People Are Sharing The Meals They Used To Eat That They Found Out Weren't "Normal" When They Got Older

"Food is so personal and nostalgic, sometimes it's hard to believe the dishes we grew up eating are actually a little strange to others. I'll admit that as a former picky eater, my go-to snack was cheese sandwiched between two slices of banana (please don't judge me, it was really good). So when redditor u/kerker1717 asked the r/Cooking community to share the odd food combinations they grew up with, I was excited to see what my fellow weird eaters had to say."

"We were newcomers to Canada in the '90s, and ketchup wasn't really a thing in my home country. So we became obsessed with it when we got here. As a kid, I used to put ketchup on everything, but my favorite was ketchup sandwiches (ketchup plus bread) and ketchup sandwiches with bologna or sliced ham."

"My grandpa used to make peanut butter toast (crispy bread, like almost burnt, and smooth PB - and he always buttered the bread before putting on the PB) and hot chocolate, and would dip the toast in the hot chocolate. Didn't realize it was weird until I got to college, did it in the dining hall, and got some weird looks."

"When I was young and my dad was a single parent, he'd try to have 'fancy' dinners for my sister and me. His go-to appetizer for us was a slice of bologna covered in peanut butter, then rolled up into a log. He'd then cut it into sections, and each would have a toothpick in it. Voilà! Appetizers. Whenever I start missing my dad, who passed away when I was 24, I make those appetizers."

Many people recalled unusual but comforting childhood food combinations that felt normal at the time. Examples include ketchup on plain bread or with bologna, peanut-butter-covered bologna slices rolled into appetizer logs, and crispy buttered peanut-butter toast dunked in hot chocolate. Personal stories emphasize cultural differences, family habits, and memory—newcomers embraced ketchup, grandparents created dipping rituals, and single parents improvised playful 'fancy' meals. Some combinations evoke strong nostalgia and grief, prompting recreations as a way to remember loved ones. Reactions from others ranged from amused to puzzled, revealing how personal taste and context shape perceptions of what counts as 'odd' food.

Read at BuzzFeed