Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

[kkong]

On that theme, companies with old/unusual legal names.
I believe the legal name for Red Funnel ferries is still "Southampton Isle Of Wight and South Of England Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Limited"

"The Liverpool and Glasgow Association for the Protection of Commercial Interests as Respects Wrecked and Damaged Property Limited"

More usually known as "LGSA Marine" these days.

 

[Silent]

Quad jet planes

Passenger tri jet planes

 

[Jamesrob637]

Quad jet planes

Passenger tri jet planes

Never say never to more though.

 

[GordonT]

The relative ease of parking on many residential streets in the days before every man, woman and their blooming dog had their own car.

 

[Jimini]

The relative ease of parking on many residential streets in the days before every man, woman and their blooming dog had their own car.

Good one aye. Also on that topic -- the relative ease of being able to drive down the road or walk along the pavement without having to squeeze by shed loads of SUVs, vans etc. Without giving away our address on t'internet If you look on Google Streetview at some of the side streets off Erleigh Road and Addington Road in Reading, you can see the walls of parked cars on both sides of the streets, and how narrow the remaining gaps are on the road. Most taxi drivers refuse to drive up them!

 

[The exile]

The relative ease of parking on many residential streets in the days before every man, woman and their blooming dog had their own car.

And before that man, woman and dog’s house had been turned into an HMO for six car owners!

 

[Brightonboy]

What about the days when large business and government establishments had their own internal and inter-building messenger services delivering internal mail etc between departments?

 

[JamesT]

What about the days when large business and government establishments had their own internal and inter-building messenger services delivering internal mail etc between departments?

Still exists at Oxford University at least.

 

[AM9]

Good one aye. Also on that topic -- the relative ease of being able to drive down the road or walk along the pavement without having to squeeze by shed loads of SUVs, vans etc. Without giving away our address on t'internet If you look on Google Streetview at some of the side streets off Erleigh Road and Addington Road in Reading, you can see the walls of parked cars on both sides of the streets, and how narrow the remaining gaps are on the road. Most taxi drivers refuse to drive up them!

Had a look at both of those, - at least all the cars that I could see were parked on the road and not over the pedestrian walkway. Round here, St Albans, pavement parking is rife, even on roads where every house has an off-road parking space. How many drivers think that it's OK to force pedestrians to walk in the road to get along the road. The law is about to change allowing local authorities to completely ban parking on pavements, - like in London boroughs since the '70s. Can't come too soon.

 

[Statto]

Does anyone remember those boil in the bag Curries, they used to be 3 varieties, Chicken, Beef, & Prawn Curry with Rice, i always used make extra Chips with it.

The boil in the bag Curry, (total cooking time was 20 minutes) you used to put the Curry in boiling water for 15 minutes, add the Rice with the Curry for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, drain & serve, they've been replaced by Microwave Curries.

 

[The exile]

Good old Vesta! The staple of Youth Hostel wardens’ shops…

 

[Steddenm]

Does anyone remember those boil in the bag Curries, they used to be 3 varieties, Chicken, Beef, & Prawn Curry with Rice, i always used make extra Chips with it.

The boil in the bag Curry, (total cooking time was 20 minutes) you used to put the Curry in boiling water for 15 minutes, add the Rice with the Curry for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, drain & serve, they've been replaced by Microwave Curries.

You can still buy them: https://fabfinds.co.uk/products/ves...zBAIj9AVlC4K5LVXl9TSf62XtVj2ScFZ1qQSz9b8SzsfF

 

[Statto]

You can still buy them: https://fabfinds.co.uk/products/ves...zBAIj9AVlC4K5LVXl9TSf62XtVj2ScFZ1qQSz9b8SzsfF

Sold out, at £6.49, & discounted from £8.49, so they can keep it at those prices, seem to remember they were £1 to £2 a pack but this was early 2000s.

 

[Ediswan]

Does anyone remember those boil in the bag Curries, they used to be 3 varieties, Chicken, Beef, & Prawn Curry with Rice, i always used make extra Chips with it.

The boil in the bag Curry, (total cooking time was 20 minutes) you used to put the Curry in boiling water for 15 minutes, add the Rice with the Curry for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, drain & serve, they've been replaced by Microwave Curries.

I recall it the other way round, rice first. The rice is in a porous bag and needs to be cooked, the curry only needs to be heated up.

 

[D6130]

Good old Vesta! The staple of Youth Hostel wardens’ shops…

IIRC, they also did various flavours of Chow Mein and Chop Suey. One came with crispy noodles and the other with soft noodles - but I can't remember which was which.

 

[GordonT]

IIRC, they also did various flavours of Chow Mein and Chop Suey. One came with crispy noodles and the other with soft noodles - but I can't remember which was which.

Chicken Supreme was another option.

 

[Trackman]

Findus was the boil in the bag Curry.
Vesta was a do in the saucepan job.

 

[GusB]

IIRC, they also did various flavours of Chow Mein and Chop Suey. One came with crispy noodles and the other with soft noodles - but I can't remember which was which.

The chow mein definitely had crispy and soft noodles. I don't think I've ever tried the chop suey.

 

[DelW]

Findus was the boil in the bag Curry.
Vesta was a do in the saucepan job.

That's my recollection too, Vesta came with a paper bag of dried 'stuff' which had to be rehydrated and heated. I came across some packets in a pound-shop or similar a few years ago, and tried one, just out of nostalgia. Let's say my culinary taste must have evolved since my student days!

 

[swt_passenger]

The chow mein definitely had crispy and soft noodles. I don't think I've ever tried the chop suey.

The crispy noodles were to go in your deep frying pan, I think? We skipped that part of the instructions; it was over 50 years ago now…

 

[Ediswan]

The crispy noodles were to go in your deep frying pan, I think? We skipped that part of the instructions; it was over 50 years ago now…

Dedicated 'chip pans', with a basket, kept full of oil, were common. So were kitchen fires.

 

[swt_passenger]

Dedicated 'chip pans', with a basket, kept full of oil, were common. So were kitchen fires.

I put out a chip pan fire when I was about 15. My grandmother had left it far too hot. I remember having to stop her trying to carry it to the garden, fortunately for some reason I already knew the wet tea towel procedure. Had there maybe been one of those TV information films?

 

[Trackman]

I put out a chip pan fire when I was about 15. My grandmother had left it far too hot. I remember having to stop her trying to carry it to the garden, fortunately for some reason I already knew the wet tea towel procedure. Had there maybe been one of those TV information films?

We learned in school when the fire brigade came with a demonstration.

The crispy noodles were to go in your deep frying pan, I think? We skipped that part of the instructions; it was over 50 years ago now…

Correct. I think a lot of people skipped that instruction including myself.

 

[GordonT]

Large, sometimes humungous bound book-style rail or bus public timetables often including a fold-out route map. Sold at a cover price which was a fraction of their production costs and often including copious further operations and commercial information often including local company contacts and their contact details.

 

[WesternLancer]

Large, sometimes humungous bound book-style rail or bus public timetables often including a fold-out route map. Sold at a cover price which was a fraction of their production costs and often including copious further operations and commercial information often including local company contacts and their contact details.

That is off topic! These are not anachronistic by any means

They are the best travel books you could buy - opens you up to a world of possible destinations and your imagination can do the rest!

 

[SargeNpton]

Hot Cross Buns only ever being sold on Good Friday.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I put out a chip pan fire when I was about 15. My grandmother had left it far too hot. I remember having to stop her trying to carry it to the garden, fortunately for some reason I already knew the wet tea towel procedure. Had there maybe have been one of those public information films?

Yes there was, here it is.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yes there was, here it is.

Wow. Thanks for finding that. I was 15 in 1970!

 

[GordonT]

That is off topic! These are not anachronistic by any means

Not to you and I perhaps but bound timetables are an unknown concept to upcoming generations.

 

[WesternLancer]

Not to you and I perhaps but bound timetables are an unknown concept to upcoming generations.

That is difficult to dispute!