What ‘everyday’ food was considered exotic when you were young?

[Splodgerbodgerbadger]

I remember the first time we had lasagne, it was a ready made one from M&S. It was considered very new and different by us. It must have been late 80’s early 90’s. We all loved it and had it every Saturday. Mum used to buy it, but then started making her own. It’s still one of my favourite dinners.

We never had curries or pasta growing up, it was generally things like mince beef, my Mum used to make that every Tuesday in gravy and we had veg and mash potatoes in the winter and new potatoes in the summer. I loved that too. Although the downside was we had tapioca for pudding as my Mum cooked it at the same time as the mince. I hated ‘frogspawn’, my Dad wasn’t keen either, but my sisters and Mum loved it.

Vesta ready meals
Vienetta
anything Indian - the first time in an Indian restaurant (I was 19) in 1978, my boyfriend (later became my husband) had steak and chips, he was so unadventurous.
Proper pizza in a pizzeria

Pesto

I remember Vesta meals. And FrayBentos pies in tins.

Vegetarian food

Almost anything premade felt exotic as my mum didn’t agree with it! She made everything from scratch, including the game my dad brought home.

Cherry tomatoes and peppers felt exotic in the early 90s when they first became available in our little town, as did rocket and radicchio. My stepmum used to dress salads with a walnut dressing she made which also felt very exotic.