Food fashions

[ladyofastolat]

I was thinking today about how much I like chicken kiev, and how it seems to have gone completely out of fashion. Back in the early 90s, virtually every pub that served food offered chicken kiev, which suited me perfectly, but I don't think I've seen chicken kiev on any pub menu in years. I wonder why not. I wonder why food has fashions. I suppose it's a reaction to ubiquity. When something is ubiquitous - whether an item of food, a popular book, a pop band, an item of clothing etc. - it encourages others to sneer at it and feel superior by avoiding it. Then it becomes a bit sad or naff or common, and within a few years, people can look at it and sneer, "Oh, that's so three years ago," and move on. But then, of course, thirty years later, it will have retro appeal, and will be brought back again.

Anyone got any favourite foods that were once ubiquitous, but are now impossible to find?

Alternatively, feel free to tell me all your chicken kiev sightings, and show me all my pontifications are based on a false premise.

Comments

[clarienne.livejournal.com]

I really liked prawn cocktails, which are the classic 'embarrassing 80s food'.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

I don't like seafood, so don't myself miss prawn cocktails at all, but I've never understood why one decade's fashions get labelled "embarrassing" a decade on. It's all very baffling. I refuse to play along when people laugh at 70s flares or 80s mullets, too. I'm probably quite annoying. :-)

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

Yes, me too, *and* black forest gateau :-)

[torkell]

Chicken kievs seem to be disappearing from the supermarkets as well. I don't recall seeing them in Sainsbury's the last couple of times I went looking for them. Shame, I rather liked them.

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

They'd better not disappear from M&S. *glowers darkly* I seldom buy food in M&S, but do very occasionally treat myself to a ridiculously high calorie meal of M&S chicken kiev and dauphinoise potatoes.

I did find chicken kiev in Sainsbury's yesterday, though. I bought it to eat on my birthday next week, since I don't want to cook on the day, but don't want to eat out, either, since we're doing that the following day.

[themis1.livejournal.com]

Non-vegetarian Samosas. I love the beef ones, and they disappeared during the mince scare and haven't been seen since :-(

[rubygirl29.livejournal.com]

It's the butter police. They have deemed butter to be the ultimate evil. Chicken Kiev is right up there with Fettucine Alfredo.

Thankfully, bacon-lovers of the world have united under the banner of the Pig and have fought back from near decimation and are now flourishing.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

I have a lot of time for Black Forest gateau, arctic roll (though that seems to have made a comeback recently) and - well, am I imagining it or are there fewer raspberry pavlovas than of yore?

[muuranker.livejournal.com]

Sorry, got distracted by this: thinking why Kiev? Why not Chicken Minsk? Or Chicken Kettering?

They are in the Waitrose easy-to-cook range.

My missing food: in the mid 1980s, M&S did a twist on the saussage roll which had a really moist filling (possibly sun-dried tomatoes were involved) which had a lattice plait top rather than being puff pastry all around. Last seen around 1993.... This, and their white its-not-Toblerone were purchased each week in preference to fresh vegitables or anything sensible like that.