Have you ever eaten something you used to love only to find that it just doesn't taste the same? Recently, u/bockbockchickenhead asked people on Reddit to share the foods that don't taste like they used to, and there were thousands of responses. From foods that have definitely changed to foods that our tastebuds have outgrown, here are some of the top replies:
1. "If you grew up in the ‘80s, you remember what Fruit Roll-Ups used to be. They were glorious. That had strawberry seeds in them because they were made out of actual fruit!!! They were sublimely delicious and unique and infinitely superior to the gooey sugar rolls carrying the name now. And no, modern 'fruit strips' are not the same. They’re too thick."
2. "Spaghetti-Os 100% taste different than they did as a child."
"They're sweeter now, aren't they?! Revoltingly so."
3. "Hasn’t it been reported that Brussels sprouts have been bred to be tastier over the last few decades? Because they’re delicious nowadays."
4. "I came here specifically to say Twinkies taste like chemical sludge. I was never really big on them growing up, but they were fine. (I’m Gen X so I’ve had a lot of Twinkies in my life.) Didn’t care when they were discontinued, but when they came back, I was like, eh, what the hell? Might as well take a stroll down memory lane. Horrible. I spit it out and threw the box of them in the trash."
"They never tasted the same after being revived with a different formula."
5. "Pizza Hut. When I was a kid, it was the best thing in the world! Now it just seems somehow both greasy and dry at the same time. It feels like it doesn’t include any real food ingredients."
6. "Strawberries. The ones I grew as a kid are so different from any I’ve eaten recently, even the 'farm fresh' ones."
7. "Crunch bars. They used to be my favorite chocolate bar, but now you can tell they cheaped out on the ingredients."
8. "A few years ago, Taco Bell discontinued the green sauce they'd used since the '70s for about two years. When they brought it back 'by popular demand,' the formula had changed. It's sweet now and tastes nothing like Taco Bell green sauce. Being so excited for a green burrito again and having that factory of sadness in my waiting mouth was such a disappointment."
9. "During the pandemic, all ketchup — including premium brands — just got a bit shittier. Thinner, more vinegary. The most popular one used to have an advert about how thick and slowly it came out of the bottle; these days it's no thicker than any other."
10. "Tomatoes have definitely become more bland."
11. "Boxed macaroni."
12. "Haribo gummy bears. I remember them being really soft and flavorful. Last time I bought them, they were sooo tough, and I could barely bite into them. And no distinguishing flavors."
13. "Baked beans. I used to love them as a kid. Now I find them kinda gross."
14. "Chicken. The flavor has gotten blander over the years."
15. "Olive Garden breadsticks."
16. "I remember eating Gros Michel bananas when I was a kid. Even now, whenever I peel a banana, I still hope for that lovely, oily texture and distinctive flavor, and I'm always disappointed. Cavendishes are what we eat now: pasty, bland, powdery, and always tasting either underripe or overripe, never 'just right.'"
17. "Soda. When I was young, it tasted amazing and sweet. Now it’s too syrupy for me and is too sweet."
18. "Watermelon! It used to be firm and delicious. Now it's mealy and has 1/10 the flavor. This happened before COVID. I think it has something to do with breeding the seeds out. I'd rather have the flavor and spit out the seeds!!"
19. "Microwave popcorn. I used to love it so much, but now it’s weird and waxy. It coats the roof of my mouth. Blech."
20. "Milk. We got some from a single-source organic farm several years ago. I was instantly transported to being a child in the '70s when I tasted it when we got home. It just had so much more flavor and personality than mass produced milk does now."
21. "Red delicious apples are disgusting now as they’ve been 'bred?!?' to look shiny and not for flavor."
22. "IMO, Oreos just don’t taste the same as they did when I was a kid."
23. "I remember Atomic Fireball candy used to be really hot! Was I just a wimp as a kid?"
"Different batches have different heat levels. I’ve noticed a really big difference depending on where and when I buy them."
24. "Pasta sauces are so sweet now. So much food that shouldn't taste sweet and never did before is now just gross due to added sweeteners."
25. "American cheese. I swear it feels more like plastic nowadays."
26. "Grapes have become AMAZING! All these new sugary, candy varieties!"
27. "Girl Scout cookies. They used to be so good, I didn’t feel bad selling them as a kid for $2.50 a box. Now they legit taste like cardboard and they’re $5.00 a box?!!?"
28. "Peaches. Can’t find good ones, and I’m in South Carolina. All are mushy tasting."
29. "Pringles. They don't even taste like food. It's like you're partaking in a flavored fidget chewing activity."
30. "Lunchables. Not my favorite or anything, but I tried a pizza one as an adult just for nostalgia's sake, and it definitely was not what I remember from being a kid."
