When I think of foods that bring back the most childhood memories my mind immediately goes to dino nuggets. I remember playing with these before I chowed down even though my mom had a strict no playing with your food rule. I can recount stories of going over to friends’ houses and having the same Dino nuggets. They felt like the ultimate equalizer as everyone I talked to back then had at least had them once. I had convinced myself that certain dinosaurs tasted better than others. I debated with friends and family on which dinosaur tasted the best. In my head the T-rex nugget tasted the best, and this is something that I stand by to this day. They bring back memories of the weekend and not having anything to worry about except what sauce I was going to use; it was almost always ranch. To this day Dino nuggets are still top tier, they never disappoint.
As children, we all had that one meal we would eat when we were sick. For me it was chicken and stars, a chicken noodle soup with star shaped noodles. My parents would always make this for me no matter what sickness I had caught, and no matter how bad I felt, I could always manage to eat this soup. Looking back there is nothing special about this soup, in fact the taste was below average; however, younger me saw this soup as being the only good part about getting sick.
For several months I lived in San Antonio Texas, while there me and my family would go to the Rainforest cafe. If you’ve never been to The Rainforest Cafe it’s decorated to look like a rainforest and serves predictable food like chicken tenders or grilled cheese. I remember being super excited everytime we went into the cafe, hoping my parents would buy me a toy from the gift shop area. Now anytime I think of this place or I see one on vacation, I’m flooded with memories of sunny weather and goofy looking rainforest animals.
One distinct memory I have from my Grandma’s was swimming in her pool and after being done she gave me a Yoohoo. I used to think that they were peak as far as chocolate milk went. I looked forward to getting out of the pool just so I could get a hold of a Yoohoo. When she would take me to Six Flags or the zoo she would pack lunches for us and almost always we got Yoohoos. They remind me of summers at my Grandma’s house playing monopoly and trouble. When I tried them again I was disappointed as they weren’t nearly as good as I had remembered. They left an unpleasant chalking after taste.
The last food that comes to mind when I think of nostalgic foods are the mini corn dogs. This was my go to lunch if I didn’t know what to eat that day. They were easy to make and to eat. I can vividly remember eating these while sitting on the ground watching Spongebob in the living room. They were almost always a food to eat on the weekend, I usually paired them with a mini Coke. I felt like I was on top of the world. Mini corn dogs and dino nuggets are the only two things on this list that to this day I will devour if I find some.
While some of these foods are objectively bad, In my eyes they will always be amazing not for their taste but for what they remind me of. They take me back to early elementary school when I didn’t have responsibilities or worries, when I was playing through
Lego Batman for the first time and that was the most difficult thing in my life. Now when I see them when I’m grocery shopping I can’t help but smile and reflect on how I got to where I am today.
