What foods remind you of going to the movies or to a drive in?

A&W burgers, and large frosty root beer, eaten off the car window.

You took A&W to the drive in?

@Dutchess_III My dad drove the family to A&W drive in and we feasted. One of the few positive memories with my family. I usually was still hungry. So I ordered double teen or mozza burgers. The drive in theater I we snuck in a couple of pillow cases of lightly buttered popcorn, and would buy pop and nachos with imitation cheese dip, from the concession stand.

Buttered popcorn, Red Vines licorice, Dots, Sugar Babies, Starburst, and Cragmont black cherry soda.

They had the BEST root beer @RedDeerGuy1.

@Dutchess_III A&W has the best root beer. McDonalds has the best fountain Coke.

Raisinets, Milk Duds, popcorn, ice cream bon bons

Omg! @janbb I am literally eating Raisinettes right this minute! I love those.

Just had some a few days ago myself.

Neccos
Popcorn
Peppermint patty
Milk Duds

I think I’ve bought food at a cinema less than 10 times in my life. We brought our own in if we bothered to eat anything.

You didn’t get candy when you were a kid? It was part of the treat.

@Dutchess_III Me?

We have this one cafe that we eat breakfast at most Saturdays. They have a Hot Tamale candy dispenser. Before we leave I get my weekly fix of a handful of Hot Tamales and drop them in my coat pocket. It’s not unusual for me to find random Hot Tamales in my coat pocket through the week, even after I thought I ate them all. Found one today. Nice little surprise.

Yes @JLeslie. Sorry.

Red Vines and Junior Mints

One time a bunch of us went to a drive in theater in Southern California. As I went to get popcorn during the show, my friend Jeff role down his window, and said, “hey will you get me a hot tamale?”

I went in to the snacker, and they had a Mexican food stand, so i got Jeff a pork tamale with extra sauce.

As I went back to the cars, I had him roll down the window, gave it to him.

He said.“what the fuck is this?”
I said, “a hot tamale like you asked. You owe me $3.50”
He replied, “I wanted the candy, what am I supposed to do with this?”
I said, “here’s a fork. Eat it. And you owe me $3,50.”

^^^^ Ha ha!

@Dutchess_III Yes, we got candy as children. We were fairly poor when I was little. We bought candy for 16¢ at the corner store and brought it into the theater rather than the 50¢ the theater charged, or whatever it was there. My dad liked Neccos, he said they lasted longer than other candies. Even if my parents had lots of money they wouldn’t be comfortable spending so much more for the same product. My dad grew up extremely poor, he can’t fathom that sort of thing.

As a teen, once in a while my boyfriend and I would split a popcorn, but not often, maybe I can count it on one hand.

As an adult, I’m not inclined to pay triple for candy nor is my husband. I don’t need to eat during the two hours it takes for a movie anyway. It’s just two hours.

I remember when I moved to Florida and for the first time saw nachos and hot dogs being sold in the movie theater. I couldn’t believe it.

A taco place just opened in one of the cinemas here, I want to try it. There are tables or you can bring it into the movie, but that theatre isn’t really set up with seats and tables while watching the movie, so instead of having to balance my food cocktail style, so I’ll be eating before or after or even without seeing a movie.

I would once in a while be willing to pay a little more at the fancy schmancy movie houses that have tables and comfy chairs and better than typical movie theatre food for the whole experience, but I haven’t done it yet.

Usually if I go to the movies I don’t eat. I may eat prior to the movie so I’m not sitting there hungry. If I do eat during the movie, I will try to bring it in from outside, like candy or popcorn and/or a bottle of water. The theaters around here generally charge about 7 dollars for a small popcorn and 8 dollars for a large (which is huge). A cup of soda is about 5 dollars. To me, it’s just ridiculous. I don’t care if that’s what the theater makes their profit on, it’s outrageous. There are no signs saying outside food is not allowed, and they don’t care if you walk in with a bag from elsewhere, so if I am really hungry, I try to bring it in.

There is a new theater here in CT that has a smoothie bar. A smoothie may be 7 or 8 dollars but that’s what they cost everywhere else, and so to me it’s not crazy and I’m willing to pay for that.

When I was living in Jasper National Park, we ate next door at the Cantonese restaurant and got a popcorn, extra-extra butter all the way through, and pop each and tried to make it last for the 2 hour movie. Some times we got chocolate bars and twizzlers. We got free refills on the pop.

@jca2 Maybe it’s a Westchester thing. Do you see a lot of people eating in the theater where you live? Buying the food there?

When I lived in TN I noticed that most people did buy food, and they also left their trash behind. Only place I’ve ever lived that was such an extreme we couldn’t believe it.

Westchester and Ct, maybe ⅓ of the people are eating during the movie, @JLeslie.

I find eating during the movie to be distracting. When other people are rustling candy wrappers, munching on popcorn, slurping soda, it really gets on my nerves.

One time I remember I was in a crowded theater where most seats were taken. I was one of the first in, and eventually a guy came and sat next to me. He was eating a small thing of popcorn. He was eating it one by one. One by one. One by one. He would every now and then lick all of his fingers one by one. Then he wiped his greasy hand on his shirt. I was sitting there, really contemplating if I would get arrested if I grabbed the bag of popcorn, threw it and said “You’re done now.” Of course I didn’t do it, but it was a thought.

Gosh. I haven’t actually been to a theater in decades, since rentable VHS tapes hit the market. I totally agree that there is no earthly reason to eat at a theater during the 2 hours or so you were there, except as it adds to the treat of going to the movies. I got candy at the movies that I never got otherwise. Not that I wasn’t allowed to, I just didn’t.

@Dutchess_III Oh, that’s interesting. The part about getting candy there that you didn’t get otherwise. I see why that made it even more of a treat.

Yeah it’s kind of a habit that carries on today for me. You just get that one candy from that one place. It’s like you only get fugesicles from the ICE CREAM MAN!!!!

About twice a year I have a box of fudgsicles in my freezer. They sell them at the grocery store. Ice cream sandwiches too.

I know that I can get them anywhere. I can get Hot Tamales at any convienience store. The point is, I don’t.
I also only get brownies at local auctions. The ladies make them the day before, put them in ziplock sandwich bags and sell them 2 for .50. I don’t buy them anywhere else or make them at home.

I only get ice cream sandwiches at the lake.

When I was a kid in Harrison NY in Wesrchester County., I got a dollar for the kid matinee (50 cents) , a bag of popcorn (35 cents) and a coke (15 cents).

A few theaters around here have table service for a full meal in the theater.

Food in general has never been a big issue with me. I can survive 2 hours without it as I can at school, at work or at home. It’s all in the mind. I am into intermittent fasting now, which makes sense, and health.

The only recollection I have of a drive in theatre is watching the movie from a nearby clifftop. That was fun, legal but exciting. I wonder if my friend of yore is here and recognizes this.

To me, twizzlers are the quintessential movie junk food. It’s not greasy, crunchy, noisy, or smelly. Perfect movie theater snack

Black is best. ^

Popcorn, of corse.
Jr. Mints, milk duds, and Sweet Tarts.

Jr. Mints. That’s right. I wrote Peppermint Patty, but it’s Jr. Mints for the movies.

I was just thinking that at drive-ins I’m not sure if we ate anything? Seems like it would be really easy to bring your own food. I used to go with my dad, I don’t remember my mom ever going. I only went a few times to the drive-in.

I particularly miss the dancing hot dogs, popcorn and cups of soda at the Drive-in.

Noshing on twinkies.

A package of sausages.

My parents would never buy movie theater foods or candies. They were too expensive.
My Mon packed us sandwiches and cut up carrots.
If I recall we did get ice cream sandwiches one or twice but they made a sticky mess.

Smart mom.

Yep. I still don’t buy popcorn or soda at the theater. It’s expensive, noisy, messy, and a distraction. I’m healthy and well fed so I can “fast” for 90 minutes without difficulty.

I’m seeing a NYS pattern.

I can go a lot more than 2 hours without eating. I regularly go almost 20 hours between meals. This isn’t a question of being hungry or “needing” to eat. It’s a question about association and memories.
Popcorn was a treat I usually only got at the movies. We had it at home once in a while. You put it in a big, heavy pan with some oil, pour in your popcorn and swish it around without stopping until it’s all popped. Then mom put an entire stick of butter on top to melt through. It was delicious!

@Dutchess_III I wasn’t really talking about the 90 minute “fast”. I was talking about the concept of eating in the theater or car. I know for some people those activities are connected and are an enjoyable part of the movie experience. To me they are just a messy distraction.
I’m sure that how my parents looked at it.
The nut does not fall far from the tree.

We didn’t eat in the car either. Only on really long vacation trips. My parents are a mess in general, but for some reason risking food or drink spillage or greasy hands wasn’t something they were ok with. Books and paperwork in the car were ok though. I’m similar about the food part (I don’t have the amount of clutter they did) people get in my car when it’s two years old and say it smells new. I think it’s because I don’t eat in it. I don’t use any perfumes or cleaners inside, just vacuum now and then, and on rare occasion clean the inside of the windows.

We didn’t eat in the car either. Or in the class room. We didn’t get “snacks” outside of our regular meals. If we whined about being hungry Mom said, “Dinner will be ready in an hour. Go play.”
Any more it’s like people are constantly eating. I’ve seen people grocery shopping and eating. Taking a walk and eating. In school, the kids are allowed, even encouraged, to eat in the classroom.

I don’t think my daughter has ever eaten in the classroom, nor have they been allowed and encouraged to eat in the classroom. Only in elementary school, if they had a party, like a birthday party or a holiday party, would they ever eat in the classroom.

Same here. That’s how I grew up and it’s how my kids grew up. Things have changed drastically. The schools literally send people in with food in the middle of the afternoon, a couple hours after lunch, to pass out to the kids even when I’m in the middle of trying to teach something.
They once came in with candy just for me. I politely declined because the kids weren’t offered any.
They eat chips and crap all day long.
They offer them TWO breakfasts!
And this is in all the schools I’ve been teaching in.