The Seventies!

My college years were 1978-1980; a decade before I became vegetarian. Although I wasn't making a conscious food decision at that stage, society was doing it for me. 

Freezers had revolutionised the way we ate. Frozen food shops popped up everywhere and, by the end of the seventies, half the population had a freezer in their home. It gave women more freedom as they could buy convenience foods or cook in batches and people no longer had to live by seasonal food. Ironic now, given that we have done a u-turn and want to eat food which is in season.

In 1979 I would rush home from college to eat a quick tea fresh from the freezer. My favourite was a mini pizza which had a cheap bready base, tasty tomato sauce and a scattering of grated cheese on top. It could be cooked in the oven or, I think, under the grill. I can't remember who made them but they came in a bag of 6, individually wrapped in plastic in a bread loaf type of bag. I loved them and, funnily enough, believed myself to be very American rather than Italian!

After tea I would fire up my yellow Honda Express and zoom down to Safeways supermarket where I packed shelves on the toiletry aisle from 5 - 9pm. At 6pm the shop closed and myself and 3 boys would be locked in to do our work until the night shift came on at 9pm. What a laugh we had. The boys would take turns to ride the forklift scooter-style whilst donning brown paper bags with cut out eye slits. Another evening someone might switch on the loudspeaker and read rude passages from the book section.

At 9pm Nigel (one of my co-workers) and I would mount our mopeds and ride home Chips-style.

Ah, the seventies ...