SUPERMARKET SHELF OF THE LOST

HAVING LIVED FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED YEARS HAS IT'S DRAWBACKS.  That is, I found that over the years the yummiest of yummy foods have managed to go extinct.  Foods like I grew up eating and took for granted suddenly disappeared from supermarket shelves -- never to return.  The number one lost tummy treasure has got to be Nabisco's Doo Dads Snack Mix.  

From the 1960s until the (probably) early 1990s, Doo Dads reigned supreme until the inferior upstart Chex Mix seemed to bully it off the shelves and into gastronomic oblivion.  The cult of Doo Dads exists all over the internet with people trying to replicate home-made versions as well as endlessly petitioning Nabisco to bring back this delectable snack.

Once thought to be lost was my childhood favourite Black Jack gum:  chewing gum that tasted like black licorice. 

However, this is still being made (albeit only at certain times of the year) and I've grabbed it in the Cracker Barrel restaurant store.  Black Jack gum was originally made by a company called Adams who also made Clove gum and Teaberry gum (which I think are also still available at certain times of the year).  I also remember Adams made a Chocolate gum and a Strawberry gum.  Adams had it going on! 

I decided to post a little gallery of lost food favourites below this post.  Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any commercials for Doo Dads but there are for other lost favourites including my first job:  Rustler Steak House! 

 

There was delicious, crisp Aspen Soda:  an apple-flavored soda which was delicious. 

There was Marathon candy bar:  a long, long, long candy bar of caramel covered with chocolate that was twisted like an infinity symbol.  You know it occurs to me that actor Patrick Wayne (John Wayne's son) seems to be the curse of death to my favourite old food items; he appeared in TV commercials and print ads for both Aspen Soda AND Marathon candy bars (as you'll see in the videos posted below). 

There was Soup Starter:  a canister of flavourings and pasta which you could add your own fresh meat and vegetables to in order to make a quick pot of soup.  It actually tasted really good. 

And there was Tuna Twist: another box of flavourings and such that you added to your tuna fish and mayo when making a tuna fish sandwich; it jazzed up the taste of the tuna sandwich and also stretched it further. 

Then there was Koogle:  a spread very like today's Nutella which came in flavours like chocolate, banana and yes, peanut butter as well.  

So enjoy the retro-commercials gallery I've provided below this post for these lost but never forgotten food favourites from my childhood.