Reddit user SinkingFeelingBruh asked:
"What did you think was fancy as a kid that isn’t?"
Mc's Steakhouse
"Getting to eat McDonald's all the time..."
~ 02red
"This was my first thought, and it was also the first comment I came across opening the thread."
"You are so right..McDonald's used to be so exciting. I don't even eat it anymore."
~ kasparzellar
GiphyWith or Without Crusts
"Cutting sandwiches diagonally."
~ 787la57la47al
"As a college student, I love dressing up my husbands plate when he eats mediocre meals. If he wants a sandwich, I will dress it up like it’s fine dining."
"I made us air fries nuggets and had the ketchup dots and swirls garnishing the plate lol. It makes things more fun."
~ ireallyamtired
Cocktails for Children
"Shirley Temple/Roy Rogers drinks."
"I remember when my parents would take us to a 'fancy' restaurant and we would be able to order these."
"I felt so adult! With the skinny straw and the maraschino cherry..."
~ Iron_Chic
"Okay but low key though… I still love myself a Shirley temple."
"Like if someone were to offer me one I definitely wouldn’t turn it down."
~ faithle97
GiphyWelcome to the Club
"As a kid I thought going to a restaurant and having a club sandwich was the height of sophistication. Probably because I learned about club sandwiches from a family friend who introduced me to them."
"I used to think the little toothpicks with the plastic frills that held the sandwiches together were sooooo fancy. I always brought my toothpicks home with me to play with."
~ Bebe_Bleau
Processed Foods
"My friends whose kitchens were filled with junk food like Captain Crunch, Twinkies and Ding Dongs, hot dogs and American cheese."
"I thought they were so fancy and I was so jealous."
"My mom cooked from scratch every day, and we thought we were so neglected because she wouldn't buy that sh*t for us to eat."
"We were so lucky. Thanks, Mom."
~ riceme0112358
GiphyOoh la la!
"Viennetta ice cream cake was the peak of fancy for me."
~ KaleidoscopeVast9290
"I came here to say this! They marketed it really well to 7-14 year olds."
~ Holiday-Armadillo-34
The BIG Box
"Back in my day, kids who had Crayola 120 colored pencils were considered the elites of society."
~ Prism_Red
"Or the Crayola Crayons with the sharpener on the back."
~ Spoozle64
GiphyA World Tour in a Mug
"A cup of General Foods International Coffee to cap off your five star evening. Might I recommend the Suisse Mocha?"
~ Smooth_Riker
"That was upper class shiz that I begged my parents to buy for company."
"Turns out, Folgers out of the red can was all encompassing; for home and company. Sigh."
~ burgerg10
"My 10 year old self would walk around my room sipping a cuppa and pretending I was grown in my own apartment."
~ odd_kumquat
It's the Foil Wrapper
"Ferrero Rocher chocolate."
~ SirRobynHode
"Richard Gere did the commercials in a tux. I thought these must be the most fancy and expensive chocolates imaginable."
~ Either-Durian-5517
"Dude I'm 22 and they're still fancy to me."
~ rubbersoulelena
GiphyUnder Glass
"Desserts in the display cases (eclairs, bon bons, petifores, etc...)."
~ Med_Vamp
"This jogged my memory of those iced cookies they’d have on display at Giant (American grocery store)."
~ nicheencyclopedia
Pardon Me, Do You Have Any?
"For some reason, as a kid I thought Grey Poupon was some fancy delicacy by the French. I imagined some fancy guy with a gray wig slathering it on a baguette."
"Like only the rich had access to it."
"It’s just mustard. WTF. Still haven’t had it."
~ JackfruitCurry
"When I got married, my dad insisted upon renting a Rolls Royce to take hubs and me from the church to the reception."
"I jokingly asked the driver 'pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?' in my snootiest faux-British accent. He popped open the glove box and there it was!!!!"
~ RefugeefromSAforums
GiphyBeep, Beep
"Old cars from fancy brands."
"Kids are always like 'whoa he drives a BMW' without realizing it's not impressive to drive a 1999 BMW in 2023."
~ slightofhand1
Get Some Quarters for the Bed
"Hotels were the fanciest as a kid, weren't they?"
~ Non-opisthokont
"I thought a motel or an inn was fancier than a hotel."
~ tobiiam
"Omg, yes! Lol, the vibrating beds were so fancy & fun! I’d always beg my parents to get me one."
~ Sad-Comfortable1566
Jumping Michael Chiesa GIF by UFCGiphyBut There's Cheddar in the Biscuits
"Red lobster."
~ MonsoonMermaid
"A guy I worked with (in the 90’s) said he treated his women right."
"When he went out to eat, he took them to places like Red Lobster. What a baller!"
~ eastcoastme
"Oof, I took my junior prom date to Red Lobster back in ‘00. Sorry, Michelle…wherever you are."
~ kyd712
The Beer Fridge
"I thought that having a second, older fridge in your garage meant your family was rich.
"Actually, hell, if you had a garage at all I thought you were rich."
~ CoolBugg
"Didn’t realize people used their garages for cars for YEARS. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it."
"It feels like such a waste of storage space to keep a car in there. Where else do people keep lol their tools, holiday decor, and sh*t they don’t want to throw out but also don’t want to use anymore?"
~ Ithinkillgrowthis
"When we bought our house it came with a fridge in the garage."
"I audibly gasped."
~ Aggravating-Dig-8987
GiphyMy Father was in the military, but didn't want to live on United States Navy bases, so we lived off base in a trailer.
Back then, trailers were much smaller and easily moved from place to place. So each time my Father was stationed at a new base, our trailer was packed up and moved to a new trailer park near the new base.
Because of this life of trailer parks, my idea of luxury living wasn't a mansion—it was a double-wide trailer.
What did you think was fancy as a kid?
Redditor pambannedfromchilis wanted the wealthy to spill the deets on being wealthy, so they asked:
"What is something only a wealthy person would know?"
Tell me the secrets. Just first let me get a pen and paper.
Private Listings
I Am Rich Nene Leakes GIFGiphy"You can opt not to be on those 'wealthiest people' lists - for a price."
draggar
"The number of people that actively avoid those lists is far higher than the number of people on those lists. Also, some people actively manage the amount the list shows."
Ragnel
Call Me
"The phone numbers from people who could help you out of any (even bad) situation."
purevenuscookieslog
"All you need is one person with the right phone number and worth that level of protection."
There is a neighborhood in Colorado Springs with a large number of former generals, nuclear scientists, corporation directors, etc. Within 5 minutes of a burglary alarm going off, the criminal was dead. I can assure you that the Colorado Springs police can't respond that quickly."
jeffh4
HELP!
"The less help you need, the more you get."
manIDKbruh
"You have access to favorable credit lines with better rates than ordinary folk. They just throw money at you when you have money."
dbx999
"Bob Hope used to say 'a bank is a place that'll lend you money, but only if you can prove you don't need it.'"
tommytraddles
Premium Help
"How to fully use a hotel concierge service."
Firebolt164
"Was in Australia at a nice hotel. Wanted to go to Royal Observatory but there were no tickets that evening - only the evening we could make it. Ended up in casual conversation with the hotel concierge. At some, told him how much we were enjoying our visit and he asked if there was anything disappointing."
"I said only that we could not get into the Royal Observatory. He said he’d see what he could do, catching me by surprise having been unfamiliar with what a concierge does before then. That night my wife and I were looking at the Jewel Box through the telescope at the Royal Observatory."
arriesgado
Celeb Encounters
Rihanna Boat GIFGiphy"You can rent celebrities for your private events. Not just musicians, but bonafide actors and actresses."
MediumRareTaint
"I remember a few years ago the founder of Lululemon, Chip Wilson, had the Red Hot Chili Peppers play in his backyard here in Vancouver. We could hear them from the beach below."
madam1madam
If had the money to rent people for private events, Adele would have plans forever!
What is Rent?
Alicia Silverstone My Bad GIFGiphy"Have a friend who is moving to the Bay area. To work for a non-profit. Part-time. She didn't know what her salary would be."
minervazahara
Fly High
"Private jets come with different size luggage compartments."
thinkx5
"I mean, do all cars have the exact same size trunk? No, some are roomy as sh*t and some are teeny. It makes sense that different models from different manufacturers would have different sized/shaped compartments, especially given there are some that seat 4 passengers and some that seat 14."
fireandlifeincarnate
Member-Owned
"The difference between an equity country club and a membership country club."
smurfsundermybed
"Some country clubs have vested ownership (ie 100% member-owned) while others are owned by corporations. It really isn't always a prestige thing, many older clubs in the sticks only came about because they were member-owned and built by a group of families."
"Of course, nearly all of today's old-school elite courses started out as member-owned but that doesn't mean all member-owned courses are elite."
Salamok
"Yeah, this is a good one. Also, the understanding that you can't just walk into most private clubs, write a check for whatever the fee is and become a member. Most of the equity clubs have a white ball/black ball system too, similar to fraternities, where two or three blacks DQ you."
xkulp8
When in Need
"The VIP hotline number at the children's hospital when your kid needs urgent care but there's a big wait in the ER (but your kid isn't sicker than anybody else's kid in the ER), and you won't get to the front of the line. Blew my mind when a very wealthy friend told me he did this for his child (the friend's father was a huge donor to the hospital). More power to him, but there is the wealthy and then there is the wealthy."
off_mode_auto
The Most Valuable
Seth Meyers Time GIF by Late Night with Seth MeyersGiphy"That wealth is not what people see. It's what people don't get to see. That the most valuable asset is not things, but time."
shidored
Whoever said money can't buy happiness is lying.
There is the biggest secret.
Reddit user TactlessLaugher asked:
"What’s a meal as child you thought was fancy, or high class but was really the exact opposite?"
Let's get into it, starting with the obvious.
Luxury Lobster
"I thought Red Lobster was classy sh*t as a child."
"As an adult I ordered 6 soggy small shrimp that came in bowl and they called it shrimp scampi and paid way too much for it."
- _Goose_
"My sons (they're almost 14) still think Red Lobster is the top echelon of seafood."
"We even go to the Outer Banks right on the ocean one week every summer where they both eat fresh, tasty seafood. But they think some $35 pile of rubbery Red Lobster meat is prime luxury."
- orangestar17
"I took one of my sons there to celebrate the end of a successful school year."
"I thought for sure he would realize how not-posh it really was."
"Nope, he thought it was amazing and couldn’t wait to tell his friends he had finally gone to Red Lobster. I kept my mouth shut and let him enjoy the luxury."
- pixygarden
Season 1 Episode 13 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphyPizza Hut Used To Be Awesome
"In the 80s, I can't explain how big of a deal it was to go to a Pizza Hut. It was 30 miles away so it was a big treat."
"These days, not so much."
- Shroom4Yoshi
"Playing Pacman at the arcade table and wearing a book-it pin on my Jean jacket, ahhh the 80's"
- beccasam1
"We didn't have much money so didn't eat out much."
"The Book-It program at school gave those coupons for a free personal pan pizza when you read books and it was like Christmas"
- orangestar17
"Pizza Hut back in the day was a step or two above Pizza Hut today- which is barely a storefront."
"The old ones had funky roofs, salad bars, pizza served in skillets, table service..."
"Today? Nothing special."
- sdcinerama
Pasta-Roni
"I used to think my mom made this delicious angel-hair pasta with a creamy sauce all from scratch."
"It was just boxed Pasta Roni."
"But I’m glad it is because she passed when I was 12 years old and it would have sucked that I never got her recipe. Now I can just whip open a box and feel the nostalgia."
- drekia
"I didn’t come to this thread to cry over Pasta Roni."
- Basghetti_
"My mom died when I was twelve too. I’m still always trying to recreate recipes from childhood. Certain things I’ve got but I’m never gonna nail her sweet and sour pork. 😔"
- taipeileviathan
Because The French Are Fancy
"French toast, because it was 'French' "
- dick-nipples
"That's kind of adorable."
- Ascholay
"French toast is delicious though."
- SkeleHoes
"Same with crepes."
- Grjaryau
Fondue
"When I was a kid my folks would have a fondue night every great now and then. They would have a few different kinds of meat like hot dog pieces and some cut up chicken."
"To this day it seems special."
"We didn’t have much money growing up but this made me feel otherwise. One of my fondest memories as a kid with my parents."
- 1980pzx
"Woah! This brings back warm memories to fondue night."
"We didn't have much growing up, and fondue night always felt like we had something to celebrate. We even had special fondue plates we bought at a flea market."
"It was just one of those rare nights where dinner didn't feel rushed, with dad usually being tired from working all day or having to leave for a night shift."
"Thanks for bringing back that memory."
- Leilavdm
Melting Food Porn GIF by BOSKAGiphyHot Washcloth
"If my parents were going out for the evening, my mom would take us to the grocery store to pick out TV dinners."
"I usually got turkey, with mashed potatoes, stuffing, those miserable peas and carrots, and some kind of cobbler dessert."
"No microwaves then, so the foil trays went in the oven. My mom would put the hot tray on a washcloth on a tv table."
"We got to eat in front of the TV and thought it was fabulous."
- ItsSnowingAgain
"Same down to the washcloth or dish towel!"
"Pre microwave it was a big deal! This was the 70’s for me."
- miahsmama
It's Not Butter
"My mother used margarine in (nearly) everything, but she called it butter."
"So whenever we went to a nice restaurant to eat, I thought the real butter they served was something fancy and French."
- mobyhead1
"Same here."
"We've still never had real butter in our house. Even though it said 'margarine' on the tub it took me until I was at least 12 to realize it was different from butter."
"I was so shocked when I went to a restaurant and the butter tasted so good and different."
- katkeransuloinen
"This!"
"I baked a lot as a child and always wondered why my cookies were never very good. My mum raised me to believe that olive spread is butter."
"Turns out it’s not."
- Dragon_Sluts
Missing The Point
"Ratatouille because I had completely missed the point while watching the movie"
- maedayborowski
"Totally true! The movie does make it look super fancy but in reality 95% of ratatouille is a mess of mushy vegetables."
"It has a fancy sounding French name though."
- bambooshoot
"And I just now realized the point."
- Rin-Tohsaka-is-hot
"Same dude I was really young when I watched Ratatouille and completely missed the part where they said it was a peasant dish."
- NHK21506
ratatouille GIFGiphyAffording Ramen
"My mom told me 'We can't afford to eat ramen all the time.' "
"She meant that it wasn't healthy and that I should eat a vegetable or something. I spent years thinking instant ramen was expensive."
- pm-me-racecars
"SAME but I thought it was expensive just because I loved it so much."
"I got a job at a grocery store when I was in high school, realized how cheap it was, lost my damn mind."
- Remarkable_Squirrel3
"It was expensive for my roommate in college who ate nothing but instant ramen for so long that he felt like crap for weeks. Finally went to the doctor when his gums started bleeding."
"He had scurvy."
"Aaaand we talked to him like pirates for the rest of the year."
- victimless_lime
A Precious Commodity
"I always thought oyster crackers were super expensive and fancy because I only had them at restaurants with my clam chowder. And the waitress would only give me one tiny packet and it was never enough."
"Sometimes I would screw up the courage to ask for one more packet if I was extra brave or hungry but I always felt like maybe that was selfish of me because clearly this is a precious commodity."
- logcabinfarmgirl
"Yes! Lol"
"I remember finding them in the grocery store and being blown away you can just buy a big box of them! Hahaha."
- j33pwrangler
"This cracks me up because whenever I go drinking at a seafood joint I slam those crackers. Pinchers Crab Shack usually has a little basket of them at your table"
- FTMorando
IYKYK
"Golden Corral. If you know you know."
- Kasmanian_devil
"Yes!"
"We would eat there when we went to go visit my grandfather. And I thought it was the coolest thing that I could get 'ice cream' with different toppings."
- elanrach
Hungry Nom Nom GIF by LAIKA StudiosGiphyStill Love
"Chicken and rice!"
"Growing up I loved it and thought my mom cooked it so often because she loved spoiling me. Eventually found out mom cooked it a lot because it was cheap and went a long way."
"Still love it though."
- AbductedMind
Layers Make It Fancy
"Vienettas."
"They were special, because they were sold from the yellow Family Frost trucks and as I try to remember, they were one of the most affordable big package ice creams from there."
"Sometimes I got the money and felt important when I could go buy it from the truck. I still like the memory of thin chocolate plates between the layers. Supermarkets were very scarce back then."
- Ziriath
"That 'Viennetta' frozen ice cream cake. I saw commercials for those all the time as a kid and I thought it was faaaancyyy."
- CPOx
"Those Breyers ice cream cakes... vienetta"
- MichiganMulletia
Moms Tamales
"My mom used to make me tamales every time I visited her on the weekends cause she knew how much I loved them."
"It took me years to discover she did not make them from scratch. They were the frozen ones you can buy at the grocery store."
- msphelps77
Soup For My Family
"I remember when I was about 11 and I stayed with my dad in the winter. To stock up on food he bought like 50 cans of Chunky soup and I thought he was rich when we walked out of the store."
"but it’s just soup, lol."
- Awpss
Adam Driver Soup GIF by VON GRAMBUSCHGiphyA Gift From God
"Pizza rolls."
"My mom never bought them for me, but the neighbor kid's mom would occasionally make them whenever I was over there and they were like a gift from god."
- Eyjovin
Taco Sh*ts
"Taco Bell."
"Even when we had fast food as a kid, it was rarely Taco Bell. So I always thought it must be more expensive, even though it never felt 'fancy.' "
"Now that I’m older and my guts can’t handle all the junk that I used to eat, I can see why my parents never wanted to get Taco Bell."
- FTMorando
3 Minutes
"The first time I had spam was at a Chinese restaurant during our Chinese New Year celebrations."
"I was like maybe 6 years old and my mum gave it to me and I actually thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever eaten."
"Fast forward to a few days later I ask my mum when’s the next time I can have spam (called it luncheon meat) and she just took it out from a metal tin, fried some white rice and the spam in 3 mins and gave it to me."
"Mind blown."
- Throws_for_Dayz
spam GIFGiphy"Lunchables."
"Since my mom would never buy them unless there was some special occasion like a field trip, I guess I sort of associated lunchables with the good memories of elementary school field trips."
- ivcy24
It's your turn now, fam. What's your fancy-but-not-really fondest food memory?
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