Who doesn't love soggy canned spaghetti?

So The other day my mom offers me a sweet roll, saying "Want a sweet roll? They have raisins in them".

To this question I respond with a smattering of my best 'I've Been Hanging Out With Teenagers Lately' disdain.

"Moooom, I HATE raisins."

Raisins are retired. They live in assisted living homes with prunes. They like to crochet. They are little wrinkled old rotten fruits that once used to be succulent plump grapes before they tanned to much.

My mom looked at me puzzled for a moment and did the usual mom comeback, "You hate EVERYTHING. You used to like raisins when you were little. What happened?"

Which got me thinking, what DID happen? Its amazing the things that you like when your're a kid that you can't stomach as an adult or vice cersa for that matter. Not only that, its amazing the things you liked as a kid that you STILL like even though everything that is holy and right cries out against it.

Lets start first with something thats going to be on counter after counter in every grocery store and mini mart in the next couple weeks. The people who make them call them the Cadbury Egg.

I call them foul.

As a child this was the most anticipated candy of the Easter season. Luckily my mother recognized the wrongness of a candy cream egg yoke and only ever got us but one or two. I always tried to break them like the commercial of the clucking bunny, cleanly, like a real egg. Usually I ended up breaking a hole in it and lapping the sugary goo out like a thieving coyote. As an adult these give me the creeps. My friends have teased me saying that as far as sweet things go I like things to be a bit on the bland side. So, knowing that you can see why I find it just so revolting.

You know, while we're at it lets just throw in pixie sticks and fun dip in there too. It gives me chills.

Another lovely confection that makes me shudder now is a sugary cream filled, disturbingly moist, yellow spongecake. They call it a Twinkie. I think that should tip you off right there. Hostess had to MAKE up a name for it cause there was no term for this preservative laden squishy little crack loaf. When I was a kid I thought these were pretty tasty, specially the gooey bottom. I have no idea what I was thinking. My dad still loves these. We joke that when he dies his body will never decompose. He'll probably be cream filled though.

As for things I loved as a kid and now still, albeit horrifing, enjoy, I have but two words for you:

Chef Boyardee.

Eww right? Yeah in theory I'm right there with you. Soggy pasta?? If I were making Fettucini Alfredo and I accidentally cooked my pasta over al dente I'd toss it in a second. But if you take some soggy SOOGY ravioli stuffed with mystery paté and can it, well, I'm all over it. I don't know why it is, but it just IS. Its something I loved as a kid and even though I hate to admit it, I still like it. Even if it does strangely forever stain your tupperwear like a crime scene.

Speaking of strange pasta my mom used to make a weird tomato paste concoction that my sister and I STILL love til this day. As an explanation let me say this: we were a military family for a long time and there were long periods where my mom was alone with us and had to save money. Basically SOS eventually became a family meal because of this, but I'm not even going to start with that stuff. First my mom would make a rue with butter and flour. then she would add tomato paste and sugar. We would eat this over macoroni with hot dogs. Doesn't that sound revolting? I agree. But its good.

I also still eat way more ramen then is good for me. Then again good for me would be zero. As a kid this was my favorite lunch. I would have eaten it for breakfast if given the chance. However, then unlike now, I used to cut hotdogs in it. I think I got this strange concoction from my Dad. While not completely opposed, I'm just basically too lazy to go to that much work and also the fact that unlike my mom, hot dogs are not a staple in my refridgerator. I think this is proof that as humans some of us are still evolving.

Whats something that you loved as a kid that YOU can't stand now? Or is there a deep dark culinary secret that you're hiding? Diana... you gotta leave a comment about that pickle. Thats the weirdest thing I've ever heard. Come on guys.. leave a comment and make me feel better!!