When Gordon was in the service – this was before we moved to Texas and I learned to make proper Texmex cuisine – I made Lipton soup fajitas. I don’t remember what flavor it was, since it’s been years, I think Spicy Fiesta or Red Pepper or some silliness like that, but basically it was a mix that gave you an approximation of tortilla soup, a South-Western staple.
I would get my chicken, slice it into long slices, dip it in the mix, and sauté in a bit in the pan, and make fajitas with it. Gordon and the kids loved it. Except abruptly, my go to soup vanished from the store shelves. I finally asked people in the commissary and they looked it up for me and told me it was discontinued.
I felt bitterly betrayed. I liked the soup. I bought the soup. How dare they discontinue it? (Obviously, this is all about me.)
I have experienced other discontinued disasters. Viennetta Ice Cream cake was the best ice-cream ever. Light vanilla ice-cream with very thin layers of chocolate. So delicious. Sadly it vanished before I turned twenty. A1 used to make a sweet flavor of steak sauce, which I can no longer find. There were packets of yellow rice flavoring I used to buy with actual saffron in it. No longer available. Every time it feels a little like betrayal.
Yesterday was our 25 year anniversary. We stayed home, ordered in, and watched Invincible. Amazing show. Delta variant is raging through Texas. Kid 1’s boyfriend is sick and isolating in the garage apartment. We are monitoring him with an oximeter. He is miserable. Kid 1 has had her first shot, and Gordon and I are fully vaccinated. Kid 2 had her first shot and her boyfriend is getting his first.
We happened to live next a massive outdoor outlet mall. 250 stores, 1,000,000 sq. ft of space, the largest or second largest, depending on whom you ask, retail store in US. It is a bastion of consumerism, which is not necessarily a good thing. We get traffic from everywhere.
A few weeks ago I’ve found out that Maurices outlet in that mall has been discontinued. It fell victim to COVID. It was my go to T-shirt store. Yes, I can buy clothes online, but I am a plus sized woman and I like to try things on. Yankee Candle followed suit. It was about the only place you could get Yankee candles dirt cheap, because normally they are expensive as hell. The only two stores which caused me to brave the insanity of that parking lot are out of business.
It’s not just the stores. A few of the favorite restaurants closed and never reopened. A massage spa that was just about the only decent place to get a deep tissue massage when your back completely gives out on you is out of business. Massage was not a luxury for me. More like a hail Mary because despite my best efforts, I sit a lot.
People lost jobs. People are losing housing.
They are talking another lock down again, so I bought an extra thing of paper towels, toilet paper, and sanitary products. Just in case they get discontinued. My Perestroika Russianness was triggered. Food and goods shortages, I am on it.
Well, this post got heavy in a hurry. Normally I aim for upbeat, but I guess today is not that day. I decided not have the pandemic in Dina’s world. Because I have that power.
Let’s talk about discontinued things. What do you wish they would bring back and what substitutes did you find that were better than the old thing?
Rossi motorcycle boot. Comfy enough to walk in, remained in good nick till the sole wore out (years) but proper protection when you found yourself in a sub optimal orientation when riding.
Covid lockdowns and other restrictions mean that I haven’t been able to ride for a while though which means I don’t need them. Is that a win?
OMG NO MORE VIENNETTAS? I super super loved those desserts when I lived on the East Coast, but haven’t had them since I moved to Hawaii, where there are a lot of things just aren’t available. However, I thought, somewhere, someone was enjoying them, even if I couldn’t get them here. Now I know they are no more. Woe.
Doritos discontinued Cool Ranch flavour a number of years ago in my country, luckily they’ve recently made a return to shelves here.
I love using light weight comfortable headsets for gaming, has to be over-ear, has to be fabric or velveteen not PU/pleather cups. Recently discovered the G733 by Logitech. I’m not ashamed to say I bought 3 of them as it’s an absolute trial by fire to find a replacement headset 2-3 years after your last perfectly comfortable one dies.
My home town growing up had an ice creamery, they had Old English Toffee as a flavour. Vanilla ice cream with, if I recall rightly, some caramel sauce swirled through with crunchy pieces of toffee for good measure. I can’t find anything like it anywhere.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!
Altoids dark chocolate covered mints… ghey were yummy and delicious and gave fresh breath ????
Doodads…. yeah i know we still have chex party mix and yummy Gardettos, but I miss my Doodads
Lea and Perrins white wine worchestershire aka marinade for chicken. It was not as strong tasting as the regular worchestershire and went well with deer meat
There used to be a delicious whole wheat bread line called Brownberry Ovens. Around the year 2000, I think Arnold breads bought it and phased it out, maybe because it was expensive to produce (wheat berries, hearty whole wheat flour), or the mill that produced the meaty flour went under, or because its nutty, dense magnificence in a square loaf size put the other mass-produced Arnold breads to shame. I have tried Food For Life Ezekiel sesame bread, which makes good French toast, but dry crumbly sandwiches. A line called Rustic Ovens makes good sliced multigrain bread in sliced half-boule loaves, when I can find it on the shelf. There is a seedy Harvest loaf at Whole Foods and Giant (in the bakery display case), a low elongated boule shape, that’s good for toast and open-faced sandwiches. The quest for a Brownberry replacement continues.
We still have Vienetta here in the UK, I have at least 3 in my freezer, the mint ones are my favourite! I love the way you can eat them later by layer???? I’m sorry you can’t get them anymore, simple pleasures are the best.
So, I had bariatric surgery in 2017, so the way I eat has WAY changed from pre-surgery. Protein bars are a must for me. I can’t eat a lot at meals, and most microwave meals have carbs, so, taking quick food to work is a hassle. Pure Protein had these AMAZING Dark Chocolate coconut protein bars. They tasted like heaven. Sadly, they’ve been discontinued, at least locally. I do their Chocolate Deluxe now, which kind of tastes like a brownie, but isn’t as good. 🙁
I lost my HEB Fig cereal. Twice a year I live in Texas for the Round Top Antique Show where I stock up on HEB treasure not available anywhere else. This last spring the entire line of HEB cereal had vanished. I’m on my last box, sigh.
Trader Joe’s Southwestern Quesadillas with Seasoned Vegetables used to be my go to when I wanted to have a “happy” lunch on an otherwise shitty day. Sadly I have not been able to find them for about a year now, though I still look every time because some internet blog said that they were coming back.
Jack Daniels Honey Dijon Mustard. The BEST honey mustard I’ve ever had. Can’t find it online. Can’t find it near me. I miss it loads.
We had honeymoon cake, chocolate cake rolled around vanilla ice cream for our at home wedding cake. Its been discontinued for decades and I still miss it. For our 25th my sister hired a local baker to make one for us. It was fabulous and so is my sister. Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary and congratulations! Hugs and good vibes to sick boyfriend. If you ever go to Fulshear, Elegant Spa has the best deep tissue massage for backs that need the hail Mary (mine is from sitting and a military injury)
Cranberry flavored Jell-O. It’s been years since I’ve been able to find any. So many years that if I found it again, I’d feel a bit old to be doing what I used to love to do with it, which is make cocktail flavored jello shots. Vodka cran? Easy peasy. Cosmo? No prob, Bob. Sea breeze? Heck yeah, I got you.
But if I ever do find it again? SLURP. Because life is too short.
What the crap? I just looked on Amazon, because it occurred to me that I hadn’t for awhile, and they have it. I’m crediting y’all with being magic.
Happy Anniversary!
La Choy mini egg rolls. Why did they have to go away? Makes me sad just thinking about it.
You can still get Yellow rice with Saffron. The Vigo brand changed the bag Target still has it. Then there is Par Excellence(also has pepper bits) on Amazon. There are a few brands out there. You can also make yellow rice by using turmeric or taking annatto seeds putting them in a small jar with olive oil (in the fridge and when you want to make yellow rice just put a spoon of the oil in the rice with all your other seasonings. Some people just use an orange Sazon Goya flavoring pack but that does contain MSG if you are sensitive.
I miss Jordan Marsh, an old New England department store. Macy’s bought it out eons ago, but I still miss it. Lea and Perrin for awhile had a sauce for chicken. It was great. Gone now.For many years I had the best pie pastry ever.Then Crisco changed their formula to be more healthy and I’ve never been happy with a crust recipe since. Does the Fanny Farmer candy company even exist anymore? If Angell and Phelps in Daytona Beach goes out of business I will cry for a year. They have the best chocolates I’ve ever had, and believe me, I’ve had a LOT of chocolate. The Covid shut down killed so many small businesses and so many peoples’ hopes. I can only try to support the ones that are left to survive against Amazon and Walmart. Brave New World.
I wish they would bring back Firefly – its not a thing but it was discontinued and the ‘verse betrayed us!
OMG Yes!
Gourmantra meal kits. Yes I know it was a kit but it tasted like genuine Indian food. You could get Butter Chicken, Korma and Tandoori. It came complete with rice, tomato puree, spice blends and ginger/garlic. So easy and so good.
Things I miss or are hard to find: Fluffy white frosting mix, Brown edge wafers (a Nabisco cookie), original Herbal essence shampoo. Wise cheese waffies.
Quiggs yellow rice can be bought directly from Konriko. Famous chocolate wafers are usually found at the end of the ice cream aisle with the various selections of ice cream toppings (at least here in NC)
Happy anniversary and I hope the BF is better soon. So glad they are all getting vaccinated!!!
My most recent and bitter betrayal is the changing of the Butterfinger recipe. The flaky, buttery center made it my favorite candy bar none (pun intentional). Then they changed the recipe for more “international appeal” and made the chocolate sickly-sweet and the toffee-ish center now tastes like actual roasted peanuts. Because there just aren’t enough candy bars with peanuts, apparently.
But a friend just got me hooked on Ikea toffees… They aren’t a replacement, but there’s an amazing fruity taste to the chocolate that pushes them above Heath bars, which were my default favorite after the fall of Butterfinger.
Older betrayals I still hold grudges about are losing McDonald’s original cinnamon rolls, Sonic’s Chicago dog, Captain D’s rolls, one of my favorite local restaurants and their amazing s’mores sundae… Er, there may be a theme here…
There’s this raspberry green tea that my dad absolutely loves but wasn’t sold where my parents live. They don’t do online shopping but I found this place I could buy it online. I used to get it for my dad for Christmas, his birthday, Father’s Day, and my parents anniversary (so once a quarter) and it made him really happy. It got discontinued three years ago. Now I’m trying to find another brand that he’ll like to replace it. No luck yet.
Baskin-Robbin’s had oreo ‘n cold brew as a flavor in March. I finally found the best tasting ice cream in the world, on my birthday, and they weren’t getting any more… I bought the rest of the tub they had and rationed it out. *sob*
That is the problem with Baskin-Robbins flavor of the month… it is very limited and may or may not ever return even as a one month flavor! I really miss the emails I got on the first of the month that not only informed me of their flavor of the month, but offered a buy one get one free ice cream coupon which I used to get two triple scoops of my favorite, Jamoca, ice cream. They also do not do the reduced prices for scoops of ice cream on the 31st… this stopped last year when lockdowns started happening. Not sure, if and when, it will come back. For now, I pay around $8.50 for a quart of Jamoca and make it last a month. Wish they would offer plain Jamoca in prepackaged quarts rather than hand packed, could get two for almost the price of one that way… do not want chocolate and almonds mixed with the Jamoca.
I wonder if you could have Oreos added to Jamoca ice cream like a Dairy Queen blizzard… if they do that at BR and if it would work for you.
For background, I have an extremely dry skin condition. Back in the late 80s Avon came out with a series of products called “Anew.” The body lotion was a miracle. Then they started monkeying around with it and made a bunch of different products and soon you couldn’t get just the body lotion. If I had known they were going to discontinue it, I would have bought a warehouse full.
Back in 90’s I used to get “Pillsbury cornbread twists” they were perfect to serve with black bean soup….but no more. They recently came out with canned “cornbread muffins” I am going to try, but I loved the twists.
oh, 2 other things (other than Firefly which total agreement)
Clove candy sticks (these were clove flavored Leo Candy sticks /think peppermint but Clove flavored…yum)
Pecan passion anything at Bath and body works…my all time favorite scent
“ Viennetta Ice Cream cake was the best ice-cream”
And Breyers is bringing it back!
Video of viennetta being made. Compulsive viewing
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1J6ojvr0AMg
Red vines and black vines. No, I don’t want Twizzlers or Australian red licorice or ropes. My childhood was woven through with vines! Also there is a pur lipstick shade that was perfection and nothing has ever come close. Repeated inquiries to the company ignored. I was going to use that company that makes out of stock lipstick at insane prices, but it wasn’t just the shade it was the texture and feel. Couldn’t bear to be disappointed.
They sell red vines on Amazon. I paid $13 for 12 packages. My husband loves them, but alas, we have cut sugar from our diet.
Lean Cuisine used to make chicken pot pies. The best I ever tasted. Alas, no more.
For plus sized t-shirts, try tractor supply. They have a v neck, short sleeve that I find very comfortable. My husband bought me some.
Ben and Jerry’s Wavy Gravy ice cream. I would not be able to sleep knowing it was in the freezer, just sitting there, lonely….I would hear it’s sirens song beckoning me from my dreams….
I was about to say that we still have Viennetta in the UK but I see everyone else has also pointed this out. So how about this for an obscure Viennetta fact to go with the feast Mod R will throw you one day when our ships all come in? Viennetta used to be protected by a patent and then, until it got invalidated, by a 3D trade mark registration, making it one of the relatively few human foodstuffs where its method of production and/or shape had intellectual property protection.
Bet you wish you were inviting me to that Viennetta party now, don’t you? Oh yes, it would be a riot. Come for the ice-cream, but stay for IP!
Discount book stores where I live closed down (they sell slightly damaged copies of new and old releases). We have fixed (high) prices for books here (basically no sales) – so these stores were a nice way to look around the new releases and try a new author, book, series for little money without waiting a long time at the library.
I can shop online but it is not the same 🙁
Btw belated happy anniversary!
Oh my goodness! I was horribly betrayed when the Jiffy box brand of f vanilla frosting was discontinued. ???? It was positively the best to use when icing sugar cookies! Not to mention just making it to eat directly out of the bowl when one is craving a sugar fix. It was Devine and I miss it terribly. ????????
Agreed. Jiffy discontinued many of their mixes I took for granted. I also used the vanilla frosting for sugar cookies. It was truly the best vanilla frosting ever. I make my own now from scratch, but the taste is just not quite right yet.
Walnut Acres 12 grain cereal and 12 grain flout – Walnut Acres was one of the first organic farm businesses in the US. Old age finally got to the owners. I wish I had kept a label so I could try to recreate the grain mix. The flour made the best bread.
And department stores with proper restaurants, sit down with silver and cloth napkins – used to be a great treat to have lunch in the local Bloomingdale’s when shopping for school clothes at the end of the summer. That was over 50 years ago. Sigh.
How would a Koo cope with a lockdown?
Could you make the Venetian ice cream cake? Melt some chocolate and layer ice cream over it and then freeze? I wonder if there is a recipe for it?
I was looking for recipes for you to make the Venetian ice cream cake. Apparently it is coming back to the US.
https://www.today.com/food/viennetta-ice-cream-cakes-90s-are-making-comeback-t205182
Wolfgang Puck used to make Creamy Tomato soup. It disappeared for awhile and then came back. Now it appears to be gone for good. What is left is the Tomato Basil Bisque, which has basil and a chunky texture. It is not an adequate substitute. We have replaced it with Amy’s Chunky Tomato Bisque, which still has the wrong texture but no basil.
What I would like to time bring back? Changeable battery in smartphones and use of Pb/Sn eutectic compound in soldering.
What is better than before? Well, I still have some walkmans at home and they are big clumsy things requiring 4/3/2 AA batteries to run. Today I have all music/books I want in my phone…
Baskin Robbin’s Champagne Grape Ice. A scoop of that along with a scoop of a rich vanilla. Wonderful.
Sara Lee Orange Cake. Great!
I miss them both.
The apple pies McDonald’s used to have, they changed the recipe and doesn’t taste the same.
The oil they used to fry McDonald’s French fries with. They changed the oil to some kind of vegetable oil and they don’t taste the same.
When was the last time I was at McDonald’s ? Since they made those changes.
Every time I like a food, or clothing, or car, or series, it is guaranteed to be discontinued.
I used to live in Mt. Holly Springs, Pennsylvania. Very very small town in the Susquahanna Valley. They had these chocolate covered peanut butter eggs at Easter time that a local church made to raise money. Ou could only find them at locally owned stores (like the local pharmacy). Ive never had a better peanut butter egg; its a hundred times better than hershey’s/reese’s. I live hundreds of miles away now and im sad at Easter now.
Also, im pretty sure hershey’s and snyders pretzels had a chocolate covered pretzel together, called Dipps, but their partnership broke up. I think they each individually have a chocolate covered pretzel they offer now, but both are inferior to the Dipps with the combination of companies. Although i would argue hersheys is better than the snyders because their chocolate tastes better.
I miss Heyday bars. Nabisco made them and quit in the late 80’s early 90’s. Crunchy bars with chocolate, caramel and peanuts. They were amazing.
So many things we used have disappeared over time. A few things I remember: Mo’s 24 by Celestial Seasonings – we dropped one bag into our iced tea steep and it made the most wonderful iced tea. We have rave reviews when entertaining or making tea for gatherings. Currently I’m mourning my inability to find Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk dressing mix. I finally found it online but SO expensive! I make a much-requested dip from it. We used to have a grocery store chain which stocked different stuff. When it went out of business, our Kroger stores quit carrying all of that stuff so I have no way of getting them anymore. I eat Breyer’s carb sense ice cream and ice cream bars. Getting very hard to find and out of stock quite often. I’m afraid they’re going to discontinue or Kroger’s will stop stocking it. I believe this happens constantly; the product needs a bigger fan base, I guess. ;-( Really good brand of diet root beer soda. Frozen chocolate cookie dough. On the other hand, we are very blessed with the many things we have…
I miss Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific. The old version, with formaldehyde. The supposedly original version available through Vermont company is NOT the same.
Hmmm. Things I miss. The world has changed a lot in my lifetime, and food was never my Really Big Thing. When I was a child, we had a fireplace and wood cooking range. They were a lot of work, but we never worried about What Would Happen if the power went out. We had a well (best water ever), but the water was not piped into the house, so we did not worry about frozen pipes. I find I like air conditioning, warm rooms (with a fireplace to toast on one side and freeze on the other), and hot showers. Electricity, electric lighting, and computers attached to the Internet are marvelous things. I would miss them — terribly. But what do I miss? Real cotton fabric. There is no substitute. Real, dress-grade wool, both as fabric and as crafting supply. Aluminum tea-kettles that will hold a half gallon of water. Good, hardwheat flour. But above all, the innocence of a world where we hoped that war, prejudice, and many other bad things could be cured by showing up, sitting down, and peacefully singing songs. George Carlin has gone to that performance hall of Somewhere Else, Arlo Guthrie retired last year. Who are our bards now?
Trader Joe’s discontinued their aioli mustard for a short time. The outcry was large enough that they brought it back. The stuff is good!
My husband always tells me to stop “loving” the products I buy, because they are always discontinued. Its so frustrating!
And it does feel like its all about me! Lol!
Oh and my Yankee Candle outlet also closed but online works great, except in the summer. If you sign up with your email and phn numbers, you get lots of great discount offers.
I don’t keep track of discontinued things, that’s too depressing for me.
When this pandemic-crapola is finally over, you need to come to Europe again, we have Vienetta galore, in different flavors too, and the vanilla one is my all-time favorite! You can still get it, just not at home in the US 🙁
When I was a kid, Twix for a limited time had cookies and cream Twix. I loved them so much. I remembered them with fondness. When they came out with their new cookies and cream Twix, I was so excited, but so disappointed when I tasted them. Why would they put cookies in the cream part when the bottom part of the bar is a chocolate cookie? I don’t remember cookies in the cream of the distantly remembered ideal.
The Viennetta ice cream cake is still a favourite in Australia. You should come here one day in the (maybe distant) future when our borders re-open, to taste its deliciousness again.
https://www.streetsicecream.com.au/brands/viennetta.html