How Millennials Killed Mayonnaise

[MULTIZ321]

How Millennials Killed Mayonnaise
By Sandy Hingston/ Food/ Philadelphia/ phillymag.com

"The inexorable rise of identity condiments has led to hard times for the most American of foodstuffs. And that’s a shame.

I write this in the dead of summer, always a bittersweet season — why is it we got summers off from school for all those years but don’t get summers off from work? — but doubly depressing these days, when I find myself suffering from picnic panic. The hot, languid weather brings with it a series of outdoor family events for which, as a tribal elder, I’m charged with providing provisions. Lately, though, I’ve had my feet cut out from under me. For years — nay, decades — my contributions to the Hingston clan’s Memorial Day and Fourth of July and Labor Day gatherings were no-brainers: I made what my mother once made. She was such a good cook that when she died prematurely, my husband and I typed up and photocopied (quaint, I know) a booklet of her recipes, tried-and-true favorites on which she built her formidable culinary reputation. When the holidays rolled around, I simply re-created one of her delicious dishes and toted it along.

Along about a decade ago, though, I began to notice I was toting home as much of my offerings as I’d concocted. My contributions were being overlooked — or shunned. Why should this be? Mom’s extraordinary potato salad — fragrant with dill, spiced by celery seed — went untouched on the picnic table. So did her macaroni salad, and her chicken salad, and her deviled eggs. … When I carted home a good three pounds of painstakingly prepared Waldorf salad — all that peeling and coring and slicing! — I was forced to face facts: The family’s tastes had changed. Or, rather, our family had changed. Oldsters were dying off, and the young ’uns taking our places in the paper-plate line were different somehow....."

Photograph by Clint Blowers

I love Sandy's sense of humor.


Richard

 

[klpca]

"That aioli you’re all so fond of? I hate to break it to you, but that’s just mayonnaise."

Ha! I don't even tell my kids about this because then they wouldn't eat that either. I just spent 5 days with my millennials. I knew better than to buy mayo, but I did buy pesto and mustard. Both were used on the veggie sandwiches they made (delightful, btw). I ate lots of arugula salad as well. Delicious. They politely ate the boneless skinless chicken breasts we grilled (marinated in this: https://www.skinnytaste.com/grilled-lemon-dijon-chicken-skewers/ ) but I'm not sure that they actually loved it because...it's meat. They cook very differently than I do and for the most part it's fine but it's hard for me to prepare food that they will enjoy because their tastes are very different and I am not used to cooking with their preferred ingredients, although I try. But I can't complain because I don't eat things that my grandma loved - Salmon Loaf - made with canned salmon, anyone? My own mother won't eat anything with marinara sauce. She just doesn't enjoy the flavor and in our house it's a staple.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

LoL sour cream is next. We substitute non-fat plain greek yogurt. Tastes the same but eliminates many many calories.

FWIW...I still like my mayo on artichokes, and tartar sauce on fish.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I grew up on Miracle Whip. No Mayo in my family's home. Half the fat and calories of Mayo. And a longer shelf life in the refrigerator.

Sour Cream was also not in my mother's kitchen. Nor butter. And skim milk mixed with RAW whole milk was. Never soda, but ice tea with lots of sugar.

TODAY ... I have butter in my 'frig. And cream cheese for begals. And whole milk. And lowfat youget .. which I never saw or ate as a child. And I drink water over soda 98% of the time. I TRULY watch sugar and starches ... vegatables with lean meats.

AND my California, RN sister .. the one who can wear her high school clothes after 2 kids and is 2 years younger than me. aka THE HEALTH NUT. She actually was surprised that I qualified for Long Term Care Insurance with a discount. She TOLD me I would NOT qualify and if I did, I would be paying a BIG surcharge due to my weight.

 

[Dori]

My kids and grandkids won’t touch mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, but they love tzatziki sauce! I was never able to get them to eat tuna, salmon or egg salad sandwiches.

Dori

 

[dioxide45]

We don't eat Mayo all that often. But there is nothing like mayo on a bacon and tomato sandwich using fresh garden tomatoes.

 

[VacationForever]

I always skip all mayo and sour cream derivatives on sandwiches and salads where used as a spread, dressing or topping, EXCEPT when mayo is part of a main ingredient where it has been mixed into like a potato salad, tuna salad or chicken salad.

 

[Luanne]

I don't care much for mayo, except on BLTs, in tuna or chicken salad, if it's homemade, as an ingredient in tartar sauce, if it has the name aioili attached to it. Yeah, I don't like mayo.

 

[dioxide45]

Ranch dressing is also mainly mayo.

 

[VacationForever]

I don't put any dressing in my salad, and if a ginger sesame dressing is available I use a little of that.

 

[Luanne]

Ranch dressing is also mainly mayo.

But there is so much else in ranch dressing you can't taste the mayonnaise. And some ranch dressing is now made with yogurt instead of the mayo.

 

[dioxide45]

I don't put any dressing in my salad, and if a ginger sesame dressing is available I used a little of that.

The whole purpose of a salad is the dressing!!! Who wants to eat a bunch of grass?

 

[bluehende]

We don't eat Mayo all that often. But there is nothing like mayo on a bacon and tomato sandwich using fresh garden tomatoes.

Hold the bacon on mine. I love bacon but it interferes with that tomato sandwich

 

[VacationForever]

The whole purpose of a salad is the dressing!!! Who wants to eat a bunch of grass?

You don't need dressing when you get flavors from the meat/egg and non-grass veges like tomatoes, and seeds/nuts.

 

[geist1223]

My Mom's recipe for Potato Salad was very simple - 10 pound bag of potatoes, dozen hard boiled eggs, a quart of Mayo, season to taste. Patti likes to add pill dickel relish. I hate most of the potatoe salads in the stores because they are too wet. In late November nothing is better than fresh roast turkey breast sandwich on bread of choice with lots of Mayo.

 

[vacationhopeful]

My #1 salad dressing is also Sesame Ginger ... IMHO, so much better for you than any mayo or cream based salad dressing.

 

[Luanne]

You don't need dressing when you get flavors from the meat/egg and non-grass veges like tomatoes, and seeds/nuts.

To each, bis (or her) own.

 

[Fredflintstone]

My #1 salad dressing is also Sesame Ginger ... IMHO, so much better for you than any mayo or cream based salad dressing.

I am sad to say I have never heard of sesame ginger. I’ll look for it in the grocery store next time I go. I add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, a hint of honey and squeeze one lime over my salad and I’m a happy camper. However, egg salad or chicken salad or macaroni/potato salad, I gotta have mayo!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Luanne]

I am sad to say I have never heard of sesame ginger. I’ll look for it in the grocery store next time I go. I add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, a hint of honey and squeeze one lime over my salad and I’m a happy camper. However, egg salad or chicken salad or macaroni/potato salad, I gotta have mayo!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The best sesame ginger dressings I've found are from Trader Joe's or the Paul Newman's brand.

 

[Jan M.]

Our son who is now 31 always detested mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. His only exception was my potato salad. Last year he called to tell me he ate and enjoyed something that had mayonnaise in it. A fancy chicken salad on a croissant in a nice restaurant. I asked "who is this and what have you done with my son?"

We were married for 9 years before our son was born and were surprised at the number of meals we'd dropped in favor of ones our son liked that we rediscovered when he went away to college. One of our summer favorites was something we called our tuna melts. Tuna salad on a slice of toasted bread, topped with a nice thick slice of fresh tomato and a slice of cheese. Then we put the open faced sandiches under the broiler to melt the cheese. With some fresh melon or fresh veggies it makes a nice light summer meal.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Grew up with Miracle Whip. Can't live without some type of mayo. Favourites include BLTs (preferably on a pumpernickel bagel), tomato and onion or chicken salad or tuna salad or egg salad sandwiches, lobster rolls, tartar sauce on fish or fish sandwiches, and last but not least, our fabulous scratch-made, old-fashioned, potato salad!! The latter is always what others request we bring to a summer potluck and we rarely bring any back!!

Not a big fan of mayo-based dressings for salads, with the exception of a Caesar or Waldorf. Prefer Greek or Italian style dressings, but really don't enjoy a salad without dressing, even if topped with some protein and nuts or seeds. But to each his own. And still enjoy the occasional treat of a loaded baked potato with all the fixings (sour cream, chives or green onions and bacon bits), ideally with a really good steak!!

 

[geist1223]

Our son who is now 31 always detested mayonnaise or Miracle Whip. His only exception was my potato salad. Last year he called to tell me he ate and enjoyed something that had mayonnaise in it. A fancy chicken salad on a croissant in a nice restaurant. I asked "who is this and what have you done with my son?"

We were married for 9 years before our son was born and were surprised at the number of meals we'd dropped in favor of ones our son liked that we rediscovered when he went away to college. One of our summer favorites was something we called our tuna melts. Tuna salad on a slice of toasted bread, topped with a nice thick slice of fresh tomato and a slice of cheese. Then we put the open faced sandiches under the broiler to melt the cheese. With some fresh melon or fresh veggies it makes a nice light summer meal.

Prefer mine on English Muffins.

 

[cissy]

Hate Miracle Whip. Tastes like mayo with pickle juice.

 

[am1]

I never have mayo or anything made with it (hopefully), ketchup, pork, coffee, pop, no hotdogs of any kind, liquid cheese, american cheese, butter only in cooking. Does not seem like a long list but a lot of times I have something else then was is being prepared or nothing. I feel better then any of that stuff tastes.

For potato salad use evaporated milk instead of mayo.

My pet peeve is that hamburgers come standard with mayo and ketchup and most hamburgers include american cheese and bacon. I would prefer places charge extra for cheese and bacon. Much prefer build your hamburger places.

 

[Jan M.]

If you haven't seen the movie The Whole Nine Yards or don't remember the mayonnaise scene with Bruce Willis's character Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski you have to watch this.