the last time you saw bloke riding a bike wearing trousers, all they wear now hold the tackle in place

Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner. you had a gas burner, when I was a lad we were lucky to warm our hands on the neighbours fire....if the wind was in the right direction.



Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators.

[cava]

I remember the horse drawn rag-and-bone man calling out for recyclable rubbish in our street.

Also a group from the Salvation Army singing on front of our house looking for donations at Easter/Christmas.

Local Council trimming the naturestrip of our property with a tractor - this was inner Sydney.

[cava]

I also remember street names embedded in coloured concrete at the corner of every street intersection. The colours were vibrant and sparkled in vivid green and red.

[ian]

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.

If you had lived in Sydney, KFC (then called Kentucky Fried Chicken) was available from 1968, when you would have been about 16.

Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.

gas burner
gas burner? a modern contraption. I remember my dad heating a copper soldering iron on a kerosene fueled blow torch

[Allan at Wallan]

I am starting to feel ancient too as I remember 99% of these already discussed.
However I must recall candles and kerosene lamps as our town did not get electricity
until I was 14 years old.
Electric blankets were unheard of, we went to bed with a flat iron, heated in front of
the open fire, then wrapped in a blanket and placed in the bed.
And with all the comments previously I am surprised no one has mentioned the
"night man" - no push button toilets in those days.

[AlexS]

However I must recall candles and kerosene lamps as our town did not get electricity
until I was 14 years old.

I can remember when we went from carbide lamps to electricity. I remember my excitement when they blasted to put in the power lines.

[onetrack]

I can remember, as dairy farmers, we were so poor, that when the neighbours put their rubbish bins out - we took them in!