In reply to an article analyzing the art of Lady Gaga, which I thought was great…
http://theotherjournal.com/2011/05/23/gaga-a-gogo/

I wrote:

This is a really great analysis and discussion that you wrote.  It’s too bad that everyone is not taught from an early age how important it is to give everything a less superficial examination and help them develop the mental tools to do so.  I particularly liked your point about the ‘conventional notion of a dichotomy between pop and art.’  It was certainly relevant to the topic and still is.  As someone who was guilty of this with my own early dismissal of Lady Gaga as “probably another pop star being fed to us” but realizing a year or so later that assessment was completely wrong, I have developed a deep admiration for her art, her social commentary, and her messages, many of which are deeply personally meaningful.  For me, at the age of 49, many of the ideas in those messages, which you mentioned but didn’t fully elaborate on, are the same as the ones I’ve come up with on my own after decades of self-searching, introspection, reading, and thought, concepts which represent everything I believe in and are the source of my happiness, self-identity, and desire for personal growth.  I could only imagine how much of a head start I could have had on this process if she had existed 20 years ago (which, of course, never would have happened as her success is the convergence of many factors including technology and less restrictions on speech and performance art to name just two important ones).

If you were ever to follow up with a continuation of your analysis, I’d certainly be there to read it.  I wonder what you thought and how you feel about the 2013 “Itunes Festival” performance.  If you haven’t watched it (linearly, not in pieces), I highly recommend it.

The last thing I wanted to mention is how interesting it was to read points about “pop” and “art” in your article from over two years ago and know that her new album, out in a few months, is titled ARTPOP.  I’d say you’re one of those who “gets” it.

I was thinking about trying to invent some new recipes based on things I like… I know my kids like macaroni and cheese (the real kind that’s made with sharp cheddar and milk and baked in the oven) and that reminded me that I wanted to make a recipe for chicken croquettes (they have them for $2.10 per piece at the local farmers market… they’re very tasty but that is crazy).

This reminded me that they used to be a frozen dinner I got sometimes, which reminded me of a frozen dinner that I absolutely loved, I think it was a Swanson frozen dinner, a mostly blue box with a foil pan, “Chicken Au Gratin”.
It was chicken chunks and cheese sauce and noodles that were like linguini.  It could be baked or transferred to another container and microwaved.  I ate a LOT of these in the early to mid-80s.
Google it and absolutely nothing comes up.

I want redevelop this recipe!

One interesting thing I found in the search is this thread about discontinued foods…
I had completely forgotten about the Nabisco “Tid-bits” cheese crackers… the long ones, thick like sticks but flatter than a pretzel rod.  Yum!  I used to eat those.  Those and Cheez Its are good with peanut butter too.

Somehow I ended up reading a long thread about discontinued foods on Amazon.

Someone mentioned “Oscar Mayer Smokie Links (are they really gone?)”
Yes, they are.  I loved those, and called the company, as I often do, to find out where I could buy them and they confirmed they have been removed from the market.

Zingos cinnamon candies!  They are so tasty.  Found 5 boxes of them in a Korean grocery about 5 years after they were discontinued!

It’s amazing reading through this thread and having it confirmed by anecdote that so many snacks and specialty foods originated or are still available in and around south-central Pennsylvania where I live.  I am so lucky to have lived here and had access to all these great brands, all the tasty snacks!  This is the Silicon Valley of snack food!

Another thing I really liked was the Ice Cream Cake Roll.

In the Amazon thread’s comments, I also wrote:

Here are the things that I remember but which weren’t mentioned by anyone:

Ice Cream Cake Roll – a frozen dessert.  I don’t remember who made this.  circa late 70s.
It was a sheet of chocolate cake about a half-inch thick, with a similar sized adjacent layer of vanilla ice cream, and they were rolled up together into a spiral cylinder.  You would slice it.

Chicken Au Gratin frozen dinner, Swanson I think.  It came in a mostly light blue box, heavy foil tray, about a pound.  This was chunks of chicken with noodles (like linguini) in a cheese sauce.  They suggested it be baked, but if you put in a glass dish, it microwaved just fine with regular stirring.  I had these all the time in the early to late-80s.  So tasty!  I haven’t even been able to find an ad for this one.

Zingos cinnamon candies by Brown & Haley!  They were so tasty.  Found 5 tins of them in a Korean grocery about 5 years after they were discontinued early-2000s-ish!

In reply to other comments… I read *all* of them… these ideas come to mind:

If you are looking for a product, you should call the company and ask about it and its availability.  For example, I like Good Seasons “Mild Italian” salad dressing mix (in a packet, so much better tasting than the Italian) and could never find it, but they do make it, and now I know where to get it because I called and asked.  Similarly, Oscar Meyer confirmed they discontinued Smoky Links when I called to ask why I can’t find them anymore.  Go to the source!

Krunchers chips were served in little bags at Panera Bread in 2004.  I remember looking up the manufacturer… it was a company Jay’s in Chicago (they ignored my correspondence) but I later read they were bought by Snyders (in PA) and their products are readily available now, at least here in PA and are just as good.
Charles Chips (yum!) are back in business again, but they cost so much ($11 to $25/pound, eeek!) they probably won’t be for long.  But they were so great in the 70s and even into the early 90s when the trucks would come to my workplace.  They made great chips and pretzel sticks and cheese pretzels too.  Tom Sturgis Pretzels makes a comparable, affordable product.  Snack lovers are lucky to live in PA!

Many classic candies are available in the bulk foods section (look for the bins and scoops) in grocery stores… Wegmans, Giant, etc.  So much cheaper than mail orders.

Some products (like the General Mills monster-themed cereals) are only available seasonally.  All five will be out for this Halloween.  Google is your friend, and call the manufacturers!  They’ll give you the info, take note that you want the product, and sometimes even send coupons.