"Fad Diet Food", "Poor People Food" and other food stereotypes

So I was reading the thread about "Diet Food" or "Regular Food", and someone mentioned that cabbage got a bad reputation from being part of a fad diet (The Cabbage Soup Diet).  It made me think of stereotypes of foods in general.

It also reminded me of a story an old roommate told me.  He is Polish and comes from a relatively poor family.  On their rare vacations, they always brought their own food, especially if they were crossing into a western european country where the prices were much higher.  He remembered one time having their car searched at a border crossing and all the guards laughing at them for being so poor that they had to bring their own POTATOES along.

In other words, potatoes are though of as poor people's food - despite the fact that they are eaten by all types of people in all types of wonderful ways.

What do you think of when certain foods are mentioned and why?  What foods have bad reputations and why?  Feel free to provide recipe links to show how wonderful the food can be.

 

1.  Cabbage - the Cabbage Soup Diet; I also think it's thought of as a poor person's food

2.  Potatoes - for poor people; strangely, I relate it specifically to the Irish (potato famine) and eastern europe even though it originated in South America (Peru).

Pinto Beans

When I was growing up and money was tight, we ate pinto beans at least 3 nights a week. The first night was pinto beans, the second we added ground beef (or sausage), then the third we added corn bread.

It's amazing, but I still actually like pinto beans :)

Celery is a major 'diet' food.

So is salad.

Yeah there definitely are some silly food stereotypes! Kraft Dinner is the starving college student's meal.

Ramen Noodles!!  A poor college kid's diet.  I love those things!  Regardless of how bad for you they are.  When we were little we ate A LOT of casseroles.  My Mom would throw everything in the fridge into those things.  Some of them I can't even believe that we ate them.  Oh and cracker soup, which bascially consists of milk (water if you didn't have milk), butter all warmed with crackers added.  I can't even stand the smell of cracker soup!

poor mans stew- veg-all, tomato sauce, and ground beef.....delicious

Sometimes when there wasn't a morsel in the house except for some items I would just have to get by on a cheese sandwich.  Piece of cheese between two slices of bread, or just one piece of bread to conserve for the next day, or spam.  Isn't SPAM always something that the "poor" eat.  I hate the word poor.  Just doesn't seem right.  Oh well.

Original Post by jeccababe:

Yeah there definitely are some silly food stereotypes! Kraft Dinner is the starving college student's meal.

Kraft Dinner - always reminds me of Terrance & Phillip form South Park.

Sometimes the rich/poor divide come with lables. My friend from school still has a chip* on his shoulder about having Happy Shopper crisps in his school lunch box while all the other children had Walkers brand crisps.

* Excuse the pun.