My odd walk down Munchable Memory Lane continues with a couple foods that begin with G. First up is the plain old graham cracker. Not too exciting for most people, admittedly. But when I was young I decided they made a great breakfast cereal. I would take, I think, three graham crackers (maybe four; I'm not sure). Break them along the factory-produced lines into four pieces per cracker. Distribute the pieces in a cereal bowl and add milk. Then eat the things as quickly as possible because, in about 45 seconds, they would be reduced to mush in the milk. And I liked them somewhat crisp.
I had a few friends over once to beta test this concoction. It may have gone well, but as I remember it, I stepped it up and offered the grahams drenched in grape juice. No takers. And, as I recall it, the milk-soaked ones were not too big a hit. Anyhow, someone else came up with other graham-based cereal products that earned them millions.
The other G-Food of my youth was a product that pretty much came and went: Great Shakes. A box full of these finny triangular shaped containers full of a powdery substance to which we added milk and shook vigorously in a specially provided container. There was a little jingle for the product that went something like "Anyone can have a soda fountain now with Great Shakes, new Great Shakes.." As I recall they were pretty good once the powder was shaken enough to dissolve. The result was pretty thick. I believe someone in the Great Shakes ad, with a ridiculous British Invasion Accent, proclaimed the product "so thick it stands up to a straw". Or am I dreaming this stuff? Anyone else remember this confection?
My odd walk down Munchable Memory Lane continues with a couple foods that begin with G. First up is the plain old graham cracker. Not too exciting for most people, admittedly. But when I was young I decided they made a great breakfast cereal. I would take, I think, three graham crackers (maybe four; I'm not sure). Break them along the factory-produced lines into four pieces per cracker. Distribute the pieces in a cereal bowl and add milk. Then eat the things as quickly as possible because, in about 45 seconds, they would be reduced to mush in the milk. And I liked them somewhat crisp.
I had a few friends over once to beta test this concoction. It may have gone well, but as I remember it, I stepped it up and offered the grahams drenched in grape juice. No takers. And, as I recall it, the milk-soaked ones were not too big a hit. Anyhow, someone else came up with other graham-based cereal products that earned them millions.
The other G-Food of my youth was a product that pretty much came and went: Great Shakes. A box full of these finny triangular shaped containers full of a powdery substance to which we added milk and shook vigorously in a specially provided container. There was a little jingle for the product that went something like "Anyone can have a soda fountain now with Great Shakes, new Great Shakes.." As I recall they were pretty good once the powder was shaken enough to dissolve. The result was pretty thick. I believe someone in the Great Shakes ad, with a ridiculous British Invasion Accent, proclaimed the product "so thick it stands up to a straw". Or am I dreaming this stuff? Anyone else remember this confection?
16 comments:
Yup, I remember. Me, Gerald, you in the kitchen. Jiffy Pop and Great Shakes. Now, that was a Saturday night.
After school snack for me was often a glass of milk and some graham crackers. While I did not put the crackers in a bowl and pour milk over them, I did sometimes dip the crackers into my glass of milk for some fine tasting dunking. :D
I also especially liked the ones with cinnamon sugar on them.
Another variation of the graham cracker milk equation for me was to make a "sandwich" of two graham crackers with peanut butter in the middle to hold them together. This concoction was also made more wonderful by dipping it into milk. Like you said, though, it was for immediate consumption because the graham crackers do sog up right away once dipped. HA!
The Great Shakes I have no recollection of whatsoever! :-)
Happy Monday to you, Ben!
Happy Monday Ben!
Too bad your version of the cereal didn't take off.
We ate Graham Crackers!! smothered in icing! very Good.
I don't remember the Great Shake...it just doesn't seem right without the ice cream.
Like Jen, I remember the graham crackers in icing. And the great shakes, I have a faint memory of.
Hi Ben..
Loved Graham crackers back then..
and still do..
either plain or cinnamon sugared..
and dunked into my milk..
or with peanut butter..
as sammiches..
Never heard of the Great Shakes..
they probably were a tasty treat..
warm hugs..
Loui♥
Lucky for you Margaret & I remember the Great Shakes or they'd be hauling you off to the loonybin!! he he. Anything like that,when I was a kid,was amazing and a must have! It meant we were advancing.
Graham crackers have always been a fave for me too.I'm with Daisy.I still like to do a quick dunk into ice cold milk. Yum!!
Oh, graham crackers with a toasted marshmallow and some chocolate...yum!
Have a great Monday Ben!
I didn't realize my last comment was posted via my "big girl" account! Sorry about that!
I don't recall Great Shakes. I always loved graham crackers though. I giggled at your grape juice test. As a kid, I was allergic to milk and the dr. suggested that I pour juice over my cereal. It just never tasted good to me!!!
Yes, I participated in your graham beta. Hated it. But you were indeed just too far ahead of your time, because many years later, Golden Grahams cereal came along which is indeed good, interacting with milk far more sympathetically than your raw concoction. And you are not dreaming about Great Shakes. They were indeed great. But who knew what foreign chemicals they used to get it so thick that it "stood up to a straw", as exclaimed by the cockney girl who reminds me of Heather Graham. Coincidence? I think not.
Don't remember Great Shakes, but I love dipping graham crackers in a hot cup of tea. You think you have to gobble them up quickly after dunking in milk? Try it with hot liquid. Poor crackers get pulverized. But, they're soooo good.
I remember having graham cracker "cereal" too, but you forgot one major ingredient - sugar!!! And personally, I always liked them when they got soggy. Still have to dunk all my cereals under the milk for awhile before it is edible. ? Don't remember the Great Shakes tho?
Have a good day!
Hugs from Michigan - Diane
My sweet lord, I just had an ah-ha moment at 3 AM... "Anyone can be a soda fountain now" was the exact same tune as "Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain", sung in Beach Boys harmonic style and speeded up to about double time (about triple Dan Fogelberg's awful "jump the shark" cover version). Telling me just what a fool I've been! I wonder if the statute of limitations has run out?
Yeah, although then they diverge with the next line "with great shakes, those great shakes" or whatever they say. Not quite as obvious as the Harrison song you cleverly cited, but that line is note for note Ricky Nelson (was he the original?)
In a 30 second commercial, you've got to get to the point a bit faster than in a pop song. Rick Nelson? I don't think so, although if I really cared, I'd look it up.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying your alphabetic gastronomical traversal. I hope you're planning ahead in your coverage of all 26 entries, although you've been so rich thus far that I hope you haven't fallen into the Sufjan Stevens snare - using up all his A-List material on the first two states, leaving nothing for the remaining 48 unless BQE counts as his NY entry. I'm particularly anticipating the letter for which "U Have to Eat It" emerges, since you have a whole Lazy Susan full of choices to pick from, and you must make sure you're not displacing some other worthy morsel of a like letter. But without giving anything away, I'm sort of figuring on the greatest cookie evrrrrrrrr, linked to a certain antarctic bird. We'll all see what bakes.
I have a couple H's lined up, and one I choice is too obvious (Bill Cosby sang about it when his tonsils came out). After that, well, I hear you on the "P" word.
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