this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2025
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Today I Learned

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[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago

I still remember how both of those things taste exactly. We also had freeze dried steaks from the Vietnam War.

[–] jaaake@lemmy.world 10 points 12 hours ago

And powdered milk!

We had both in my house and referred to the powdered milk as “backup milk.”

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 6 points 11 hours ago

My grandma used to get free government cheese (Velveeta-like block) that was out of date.

That stuff didn't melt no matter how hot you got it.

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 27 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Government cheese inspired many amazing dishes in my household.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 12 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I remember going with my great granny to the distribution center. Cheese, butter, maybe peanut butter but that could be faulty memory. The butter and cheese got us to eat our vegetables without complaining.

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Haha amen. But pair it with fresh fruit, veg, and eggs (plus the occasional chicken) from the back yard and it got us by!

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 4 points 16 hours ago

Yes! We had persimmon, pear, fig, apple and crabapple trees, blackberry and muskidine about, and there were peach orchards nearby. Life was so simple and good back then. And we didn't mind helping in the kitchen, garden and house. On Saturday nights regular granny started cooking, stopped long enough to take us kids to Sunday school and church, then we all came back to her house and each kid helped finish cooking, whether laying biscuits on the pan, putting mac n cheese together. Even toddlers set the table and put ice in glasses, folded hand-sewn napkins. They did so much for us we didn't appreciate until we were grown!

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 6 points 13 hours ago

Government cheese, government butter, we even got government HONEY one time.

I'm sure my parents were embarrassed to even qualify for government aid, but I loved it and didn't think about it. I loved that little apartment, and I'm glad to see it's still there on satellite.

[–] nokturne213@sopuli.xyz 17 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)
[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 10 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

We had government cheese in the late 90s and early 00s. Honestly, it was good. I don't know wtf the difference between gubment cheese and American cheese was, but it was so much better than regular American cheese.

[–] straightjorkin@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

The government cheese was created because the Carter admin miscalculated and encouraged dairy farmers to overproduce. They actually still have cheese in caves in Missouri.

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Government cheese had a shit ton of oil and less "cheese" im pretty sure. Delicious, and calorie dense for sure.

[–] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 2 points 12 hours ago

Honest to goodness, it was freaking good. I'm sure the Europeans would absolutely die if they tried it, they'd be so offended we call it cheese, but it was good .

[–] LazerDickMcCheese@sh.itjust.works 14 points 18 hours ago

Not just the 80s, I had some in the early 2000s. It was delicious

[–] unsettlinglymoist@lemmy.world 3 points 14 hours ago

I worked at a food bank a couple years ago and we regularly received pallets of government cheese through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). They were massive blocks of orange cheddar with almost no text on the label. We also received pallets of government pistachios and dried cherries that were as good as any you'd buy in a store.

[–] robolemmy@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] WatDabney@fedia.io 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I'm pretty sure that Bob hates this song and wishes they'd never released it.

[–] robolemmy@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

It’s definitely not in keeping with his politics in later songs, so I can believe it. On the other hand, it’s still a song I enjoy

[–] WatDabney@fedia.io 2 points 16 hours ago

Agreed on both counts.

And on another note, I took a gamble there by just referring to "Bob," and it's cool that that worked.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 3 points 16 hours ago

I ate a ton of that cheese.

[–] shai_hulud@lemmy.world 3 points 16 hours ago

They gave out two huge blocks right before Christmas break at my Catholic high school every year. Delicious. We were pretty poor then, so it did help.

[–] Bonus@lemm.ee 4 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

From the Repo Man (in which this sort of shit was depicted) soundtrack:

Circle Jerks - When The Shit Hits The Fan (acoustic)

https://youtu.be/J04NXYkUd8c

[–] WatDabney@fedia.io 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

"I can't believe I used to like these guys."

[–] Bonus@lemm.ee 1 points 16 hours ago

Let's go get sushi and not pay.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

Get Busy Committee has a really good song about what the 80s were like:

Shit was fucked up when Reagan was in office

Food stamps, government cheese, and cocaine

I never knew a single soul who owned a rope chain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO3NqMvinkU