Food was suddenly space age with the advent of ready meals cooked in the microwave. Work lunches changed with pre-packed sandwiches by Marks and Spencer. Certainly convenient but it desocialised lunch times by chaining us to our desks! It wasn't the healthiest decade either as the sale of chocolate biscuits rose by 35%. I remember puddings changing from the traditional homecooked to bought Sara Lee gateaux and Vienettas.
On the drink front there was a wine revolution with wine bars popping up, particularly appealing to women who now earned their own money and had the confidence to enter these user-friendly establishments. Cocktails were also on the menu (perhaps due, in part, to the Tom Cruise film of the same name). In bars we spent our 20 pence pieces playing Space Invaders and Pac-man.
Work-life for many was all about power-dressing and writing in a Filofax. We had more free time and could live on credit, spending on technology and DIY and spent our Saturdays in the new shopping malls. We tanned with sun beds, highlighted and permed our hair and kept fit with Jane Fonda workouts. Staying in was spent playing Trivial Pursuit or trying to conquer Rubiks Cube. We might entertain friends with a home karaoke machine or watch a rented video. Television was glamorous with Dallas, Dynasty and Daisy Duke.
In 1981 28 million of us watched the Royal Wedding. Other headlines included the Miners Strike and the threat of Nuclear War. Amongst others, British Gas was privatised with the adverts urging us to "tell Sid". Awareness of the starving Ethiopians was highlighted with "Live Aid" and AIDS was a concern for all.
I remember the eighties with fondness. It was the decade before I became vegetarian (1990) so I can't comment too much on the food choices of the era. I think it was probably a choice of nut roast or ratatouille; a far cry from today's offerings.
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