Today I learned +

[Cadence]

Rereading Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout, and apparently I didn't actually learn the two previous times that Kidneys and Waffles used to be a thing in the mid 1930s. On Newspapers. com you can find references to Creamed Kidneys, Kidney Stew, or Braised Kidneys and Waffles throughout the 20th century.

 

[Reynard]

Rereading Fer-De-Lance by Rex Stout, and apparently I didn't actually learn the two previous times that Kidneys and Waffles used to be a thing in the mid 1930s. On Newspapers. com you can find references to Creamed Kidneys, Kidney Stew or Braised Kidneys and Waffles throughout the 20th century.

I would actually be really interested in knowing why organ meat became "gross" in American food culture. I grew up without a lot of money and we raised our own pigs for food as well as a steer once. We ate EVERYTHING.

 

[Ryujin]

I would actually be really interested in knowing why organ meat became "gross" in American food culture. I grew up without a lot of money and we raised our own pigs for food as well as a steer once. We ate EVERYTHING.

I get the impression that organ meat largely fell out of favour because it was seen as something poor people would eat. As a kid I actually thought it was a rare treat to get beef liver, because my parents always went for steak, roasts, and the like. I really grossed out my mother one day when I brought "special" Pho home for dinner, because it has tripe in it.

 

[gnarlygninja]

I get the impression that organ meat largely fell out of favour because it was seen as something poor people would eat. As a kid I actually thought it was a rare treat to get beef liver, because my parents always went for steak, roasts, and the like. I really grossed out my mother one day when I brought "special" Pho home for dinner, because it has tripe in it.

I've poked around the question before, and this is more or less the answer I've found. That when people came to America, they were coming from places where everyone was poor and had to eat offal, then in America they didn't have to so they stopped because they didn't have to anymore/to fit in with "normal" Americans better. I've got some issues with it, but it seems to be the default answer.

 

[Aeson]

My mom grew up in a poor family. They ate what they could get. They raised their own pigs and chickens. She told me once that they would take a pig to the Black man (like there was only one) down the road to slaughter. His payment was to keep what they didn't want. I know they have eaten chittlins so I'm not sure parts they didn't want. To this day she loves fried chicken liver and gizzards. I think the gizzards are too tough for her these days, she'll eat the liver whenever she gets the chance. I'll eat the fried liver if it's with something else, gravy and rice is good. I don't think they were raised to turn their noses up to anything. I didn't grow up with the hardship they or their parents did, I'm a little more choosey about what I eat, but I'm willing to try almost anything once. Unless it's looking back at me. If I can see it seeing me, I'm out.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I get the impression that organ meat largely fell out of favour because it was seen as something poor people would eat. As a kid I actually thought it was a rare treat to get beef liver, because my parents always went for steak, roasts, and the like. I really grossed out my mother one day when I brought "special" Pho home for dinner, because it has tripe in it.

My mother was fond of, and could find in restaurants relatively late (as in, probably the early 70's) liver and onions.

 

[Ryujin]

I've poked around the question before, and this is more or less the answer I've found. That when people came to America, they were coming from places where everyone was poor and had to eat offal, then in America they didn't have to so they stopped because they didn't have to anymore/to fit in with "normal" Americans better. I've got some issues with it, but it seems to be the default answer.

Funny thing is that we were far from rich and both my parents came for fairly poor backgrounds (father's father was a coal miner and mother's father worked on the railroad, then was a guard in the local prison). My father just wanted to seem like we had more than we did so he ran up credit and I'm pretty sure that at least one of our cars was bought stolen.

 

[Cadence]

My mother was fond of, and could find in restaurants relatively late (as in, probably the early 70's) liver and onions.

We have places around in South Carolina that still have liver and onions sometimes (one of the local meat and three chains has it one day a week) and one of the folks I often eat Friday lunches with likes it.

I want to say one of my parents didn't like liver which is why we never had it. Did have liverwurst a few times at some point in the ancient past.

 

[Ryujin]

My mother was fond of, and could find in restaurants relatively late (as in, probably the early 70's) liver and onions.

One of my favourite meals, that I could rarely have, was liver, onions, mushrooms, and hash browns.

 

[gnarlygninja]

Liver is one of those things I thought I hated growing up but it turns out my family just cooked it badly. I really enjoy chicken livers just sauteed in a pan with onions and garlic.