Schmaltz

[the_gneech]

"Quaker Instant Oatmeal" has not materially changed since I was a kid ... which isn't a bad thing. After all, why mess with success, right? But there is one superficial change that saddens me. When I was a kid, the wax-paper packets had these cute lil' cartoon kids in winter weather gear and simplistic winter landscapes, with round heads and big smiles, and captions that read things like, "Warms you up inside when it's cold outside," or "The perfect way to start your day." These days, the packets have things like "Heart-Healthy Diet Tips" and such on them; boring and bleak. I mean yeah, it was schmaltzy ... but it was still just kinda nice.

So, I miss it.

-The Gneech

Comments

[frostdemn.livejournal.com]

I think there are still some that have like, dinosaurs on it. One of them had a dinosaur theme where there would be little sugar 'eggs' in it, and they'd hatch into candy-esque dinosaurs when you cook 'em.
Though they probably have those facts on the back... Wait, do they put the facts on both sides? or is one of them the perfect place to put the things it needs and.. uh...
Something along those lines.

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

*flings you some oatmeal raisin cookies she made!*

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Yipe! *is pelted with cookies*

Painfully delicious!

-The Gneech

[slysquirrel.livejournal.com]

I agree. A lot of the--shall we call it "Norman Rockwell"?--quality of Christmas has been drained out of the holiday season. It seems that that quality became a moniker of the rich, ritzy department stores, one of the only places you'll find that sort of schmaltz this time of year.

(On a related note, and if I see another inflated Santa on somebody's lawn I'm buying a pellet gun. :) )

[larksilver.livejournal.com]

My (soon to be former, thankfully) neighbors have a veritable forest of plastic Christmas lawn ornaments in their little bitty yard. I swear, they have to walk a particular path to get to their door. It's meant to be festive, but it kinda frightens me. It's pretty bad when the 3-year-old, unbidden, says "Mom, that yard.. bothers me."

[ziabandito555.livejournal.com]

I miss my grandpa making the oatmeal for me on cold days when i visited. He always did it perfectly mixing in bannanna and milk in just the right amount... *pouts*

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

*sigh* ....good ole nostalgia... ^v^