NIAGARA, Wis. — Like slang and popular music, American food has also changed throughout history. The answer to the question, “What’s for dinner?” is not the same as it was a generation or two ago. Sometimes the changes have come as a result of availability. Regional preferences and household budgets have also dictated the family menu. And the cook’s culinary expertise and imagination play a big role as well.

When my husband and I were first married, we were living on a shoestring. Thankfully, we were both working at a local pizza place while finishing college, and one of the benefits was a free pizza each night we worked. Consequently, we ate a lot of pizza, and when we tired of it, we brought home the ingredients and made fantastic scrambled eggs. Tuna casserole and canned Dinty Moore stew were right up there on the menu as well; we eat neither of them today. When our sons were growing up — and after my kitchen abilities improved — I made a lot of casseroles. They were tasty and economical. Today, I enjoy cooking and, truth be told, I am pretty good at it so we eat at home most of the time.

The cost of groceries, as we have all experienced, has risen exponentially over the years. I used to buy hamburger for 55 cents per pound, and chicken was 29 cents per pound. And we all know what eggs used to cost. I could feed our family of four with $50 per week in the 1980s. Needless to say, my grocery budget is much higher today.

Throughout history, more has changed besides the cost of food. Our ideas of what constitutes a tasty meal are much different today than they were a generation or two ago. I found an interesting article that described a few popular staples; the following descriptions will surprise you … but will not make you anxious to try the meals:

Poke salad — not to be confused with the Hawaiian dish of marinated raw fish — was made of pokeweed, a wild leafy green that has grown in Appalachia for centuries. It was a simple dish containing the boiled leaves and stalks of pokeweed mixed with bacon grease. Its preparation was crucial because pokeweed is poisonous. Consequently, boiling the plant at least twice, using fresh water each time, was necessary for the greens to be safe enough to eat.

Because of the abundance of wild pokeweed and its association with toxicity, poke salad was primarily eaten in impoverished communities, and it endured as a staple well into the 20th century. It became a symbol of rural toughness and resourcefulness in the face of poverty. Today, collard greens have endured in place of poke salad.

Turtle soup was also popular and today has been elevated to delicacy status around the world, particularly in China and Singapore. It was a regular on the menus of fine dining establishments in the United States from the colonial era through the mid-20th century. Sometimes it was described as a clear consomme with large diced turtle meat, and other times it was made as a tomato-based broth thickened with a medium-dark roux. Either way, it was nearly always served with a glass of sherry to add to the dish. Turtle soup was once so prestigious that it was served at Abraham Lincoln’s presidential inauguration, and it was a favorite of President Howard Taft. It even appeared on the menu of New York’s famous Delmonico’s.

Despite its popularity and prestige, its decline came quickly due to numerous factors. Prohibition meant the sherry that provided a key seasoning flourish was no longer available. The rise of factory farming consolidated America’s meat production to beef, chicken and pork, due to the easier processing methods involved with those meats. Cute, human-like turtle characters appeared in the media and created an unintended perception shift against the idea of eating turtles.

And finally, the green sea turtles the dish was originally made from were classified as endangered in 1973. Turtle enthusiasts switched to the more abundant snapping turtle, but turtle soup was nearly nonexistent as a fine dining item by the 1980s.

Creamed chipped beef on toast was a common breakfast food. This meal was made from sliced dried beef simmered in white gravy until softened, and then ladled over a piece of toast. The long shelf life of the beef made it an ideal military ration; it appeared in Army cooking manuals from as early as 1910. It was also inexpensive so made an economical meal for frugal households. Its low cost made it particularly popular in the 1930s and 1940s during the Great Depression and World War II. In the middle of the 20th century, it was a standard menu item at most diners. When I was a kid, my mother used to make a similar version — creamed tuna on toast — to feed our family of five. By the 1970s, this inexpensive meal gave way to its tastier cousin, biscuits and gravy.

Another 20th-century diner staple was the Limburger sandwich, a classic cold sandwich of Limburger cheese and raw onion on rye bread. Limburger cheese was one of the five main cheeses produced in our country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries along with Swiss, brick, cheddar and American cheeses. It was also known for its terrible smell and became the butt of many a comedian’s jokes. It was the subject of gags by Charlie Chaplin and the Three Stooges; Mark Twain compared its odor to that of a corpse!

Considering the already off-putting smell of Limburger cheese, the question may not be why a sandwich of raw onion and Limburger cheese is no longer popular but rather why was it ever popular? Perhaps its sharp taste was enough for the appeal to outshine its odor. Or maybe eating it represented the kind of macho ability provided by the spicy wings of today. Eventually, changing tastes and the odorless convenience of sliced American cheese has relegated the Limburger sandwich to a strictly regional popularity in parts of Wisconsin.

Vinegar pie, a resourceful replacement for lemon pie, is commonly placed in the category of “desperation pie” or “make-do pie.” It was a Depression-era dessert made with basic pantry ingredients substituting for its traditional ingredients that may have been unavailable or too expensive. Other examples of “desperation pie” include eggless sugar cream pie similar to custard pie; green tomato pie standing in for apple pie; and oatmeal pie replacing pecan pie. However, the origin of vinegar pie wasn’t the Depression. A recipe for it appeared in Colorado’s The Herald Democrat as early as 1905, in cookbooks such as Maud C. Cooke’s Three Meals a Day starting in 1892, and in the 1874 volume of The Home Cook Book of Chicago.

So, while none of these dishes will find their way to your family’s dining table any time soon, they are a testament to the American household’s creativity throughout tight times. They hearken back to the days of family dinners around a large dining room table and lots of supper time chatter that continued for an hour. It was a simpler time before afterschool activities, crowded schedules, and cell phones … when life was slower … and the camaraderie was just as important as the food.

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NURSING HOMES/SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES

Freeman Nursing and Rehabilitation Community

Kingsford

906-774-1530

They welcome anyone who would like to entertain the residents. Volunteers are also needed to help with crafts and other activities.

On the third Tuesday of every month at 2 p.m. they host a Memory Cafe – a fun hour to spend with others. For more information, contact Jaime Hathaway at jlhathaway@protonmail.com. The program runs through donations.

No information was available.

Iron County Medical Care Facility

Crystal Falls

906-874-1501

Sunday: Room visits, 8:30 a.m.; reminisce, 9:30 a.m.; chair exercise, 10:45 a.m.; room visits, 2:30 p.m.; bingorama, 2 p.m.

Monday: Memory books, 9:30; Norway senior center, 9:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:45 a.m.; room visits, 1 p.m.; bingo, 2 p.m.; Sunshine Club, 2:30 p.m.; jokes and cocoa, 6 p.m.

Tuesday: Just friends, 9:30 a.m.; Mardi Gras crafts, 10 a.m.; balloon toss, 10:45 a.m.; wildlife film, 1:30 p.m.; travel club, 2 p.m.; musical movie, 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Coffee social/story telling, 9:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:45 a.m.; Dan’s songs for seniors, 2 p.m.; night bingo, 6:15 p.m.

Thursday: Puzzler, 9:30 a.m.; bowling, 10 a.m.; Bible study, 1 p.m.; travel film, 1:30 p.m.; happy hour with Jim, 2 p.m.

Friday: Crafts with Bea, 9:30 a.m.; exercise, 10:45 a.m.; room visits, 1 p.m.; throwaway bingo, 2 p.m.; activity council, 3 p.m.; romance movie, 6 p.m.

Saturday: “Price Is Right”/volleyball, 9:30 a.m.; geri-gym, 10:45 a.m.; room visits, 12:30 p.m.; social hour, 2 p.m.; action movie, 6 p.m.

Optalis Healthcare

Kingsford

906-774-4805

Sunday: Devotional, 9:30 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; games or movie, 1 p.m.

Monday: Resident council meeting, 9:30 a.m.; room visits, 10 a.m.; mystery prize bingo, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Coffee time, 9:30 a.m.; Fat Tuesday, 10 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; Mardi Gras paczki party, 2 p.m.

Wednesday: Coffee time, 9:30 a.m.; women’s history month, 10 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; mystery prize bingo, 2 p.m.

Thursday: Coffee time, 9:30 a.m.; daily chronicle, 10 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; St. Patrick’s Day craft, 2 p.m.

Friday: Coffee time, 9:30 a.m.; daily chronicle, 10 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; music by Jim Edberg, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Manicures, 9:30 a.m.; room visits, 11 a.m.; craft or games, 1 p.m.

Maryhill Manor Nursing Home

Niagara, Wis.

715-251-3172

Families are allowed to attend activities and are encouraged to join in.

Sunday: Hot cocoa and chat, 10 a.m.; delivery of communion, 12:30 p.m.; movie and popcorn, 1:30 p.m.; church service, 2:30 p.m.

Monday: Rosary/communion service, 9 a.m.; pamper and polish, 10 a.m.; parachute, 2 p.m.

Tuesday: Rosary/communion service, 9 a.m.; paczki and coffee, 10 a.m.; music with Bob Larson, 2 p.m.; Chaplet of Divine Mercy, 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Rosary/communion service, 9 a.m.; hangman, 10 a.m.; jokereno, 2 p.m.; Chaplet of Divine Mercy, 3 p.m.

Thursday: Rosary, 9 a.m.; Catholic Mass/ashes, 9:30 a.m.; baking demonstration, 10 a.m.; resident council, 1 p.m.; silly crafters, 2 p.m.; Lenten reflections, 3 p.m.

Friday: Men’s breakfast, 7 a.m.; Hedbanz, 10 a.m.; happy hour with Ray and Mindy, 2 p.m.

Saturday: Uno, 10 a.m.; prize bingo, 2 p.m.

Northshore Healthcare

Florence, Wis.

715-528-4833

No information was available

Victorian Pines

Iron Mountain

906-774-5158

Sunday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; Bible study, 1:30 p.m.

Monday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; exercise, 11 a.m.; bingo and refreshments, 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; exercise, 11 a.m.; trivia and refreshments, 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; exercise, 11 a.m.; bingo and refreshments, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; exercise, 11 a.m.; refreshments, 1:30 p.m.

Friday: Juice time, 10 a.m.; exercise, 11 a.m.; refreshments, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday: Juice time, 10 a.m.

Pinecrest Medical

Care Facility

Powers

906-497-5244

Sunday: Morning visits and reality orientation; bunco, 10 a.m.; trivia, 11:15 a.m.; church services, 1:30 p.m.; name that instrument/tea,2:30 p.m.; coloring pages, daily chronicles.

Monday: Morning visits and reality orientation; open room, 9:30 a.m.; cranium crunch, 11 a.m.; manicure Monday/men’s group, 1:45 p.m.; Bible studies, 3 p.m.: book club, 4 p.m.; movie, 6 p.m.; daily chronicles.

Tuesday: Morning visits and reality orientation; open room, 9:30 a.m.; juice hour and who-what-where, 11 a.m.; bingo, 1:45 p.m.; Yahtzee, 4 p.m.; daily chronicles.

Wednesday: Morning visits and reality orientation; open room, 9:30 a.m.; Hangman, 11 a.m.; Bob Larson, 1:45 p.m.; kings in corner, 4 p.m.; daily chronicles.

Thursday: Morning visits and reality orientation; bingo/split words, 10 a.m.; off to the races, 1:30 p.m.; table talk, 4 p.m.; daily chronicles.

Friday: Morning visits and reality orientation; Catholic Mass, 10:30 a.m.; ticklish trivia, 11 a.m.; Jon Sampson, 2 p.m.; book club, 4 p.m.; game night, 6 p.m.; daily chronicles.

Saturday: Morning visits and reality orientation; exercise group, 10 a.m.; juice hour, 11 a.m.; Bible studies, 11 a.m.; bingo, 1:45 p.m.; one-to-one visit, 3 p.m.; activity packets.

SENIOR CENTERS

Amasa Center

906-822-7284

Menu for the week —

Tuesday: Pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetable, dinner roll.

Wednesday: Crack chicken penne, vegetable, dinner roll.

Thursday: Chili, hard roll, pudding.

Breen Center

Kingsford

906-774-5110

Dine-in eating Monday through Thursday, salad bar at 11:30 a.m., meal at noon. Carryout meals are available. Soup and salad bar are also available. Friday and night meals are on hold indefinitely. Menu for the week —

Monday: Lasagna, vegetable, garlic bread.

Tuesday: Super grilled ham and cheese, vegetable, baked sweet potato fries.

Wednesday: Fish with vegetables, oven roasted potatoes, dinner roll.

Thursday: Italian sausage bake, vegetable, cheesy breadstick.

Note: All meals served with a choice of skim milk or juice and fruit

Crystal Falls Center

Head Cook: Elizabeth Peryam

Assistant Cooks: Debbie Bigalke and Shannon Stapleton

906-875-6709

The center is serving meals for dine-in or takeout – call the center by 1 p.m. to make reservations or place an order. All food purchased from local vendors. All dinners include warm vegetables, salad bar, soup, homemade desserts, coffee, tea or milk. Salad bar begins at 4:30 p.m. and dinner is served at 5 p.m. Pickup for takeout meals is 4 p.m. – call ahead and leave a message with a phone number. A volunteer will deliver meals to homebound citizens only. Menu for the week —

Monday: Spaghetti, garlic bread.

Tuesday: Baked chicken, rice pilaf.

Wednesday: Cheesy cod, parsley boiled potatoes, cole slaw.

Home-delivered meals (prepared by DICSA — independent from above menu)

Monday: Ham and potato soup, biscuit, pudding cup.

Tuesday: Pancakes, hashbrowns, applesauce, yogurt cup.

Wednesday: Mexican lasagna, refried beans, vegetable.

Thursday: Hearty pork stew, pickled beets, whole wheat dinner roll, pudding.

Dickinson-Iron Community Services Agency

DICSA

Iron Mountain

906-774-2256, ext. 230 or 235.

This is a Meals on Wheels program only, for home-delivered meals — call to make arrangements. Menu for the week —

Monday: Ham and potato soup, biscuit, pudding cup.

Tuesday: Pancakes, hashbrowns, applesauce, yogurt cup.

Wednesday: Mexican lasagna, refried beans, vegetable.

Thursday: Hearty pork stew, pickled beets, whole wheat dinner roll, pudding.

Friday: Shredded barbecue chicken on a bun, sweet potatoes with butter, steamed carrots.

Note: All meals include a choice of skim milk, juice, or no beverage.

For more information, call Christine McMahon at 906-774-2256.

Crystal Lake Center

Iron Mountain

906-828-1776

Schedule for the week:

Monday: Les Artistes art club, noon to 4 p.m.; woodcarvers, starting at 9 a.m.

Tuesday: Cards — Pinochle and cribbage, noon to 4 p.m.; Happy Quilters, noon to 3 p.m.

Wednesday: Bingo, 1 to 3 p.m.; cards cost 25 cents with 10 games played

Thursday: Spinning Spools quilting, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Friday: Cards — smear, noon to 4 p.m.

Felch Center

906-246-3559

Open for dine-in eating — call for serving times. Carryout meals also available. Menu for the week —

Monday: Chop suey with vegetables over lo mein, fortune cookie, fruit.

Tuesday: Chicken and dressing sandwich, potato, vegetables, Jell-O.

Wednesday: Garlic parmesan fish, baked potato, steamed carrots, biscuit, pudding parfait.

Note: All meals served with skim milk or juice.

Home-delivered meals —

Monday: Ham and potato soup, biscuit, pudding cup.

Tuesday: Pancakes, hashbrowns, applesauce, yogurt cup.

Wednesday: Mexican lasagna, refried beans, vegetable.

Aging and Disability Resource Center

Florence County, Wis.

715-528-4890

Director: Tiffany White

Menu for the week —

Monday: Chicken Alfredo over noodles, broccoli, corn, fruit.

Tuesday: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, roasted squash, fruit.

Wednesday: Egg roll casserole, rice, copper pennies, fruit, pudding.

Thursday: Liver and onions or chicken breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit.

Friday: Taco casserole, cole slaw, fruit, Mexican brownies.

Note: All meals served with whole grain bread, butter and milk.

Aurora-Hillcrest Dining Center

Home-delivered meals will be served Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. No meals will be delivered on Monday or Wednesday. The dining center is only open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Space is limited — call the day before to make a reservation at 715-589-4491.

Fence Center/Town Hall

715-336-2980

RSVP for meal at 855-528-2372

Same as ADRC menu, served at noon on Wednesday only.

Florence Community Center/Town Hall

RSVP for meal at 715-528-4261

This site is closed until further notice.

Home-delivered meals will be delivered Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. No Wednesday meal is available.

Tipler Town Hall

RSVP for meals at 715-674-2320

Same as ADRC menu, served at noon on second Thursday only.

Hermansville Center

Coordinator: Barb Peters

906-498-7735

Center is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meals are served through the Menominee-Delta-Schoolcraft Community Action Agency in Escanaba. Meals On Wheels program is available for those who are homebound.

Monday: Country fried steak with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, whole wheat bread, applesauce.

Tuesday: Chicken and sausage jambalaya, corn on the cob, stewed tomatoes, tropical fruit.

Wednesday: Cheese tortellini with marinara sauce, Capri vegetable blend, side salad, whole wheat breadstick, warm fruit compote.

Thursday: Turkey vegetable soup, bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich, ambrosia.

Friday: Tuna noodle casserole, diced carrots, Brussel sprouts, mixed fruit cup.

Iron River Center

906-265-6134

Salad bar begins at 11 a.m., with meal at 11:30 a.m. No night meals. Carryout meals also available. Menu for the week —

Monday: Biscuits and sausage gravy, oven-roasted potatoes, applesauce.

Tuesday: Unstuffed pepper bowl, peas, whole wheat bread with butter.

Wednesday: Garlic linguine with fish, vegetable, dinner roll.

Thursday: Chicken and spaghetti, vegetable, garlic bread, Jell-O with fruit.

Salad bar begins at 11 a.m.; Meal is served at 11:30 a.m. All meals are served with choice of skim milk or juice and fruit.

Niagara Senior Center/Cafe

715-251-1603

Dinner is served at noon Monday through Thursday. Reservations are required one day in advance. Suggested donation is $5 for those older than 60 and $11 for 60 and younger. Transportation is available.

Tuesday: Smoked sausage, red beans and rice, stewed tomatoes, cornbread, fruit juice.

Wednesday: Breaded fish sandwich, baby red potatoes, baked beans, applesauce.

Thursday: Lasagna, spinach salad with tomatoes, garlic bread, spiced fruit bake.

Bingo played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Norway Center

Director: Alicia Rochon

906-563-8716

Dine-in eating begins at 11:15 a.m. Takeout meals are available for pick-up from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Let staff know if planning to dine in or pick up.

Menu for the week —

Monday: Baked chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, vegetable, fruit crumble.

Tuesday: Meat burrito, Spanish rice, corn salsa and sour cream, pudding.

Wednesday: Tuna casserole with vegetable, dinner roll, fruit crumble

Thursday: Sloppy Joes on a bun, fries, vegetable.

Center activity schedule:

Mondays and Thursdays — Exercise at 10 a.m. and card bingo after the meal.

Monday through Thursday — Card game 101 from noon to 3 p.m. Call Joe at 906-563-5587 for information.

Tuesdays — Quilting and sewing.

Wednesdays — Ceramics and crocheting.

Last Monday of each month — Book club at 9 a.m.

Second Thursday of each month — Birthdays and bingo.

Sagola Center

906-542-3273

Dine-in meals served on site. Salad bar will open at 11 a.m. and meal is served at 11:30 a.m. Carryout meals also available.

Menu for the week —

Tuesday: Cheese omelet, sausage, hashbrowns, warmed fruit, bread with butter.

Wednesday: Garlic parmesan fish, baked potato, steamed carrots, apple crisp.

Thursday: Cheese tortellini with meat sauce, Italian-style vegetables, garlic bread.

All meals served with an option of milk, juice or no beverage.

Home-delivered meals —

Monday: Ham and potato soup, biscuit, pudding cup.

Tuesday: Pancakes, hashbrowns, applesauce, yogurt cup.

Wednesday: Mexican lasagna, refried beans, vegetable.