Foods Only People Who Grew Up In 70s California Still Crave Today
Remember cruising down Pacific Coast Highway with the windows down and a snack in hand?
The 1970s in California wasn’t just about bell-bottoms and disco – it was a golden era of unique foods that shaped our taste buds forever.
From fast food innovations to health food crazes, these iconic eats defined growing up in the Golden State during this groovy decade.
1. Swanson TV Dinners
Aluminum trays with perfectly divided compartments meant dinner and entertainment were about to collide!
The salisbury steak with its mysterious brown gravy or the fried chicken that somehow stayed crispy in the oven were magical experiences.
Kids today will never understand the excitement of peeling back that foil to reveal apple cobbler bubbling in its own special section.
2. Shasta Soda & Tab
Nothing said California cool like cracking open a can of Shasta Cream Soda or grape while hanging at the beach. The distinctive ‘pop-fizz’ sound was summer’s official soundtrack.
Meanwhile, Tab – with its distinctive saccharin bite – was what the cool moms drank, making it instantly desirable to their impressionable kids who secretly sipped it when no one was looking.
3. Tang & Carnation Instant Breakfast
Astronauts drank Tang, so naturally, every California kid wanted to start their day with that neon orange powder stirred into water. The space-age appeal made ordinary breakfast seem like a mission to Mars!
Carnation Instant Breakfast was the ‘healthy’ alternative parents pushed – just add milk to that chocolate powder and suddenly you had ‘complete nutrition’ in a glass. Somehow it tasted like dessert for breakfast.
4. Jell-O Molds with Suspended Fruit
Every potluck and family gathering featured at least one wobbly, colorful creation.
Lime Jell-O with suspended canned pears or the daring combination of orange Jell-O with shredded carrots represented peak culinary artistry for 70s moms.
The fancy ones came in copper fish-shaped molds or layered colors that prompted oohs and aahs from dinner guests. Nothing said ‘California entertaining’ quite like a sunset-colored Jell-O ring!
5. Hamburger Helper
When Mom needed dinner fast after driving kids to and from swim practice, that friendly gloved mascot came to the rescue!
One pound of ground beef, a packet of seasoning, and some noodles transformed into a one-pan wonder.
Cheeseburger Macaroni reigned supreme in California households, filling the kitchen with its unmistakable aroma of powdered cheese and onion. Kids would fight over who got to lick the spoon before washing up.
6. Pop-Tarts & Toaster Strudels
Racing to catch the school bus with a hot strawberry Pop-Tart wrapped in a napkin was practically a California kid ritual. That silver foil package promised portable happiness with frosting!
The brave souls ate them untoasted straight from the box during Saturday morning cartoons.
Parents pretended not to notice we were essentially eating dessert for breakfast – the thin disguise of ‘fruit filling’ somehow making it acceptable.
7. Fondue Nights
Saturday nights meant Dad breaking out the fondue pot while Mom arranged cubes of crusty sourdough bread.
California families gathered around bubbling pots of cheese or chocolate, wielding long-handled forks like dinner weapons. The unspoken rule: if your bread chunk fell off in the cheese, you owed someone a kiss!
That pot of melted Gruyère represented the height of sophisticated dining in suburban San Fernando Valley or Marin County homes.
8. Swensen’s Ice Cream
Before Baskin-Robbins dominated every strip mall, Swensen’s was the premium California ice cream experience.
Their sticky chewy chocolate with actual bits of handmade chocolate ribbon throughout was worth saving allowance money for! Founded in San Francisco, Swensen’s represented local pride in a scoop.
The cable car sundae – served in a miniature replica of SF’s famous transportation – made birthdays special for countless California kids growing up in the groovy decade.
9. Avocado Everything
Long before avocado toast became trendy nationwide, California kids were enjoying this green fruit sliced onto everything.
Avocado and sprouts on whole grain bread was the standard school lunch for eco-conscious Berkeley families. Backyard trees meant free avocados year-round for lucky homeowners.
Dad’s famous guacamole appeared at every barbecue, made with avocados so fresh they were still warm from the sun – a true California privilege that shaped our palates forever.
10. Bob’s Big Boy Burgers
The double-decker Big Boy burger with that special sauce was worth dressing up for on Friday nights.
Those checkered tablecloths and vinyl booths witnessed countless teenage first dates and family celebrations in suburban California.
Somehow the chocolate milkshakes tasted better when served in those tall metal mixing cups that provided enough for your glass plus a refill.
The statue of the round-cheeked boy holding a burger became an unofficial mascot of California road trips.
11. Hi-C Fruit Punch in Cans
Those little cans of neon red sweetness were liquid gold in any California kid’s lunchbox.
Opening one required the special triangle-shaped can opener punched twice on top – a skill proudly mastered around second grade.
Beach days meant an Igloo cooler filled with these frosty cans nestled in ice.
The sweet-tart flavor somehow quenched thirst despite containing mostly sugar, and the empty cans made perfect sand castle molds once emptied.
12. Hostess Snacks in Lunch Boxes
Finding a Ding Dong or HoHo nestled beside your sandwich meant Mom was in an especially good mood that morning.
These foil-wrapped chocolate treasures were valuable playground currency – tradeable for almost anything. Twinkies were reserved for special occasions or after particularly tough spelling tests.
The legendary cream filling and sponge cake combo fueled bike rides through California neighborhoods and intense sessions of street hockey until the streetlights came on.
13. Sun-Maid Raisins in Red Boxes
Those little red boxes featuring the bonnet-wearing Sun-Maid girl were standard issue in California lunchboxes.
Teachers approved because they were technically fruit, while kids appreciated the natural sugar rush during afternoon lessons. Fresno-area kids took special pride knowing these raisins came from their local valleys.
Empty boxes transformed into tiny purses, treasure chests, or homes for caterpillars found on the playground – practical recycling before it was trendy.
