Ah, the good ol’ days!
On occasion (I started writing this on March 13, 2020), I question how we survived the ‘80s, other than pure chance. I am not talking about the big hair and the bright, crazy clothes with enormous shoulder pads because they did not put our lives in danger. Rather, I am talking about enduring increased tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union or what we called back then, “The Cold War.” This was undoubtedly a time of upheaval and uncertainty, as the threat of nuclear loomed large in people’s lives throughout the world. This was the time of AIDS, and suddenly everyone was afraid of having sex. Another reminder that the decade was not about shoulder pads, brightly colored attire or big hair was the terrorist attack of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland and in which 259 people lost their lives. At the same time, there was quite a bit of smoking; back in the ‘80s, people in the military paid $2,50 for a carton of cigarettes and civilians paid between $5-6 for the same carton. I do remember that people smoked in their homes in the presence of their children. They also smoked in their cars with the windows shut (when it was cold outside) and their children in the back seat. Let us leave it at that!
Additionally, the ‘80s was a dangerous decade on a personal level as well. For instance, children were allowed to play in the streets even in big cities, like New York and Boston. My children, in fact, quite often would play on the streets and come back home with a broken tooth or other injuries (admittedly most were minor because some of us were “luckier” than others). It was a time when neighbors would sent their children to their friends’ homes when they were diagnosed with, say, chickenpox, to contract the disease and “get it over with,” as they rationalized such decisions (This, in fact, did happen to my children as their friends came over “to play” while my children were recovering from chickenpox). My kids walked to school (elementary school) which was less than a mile from our home by themselves. They also walked by themselves to the local corner store to buy candy. It is difficult for me to believe today how much candy could be found in my house back then. The concept of “sugar is bad for you” did not enter my mind ever.
My children also drank Kool-Aid and ate junk food, like sweetened cereal for breakfast (Smurf-Berry Crunch and Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes), Hot Pockets and McDonald’s for lunch. These are times that they asked (beg is more like it) by name. And I would not object, because at the time, I thought a Filet-O-Fish sandwich from McDonald’s was a healthy choice. I also remember that the TV ad for Little Caesar’s Pizza used the catchphrase, “Pizza, Pizza” to emphasize the “buy one get one free” concept. In addition, for a number of years, we had Sloppy Joes which were made with two cans of Hunt’s Manwich Original Sloppy Joe Sauce and 80% ground beef. There were salad dressings made with a pack of dry powder (whatever that was) mixed with oil (not olive oil) and vinegar. There were casseroles made with cans of condensed mushroom soup, and of course, the endless pasta salads that accompanied pretty much every weekend barbecue which consisted of frozen hamburger patties and the cheapest hot dogs the grocery store had to offer. Frozen (TV) dinners were considered a treat for the whole family and not too expensive, as Banquet Family Size meals fed the entire family for a few dollars. We are not going to discuss sodium content either. What can I say about Rice-A-Roni, which was another weekly family staple? My seven-layer dip was a hit at every party and was mostly made with various ingredients that came out of a can. My cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon or as pigs-in-the-blanket were another party favorite for any family and friends get togethers. And we had lots of parties: dinner parties, barbecue parties, birthday parties, anniversary parties, Christmas parties, 4th of July parties, among others throughout the year. Liquor overflowed at those parties, what with Zima, various wine coolers, and a variety of cocktails which I used to make (I put myself through school back then while working as a bartender, raising two young children and having a husband who was deployed six months out of the year aboard a US Submarine).
Frankly, I am shocked that we survived with our health pretty much intact. Today, I would not touch the garbage we ate in the ‘80s even if someone paid me. Back then, sodium nitrate was just something they put into cold cuts to make them tasty. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) was fun because it made us giggle after we ate it, and sugar was our friend. At the same time, cheap meats made for an affordable meal, and we ate quite a few cheap cuts of beef. I remember buying from the Post Exchange (US Navy grocery store) .59 cent/per pound 80% ground beef, and .89 cent/per pound cheap beef round that tasted like liver. I also remember that I had to spice it up quite a bit to make it palatable (Oh those unforgettable beef stew dishes that my children tried to hide in various placed so that they would not have to eat them). At least, everything we ate was devoid of germs (after a thorough washing, of course).
And here we are in 2022, health conscious, white meat only, vegetable eaters who rarely order take out because we consider it unhealthy. We do not purchase anything that contains trans fats; we do not eat white sugar, flour or rice. We have reduced our carbohydrate intake, and we walk at least five-time per week.
Am I regretful about my family’s abuses throughout the ‘80s? Frankly, I am not! I am glad my children and I were able to binge on Halloween candy; I am happy we were able to enjoy several different types of homemade fudge during the Christmas holidays, the lemon meringue the apple and pumpkin pies, and the summer barbecue parties with friends in the back yard.
I do feel lucky, however, that we were able to survive the ‘80s in spite of the political, economic and culinary upheaval. And today, as I watch my daughter managing my grandchildren’s diet which is devoid of artificial food dyes, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, sodium nitrites, MSG, growth hormones and a slew of other chemicals and additives found in our food supply, I cannot help but admire her tenacity and resolve. It takes a special person to read all labels, educate oneself on the various harmful additives and chemicals in foods, to make sure that the children are safe and protected.
My excuse is that back in the ‘80s, we did not know better. If I had known, I would not have made the choices I did; that’s for sure. Yet with the knowledge I had at the time, I am not regretful. I am happy though my family survived our ‘80s bad food choices.
Yet, we all know that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as we are dealing with a pandemic (and had to deal with food shortages for a while) and reminiscing of the “good ol’ days” when life was simpler. When our weekend pastime was playing Trivial Pursuit. When organizing a barbeque was not a big deal. When dinner parties filled our house with laughter, music, jokes, fun!
Life has certainly changed. It will never again be the same. After COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, everything seems inconsequential and irrelevant, especially since coronavirus deaths have reached 6 million worldwide. On the other hand, civilians are being killed or must flee Ukraine by the millions as a result of the Russian invasion of their country. When humans throughout the world are terrified to venture outdoors to purchase groceries or must live in crowded underground shelters, humanity is in trouble.
Today, this could be the life of any germaphobe who went through the ‘80s relatively unscathed. As such, I am not going to preach about the necessity of watching less TV or avoiding the Internet. Rather, I am going to talk about self-preservation and self-defense from outside forces which we cannot control. Humans are naturally social animals. In other words, it is difficult to be isolated for long periods of time without socialization and human interaction. But here we are. My recommendation is to try Yoga (with Christina). I have, and it has helped. There is also Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone (I promise I am not paid to advertise for them). They just help me to get out of bed in the morning and give purpose to my day.
On the other hand, if you can spare it, donate to any of the Ukrainian fundraisers that have been set up, such as ICRC.org, GlobalGiving.org, World Central Kitchen, and I’m sure there are others. If you do not know what to do with yourself after you have done yoga and walked at home with Christina and Leslie, try doing some research and writing. Even if you cannot produce publishable writing, it helps get your mind away from the dire situation in which we have found ourselves. And if my suggestions do not work, read a book, watch old Rom Coms or Westerns on TV (I watch them on my computer as I do not own a TV), and I can tell you that they help take my mind off the latest agonizing news.
We did survived the ‘80s; now let us strive to surviving the ‘20s.
Katerina Zissouli 
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