13 North Carolina Meals That Shaped Growing Up In The ’80s
Remember when dinner meant Mom’s home cooking instead of DoorDash? The ’80s in North Carolina gave us food memories as bold as our shoulder pads and hair.
Between MTV marathons and Nintendo sessions, these signature Southern dishes fueled our childhood adventures and family gatherings. Grab your Trapper Keeper and prepare for a totally radical trip down culinary memory lane!
1. Cheerwine Float
Cherry-red bubbles dancing with creamy vanilla ice cream created the ultimate sugar rush for ’80s kids. Local soda shops would serve this fizzy treat in those classic glass sundae dishes.
Nothing beats watching that carbonation create tiny ice cream islands while waiting for the perfect moment to dive in with your long spoon!
2. Lexington Barbecue
Smoky, chopped pork shoulder doused in that tangy vinegar-based sauce made weekend family trips to Lexington worth every mile. The pink-tinged meat piled high on cheap white buns came with obligatory hushpuppies and red slaw.
How many arguments started over whether Eastern or Western style reigned supreme?
3. Livermush Breakfast
Though outsiders wrinkled their noses, this fried loaf of pork liver and cornmeal was breakfast gold across Western NC. Crispy-edged slices nestled between white bread or alongside scrambled eggs fueled school mornings.
Where else could you find a breakfast meat that sliced like bread but fried up like bacon’s heartier cousin?
4. Chicken Pastry (Chicken And Dumplings)
Grandma’s magic remedy for everything from bad grades to broken hearts! Tender shreds of chicken swimming in silky broth with flat, slippery dumplings (we called ’em pastry) made rainy Sundays complete.
Every NC family had their own secret technique – some rolled the dough paper-thin while others preferred them thick and chewy.
5. Krispy Kreme Doughnut Run
Spotting that glowing “HOT NOW” sign in Winston-Salem was better than finding a golden ticket! Watching those pillowy rings float down the conveyor belt before getting glazed was mesmerizing ’80s entertainment.
Dad would buy dozens on payday, and somehow the box would be mysteriously empty by morning. Worth every sticky fingerprint on the family station wagon!
6. School Cafeteria Rectangle Pizza
That oddly satisfying spongy crust topped with sauce that somehow never moved when you bit into it! Friday lunch excitement peaked when those trays of geometric pizza goodness appeared.
Remember trading chocolate milk for an extra slice? The cafeteria ladies always pretended not to notice our elaborate bartering systems.
7. Calabash-Style Seafood
Summer beach trips weren’t complete without mountains of lightly breaded, crispy fried seafood from coastal restaurants. Hushpuppies by the basketful and cole slaw in tiny paper cups accompanied these golden treasures.
The ritual: waiting forever in line with sandy feet, then demolishing platters of shrimp, flounder, and oysters faster than you could say “pass the tartar sauce!”
8. Duke’s Mayo Tomato Sandwiches
Summer’s perfect lunch: thick slices of backyard tomatoes on white bread slathered with Duke’s mayonnaise. Salt and pepper were the only acceptable additions to this seasonal masterpiece.
Mom would layer paper towels underneath to catch the juicy drips. Nothing tasted more like July in North Carolina than this simple sandwich eaten on the porch swing!
9. Church Potluck Deviled Eggs
At Sunday get-togethers, those platters of deviled eggs with flawlessly coated half of paprika vanished more quickly than the collection plate! Whether it was mustard, sweet pickle, or gasp a little spicy sauce, each church lady had her secret ingredient.
The ultimate flex from the 1980s? possessing the egg-shaped plastic case that kept these valuables from becoming smudged during transit.
10. RC Cola And MoonPie
This classic combo fueled many an ’80s adventure! Grabbing an RC Cola and chocolate MoonPie from the gas station before fishing at the creek was practically a childhood rite of passage.
Sweet marshmallow squished between graham cookies paired perfectly with that distinctive cola bite. Country store owners knew to stock up before little league games let out!
11. Sunday Pot Roast
The aroma of beef slow-cooking with potatoes, carrots, and onions meant Sunday dinner was happening! Walking into grandma’s house after church to that smell was better than any video game.
Everyone fought over those carrots that soaked up all the beefy goodness. The leftovers transformed into hot roast beef sandwiches that made Monday’s school lunch the envy of the cafeteria.
12. Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
The “caviar of the South” spread thick between white bread was lunchbox gold! Homemade versions with extra-sharp cheddar handgrated by mom trumped store-bought every time.
Bonus points if it came with a side of Charles Chips in that iconic tan container. Some fancy occasions called for toasting the bread, pure ’80s gourmet!
13. Pepsi Born In The Carolinas
While other states debated Coke vs. Pepsi, Carolina kids knew Pepsi (born in New Bern, NC!) was hometown pride in a bottle. Those glass bottles from the machine outside the hardware store somehow tasted better than cans.
Remember saving bottle caps for contests? Or how grandpa still called it “Brad’s Drink” after its original 1893 name?