Food, Glorious Food: From Rationing to Mounjaro
Two lifelong friends, now 70, take a fascinating journey through decades of food—from post-war rationing to modern diets like Mounjaro. How have eating habits, body image, and food culture changed over the years? Let’s dive in!
In this new episode ‘’The Year of Being 70 Ep 15 - Food, Glorious Food: Two Friends Stories from Rationing to Mounjaro’’ is a conversation between Lisette and Lucy, two childhood friends who recently turned 70, about their experiences with and relationship to food throughout their lives.
Key Highlights of this episode:
What we ate in the 1950s
Lucy and Lisette talk about the differences in food availability, quality, and preparation between the UK and Netherlands in the post-WWII years, with rationing and limited food options in the UK versus more dairy-based diets in the Netherlands.
They remember daily food routines, such as grocery shopping for fresh food every day or the week, and the milkman and baker delivering to homes - Lucy even recalls their milkman having a horsedrawn cart when she was very young.
Lucy and her brothers ate separately, with different food at different times, to her parents
Lisette always went home from to school for lunch, while Lucy had school lunches and then all meals at school when she was at boarding school, which were not great!
Vegetarians
Lisette became a vegetarian at a young age out of ethical concerns, while Lucy more recently adopted a vegetarian diet. She has been married to a vegan for thirty years, so is used to cooking flexible meals that can be adapted for different tastes. Lisette doesn't cook, but enjoys shopping for fresh produce at her local market for her husband to make whatever meals he can from.
Body image
The women discuss how food, eating habits, and body image have changed drastically over their lifetimes, with increasing obesity linked to the prevalence of processed and unhealthy foods. Lisette has always been tall and slim - so skinny as a child that people feared her legs would break if she ran - but has always eaten well. Lucy didn't enjoy food as a child and was very slim up to her mid forties, but put on weight after perimenopause. She admits to having become too overweight in the last few years and has been taking a weight loss drug, Mounjaro for the last six months. She has lost three stone - nearly 20 kgs - feels much healthier and better for having done so.
Why You Should Listen
This episode explores how food, eating habits, and attitudes towards food have changed over their lifetimes, with increasing availability of processed foods and a rise in obesity. The two friends reflect on how their long lives have spanned major transformations in the food landscape, and the changes in availability of food have changed, from very basic when they were young to global cuisine
Join the Conversation
What are your experiences with food and eating? Do you try to eat ethically? Have you tried to lose weight at some point? Or are you lucky like Lisette and stayed slim all your life? Share your thoughts and stories in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this conversation about the development of food, eating and cooking over the last few decades, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and tap the bell icon to stay updated on new episodes of The Year of Being 70.
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