Jenise quesitoned weather Beef Stroganoff could be considered "American cuisine" in another thread. It brought to mind a cute article from the "Atlantic" in which Ann Hodgman admits she buys, but is embarrassed by, Hamburger Helper.
Hodgman's riff starts:
My nephew once came back from a neighbor's house all excited about the beef stroganoff he'd had for dinner. Since he tends not to like new foods, his mother asked the neighbor for the recipe. When she made and served the dish, my nephew blurted out, "This is horrible! It's nothing like what I had at their house." His mother called the neighbor to see if she'd made a mistake—at which point the neighbor admitted that what the family had actually eaten was Hamburger Helper beef stroganoff. She had been too embarrassed to confess the truth the first time around.
Let me cheer that neighbor up by admitting that I, too, keep Hamburger Helper in the house. I like Hamburger Helper. I also hate myself for liking it. It's the same with all the convenience foods I buy. Nothing is more embarrassing in the checkout line than a neon-red bag of Ore-Ida Tater Tots or a family-size box of Stouffer's lasagna. I tell myself I can hardly be the only person buying this stuff. Look at the Ore-Ida products alone—that freezer's as big as a barn! But deep down I know I'm the worst mom on earth. I'm lining the pockets of Industrial Food and poisoning my family ... all because I'm serving them something they like.
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In my case, I try to hide the Kool Whip from all the careful shoppers (and when I get it home from Janet). Love that stuff right out of the container.
How about you?
Regards, Bob
It gets harder and harder to find the RC Cola.
