Posted from the internet. I am not sure who the author is but this was sent to me a few days ago;
Someone asked me the other day “What was your favourite ‘fast food’ when you were growing up”?
“We didn’t have fast food when I was growing up”, I informed him, “all the food was slow”!!
“No, come on, seriously, where did you eat”?
“It was a place called home”, I explained. “Mum cooked every day and when dad got home from work, we all sat down together at the dining room table. And if I didn’t like what was on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it”!
By this time the lad was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn’t tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.
TV test patterns came on at night after the last show had finished and again in the morning before transmission started
But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I’d figured his system could have handled it;
Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore jeans, never set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card. My parents never drove me to school, I had a bicycle that weighed about 50 pounds and it only had one speed, slow. We didn’t have television in our house until I was 10, It was of course black and white, and the station went off air at 11pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue. It came back on air at about 10am next morning after showing the test pattern for about an hour and there was usually a locally produced show featuring local people and products.
Pizzas were not delivered to our home but milk was. All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers. My brother delivered a newspaper 7 days a week. He got up at 6am every morning.
Film stars kissed with their mouths shut, at least they did in the films. There was no movie ratings because all movies were produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanities, violence or anything offensive.
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or granchildren. How many do you remember?
1 Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car
2 Ignition switches on the dashboard
3 Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards
4 Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner,
5 Using hand signals because the cars did not have traffic indicators
6 Lolly cigarettes
7 Coffee shops with Juke Boxes
8 Bread delivered in a horse and cart
9 Party lines on the telephone
10 Newsreels before the pictures
11 Kerosene heaters
12 33 rpm records
13 45 rpm records
14 Hi-Fi and streophonic sound
15 Metal ice trays with levers,
16 Blue flash bulbs on the camera
17 Cork pop-guns
18 Wash tub wringers
19 Peashooters and slug guns
20 Telegram boys
If you remembered 0-5, you’re still young
If you remembered 6-10, you’re getting older
If you remembered 11-15, don’t tell your age
If you remembered all 20, you’re positively ancient!
Well, don’t feel too bad I remembered them all. In fact some of these are the best memories of my life
Don’t forget to pass this on!
I was just chatting with my parents last week about take away. They are in their 80s and 90s.
The rare take away we did have was fish’n’chips.
I even recall my brother and I spending our sixpence collection plate money for Sunday School (yep, he tought me how to avoid the nuns) on fish’n’chips on a Sunday . . .
Great stuff. Unfortunately, I’m all over the lot! 🙂 I must admit, that for much of my childhood, it was but a dream to see the test pattern in colour. 😉
Oops I remember them all and my Dad delivered bread from a horse and cart. His horse was called Maude.
I’m in the truly ancient category; I remember all those things.
We used to put billy on the post for the milkman to leave milk and cream,if we were up early enough we got some extra cream
I remember all that, but something I haven’t heard anyone mention. When the Television was switched off, there was a tiny, very bright light in the middle of the screen that took ages to fade out. I was fascinated by that. Maybe I’m older than Adam, but I remember TV closing after Children’s programmes. I think it came back on around 7.or 7.30 .
My husband to be was telegram boy. And I’m fairly sure that the lady at the telephone exchange listened in on our phone calls when we were first ‘going out’ – that I made to Adelaide from that far distant town of Tailem Bend!!! when I first started working. I remember 19/20, though had forgotten most until you reminded me. And I really didn’t realize I was that old . .
And as for the test pattern – even Norm used to tell us to warm the set and cool the tinny.
The telephone girls in Murray Bridge did listen in. Then they said “Three minutes, are you extending?”. You held your breath whilst there was a pause and then he said “yes”.
Yep…after reading your entire “list”, I’m like you, Bob. That is, ‘ancient’.
Such is life, whilst learning and managing the many ‘corporate changes’ experienced by me (and many others of similar ‘ancient’ status).
Sadly, Gen Y’s seem disinterested about ‘ancient’ person’s life journey.
But, for me, those ‘slow days’ will always be the best parts of my life.
From Danny Bocchino
Ah yes very fond memories of all those plus many more like the rattle of the milkys bottles and the ice man and his horse ,those childhood memories will never fade.
i remember about 15 of them but one I remember was when we had to leave the milk money on our doorstep for the milky and hope it wouldn’t get pinched.
12. 12? I couldn’t be THAT old, could I?
I was raised by my great aunt so all but #20 are familiar. You did forget 78’s though 🙂 I still remember that my Grandmother did not even have a telephone till around 1997.
I’m not sure if this qualifies as fast food but I remember for my 10 year old self the biggest luxury in the world was when the baker would drop off the bread in the morning .. white sliced of course and it would be still warm. Mum would let me have the.crust with butter and what we then called peanut paste . I’d swing by the Blue Dove deli on Sturt rd for a Farmers Union malted milk and I was as happy as I think I’ve ever been :)) Heaven