So, Posse! This is a vaguely Get Off My Lawn post – about food(s) that just… vanish. Not our Beloveds of Yesteryear (aka childhood favorites – that’s for another post) – this one is .. you know when you find something at the grocery store you end up adoring? Only to have it vanish! – usually some packaged good that isn’t really even seasonal – just regular stuff, GAWN!
Saturdays Francine and I were discussing this a few days ago, when she was mourning her lost love, Jewel Foods Signature Select Bourbon Barrel Aged Syrup.
according to her, this stuff is THE stuff! But now it’s gone. Which reminded me of mine own Lost Loves – like these lovely little (teeny) dark chocolate covered round caramels I used to get on the ‘gotcha’ shelves at Trader Joe’s checkout. Rich and creamy, juuuust big enough for one to sate my sweets craving on the Long Slog Home… gone. (sidenote: this really is a GOML Moment – folks of a Certain Age nearly always say ‘hmmm… I don’t know that one (if they don’t know X) but I don’t think we have it anymore – let me check’ whereas the young’uns? They will want to FIGHT! about it ever having existed! As if Earth couldn’t possibly have existed before they entered into it. Reminds me of when the youngest cub was sooo excited to introduce me to this INCREDIBLE NEW ARTIST! The artist? Marvin Gaye. Who’d been DEAD 5 years before the cub was born! Yah. He, too, wanted to FIGHT! about it. Oh, my FLOYD! I am That Old Lady. Well, and what of it!! Y’all still need to get off my lawn.
One of my other mourned loves? The brownies at Marshall Field & Company, back when it was still & Company and had a full in-house kitchen and bakery. Huge, fudgy brownies, packed with walnuts and a not-quite-homemade (but close enough) chocolate frosting. It would take all day to finish one (they really were huge) but oh, so good. I make brownies all the time (from scratch) and they are actually better than the MF&Co brownies… but they aren’t the MF&Co brownies! if that makes any sense.
And these little fellas 
the perfect yuzu tart/sweet gummy candy
I’ve got a bad feeling about these – they’re becoming less and less accessible at my Asian Market and I don’t eat them often enough to warrant buying them in bulk… I dunno… what do you think? Should I spring for several bags to hold Just in Case? I mean… it’s gummy candy! It’ll probably still be here when my great grandchildren are in their dotage. Right?
What about you? Is there anything (relatively recent) that you’ve fallen in love with, only to have it vanish?
Photos: pexels, Saturdays Francine and I stole the yuzu off the interwebs
I don’t know if this would technically be considered “vanished,” but Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn’s FLAVOR has vanished. I thought it was just me and my aging tastebuds, but there are articles on line and lots of Reddit threads expounding on this, too. This popcorn used to have so much cheese powder on it, Herr Mozart could have used it to touch up his wigs. And it was real, mouth puckering cheddar, too. Now? Tastes like salty styrofoam…
Yikes! I HATE when that happens! Reformulation is, alas, rarely a good thing
Our grocery store stopped carrying Pim’s cookies, my husband’s favorite cookie. Luckily, there is a small Spanish/French food and wine store downtown that carries them (and many other wonderful treats!)
Congratulations!! More to explore and maybe fall in love with!
As for the Younguns discovering music that’s ancient: our son once went up to his dad and said, “Dad, there’s this really great band I discovered. They’re called The Doors!” Haha As if HE discovered them! The nerve! We always say don’t fall in love with any product you buy at Costco, cause as soon as you love it they seem to stop carrying it. A much older story: in the 80s, there was this awesome raspberry soda made by an indie brand called SoHo. Sadly, they’re gone. And speaking of raspberry, Godiva boutiques used to make a marvelous dark chocolate covered raspberry creme bonbon thing that I loved. But that seemed to go the way of the dodo, too. But here’s good news: last night I tried a new flavor of Pepperidge Farms Milano cookie: Strawberry and white chocolate, and they were good! Let’s see how long these last!
I’ve decided that it’s the province of the young to think the ‘ancients’ just crawled out from under the Clueless Rock! I’m sure I did it…( and it makes me blush to think about)
Here’s hoping PF doesn’t ‘tweak’ the recipe. As I said to MzCrz that’s rarely a good thing
When I used to visit NYC every year there were things I counted on finding and bringing home in some numbers. The one that elicited the biggest sigh was Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews, which my father introduced me to. For years, there — then, one year, gone. Unfathomable and unfair.
Other things that for a while you could get here but now almost impossible to find and very pricey: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. The bees’ knees.
Oh I just had some goldfish crackers in chili for lunch. But that reminds me: Stoned Wheat Thins. THE cracker for Brie. Kind of a preppie joke. They stopped selling them a couple of years ago. Still hurts.
Wheat Thins … with dips. Ah, memories.
I’m not a fan of Brie – but I adored Wheat Thins!!! I think. (*think!) Aldi sells a dupe…
Wish I could quickly teleport some goldfish crackers to you, Cinnamon. Our grocery store devotes several shelves to all the sizes and flavors of Goldfish crackers available!
Thank you, Dina. They can be found in this country — just not down here. They are on Amazon (which I am avoiding these days) but are stupid money. I noticed there are loads of different versions now too — like pretzel fish.
I wish I could send you some!!!
Forgot, Aldi Hotel fragrances. The ones that sort of looked like Jo Malone. The Lime Basil & Mandarin was more to my taste than the JML & they’ve been d/ced. Even though Aldi won the duping court case
Oh! I remember those!
Asda used to carry little packs of German square rye bread aka black bread. It came vacuum packed in plastic & was perfect when I needed it. Gawn. I can now only get “protein bread” on those packs.
Also Asda, 97% pork sausages. I’m not a fan of processed raw meats. DH & offspring are. I found that Asda Extra Special Pork were acceptable to me & made for an easier evening cooking for us all. They came in packs of 6 or 12. They were perfect, juicy, gluten free, had just the right bite & the seasoning was spot on. Now they’ve changed to “Exceptional” & are only 85% pork, too smooth, less juicy & the seasoning is rank. Good job the boys are now men & can hunt for their own sausages. I’m on the hunt for a replacement. Even sausages from our local, posh, TV famous farm shop aren’t up to my needs.
Also Lidl & Aldi’s short runs. Lidl drew me into Kefalotyri cheese. They had it for weeks, then gone never to return.
Aldi did tomahawk steaks as part of the Big Daddy range. Served two delicious portion & leftovers for lunch sandwiches. Again they were there then ….. gone! Not like their Wagyu steaks that are in regular stock, but sellout 30mins after opening but gone, never to be seen again.
I could go on and on and on
Aldi has a lot to answer for… those short runs is why my pantry is filled to overflowing!
WHAT TOM SAID. Trader Joe’s discontinues favorites pretty regularly. Their pear salad, date syrup, a couple of cereals I really liked … I could go on, so I will. They didn’t do the holiday seasonal gingerbread ice cream I loved. Their fudge sauce was excellent. The gorgonzola crackers. Going farther back, I loved when they stocked big barrels of Ghirardelli chocolate break-up, I’d buy a piece to gnaw on while I was in line. Wah wah call me a waaaaahmbulance, baby!
I can’t even with the Joe’s. They are now a dedicated trip (2.5 hours rather than down the street) so whenever I am back in civilization I stop at EVERY Joe’s!
I’m sure there are but you hit a nerve with Trader Joe’s. I love them nut they’re like a fickle boyfriend. They’re constantly making yummy things then just dropping them. So annoying. I (sort of) don’t mind seasonal things like the cucumber watermelon juice. But especially the little chocolate things or lemon wafers that just, what? Become too popular? Annoying!
Around Christmas one year Lidl sold these little fig and goat cheese tartlets meant for appetizers that my daughter went into raptures about. She had had them at somebody else’s house first. I successfully bought them twice, and then never again! I have stalked the Lidl looking for those darn things for years ever since with no luck.
Makes you want to smack somebody, doesn’t it? Even grrrr-ier is when you get some Young Joe who wants to fight about X product having ever existed! I’m in menopause… so I’ve been known to just walk away, rather than get arrested for assault