Dieting episode

[Wawwie]

It must really suck being forced to eat whatever is on the menu that particular day. I wonder what the kitchen staff do if one of the girls is a vegetarian. I noticed they were having "mystery meat" for lunch in this episode. Since I'm a vegetarian I'd have to go on a hunger strike if I was only given the choice of "mystery meat."

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

It must really suck being forced to eat whatever is on the menu that particular day. I wonder what the kitchen staff do if one of the girls is a vegetarian. I noticed they were having "mystery meat" for lunch in this episode. Since I'm a vegetarian I'd have to go on a hunger strike if I was only given the choice of "mystery meat."

Great observations!

I think it was rare in 1980 to have many vegetarians. I know at my schools, you could pack a lunch or you could eat whatever the school served. Since we know the girls' Eastland dorm had a kitchen, perhaps they could have brought in a sack lunch from food in the kitchen.

If you had been at Eastland, maybe you could have avoided the mystery meat and instead eaten the cinnamon buns, or "green pepper on bed of lettuce" that Mrs. Garrett was eating.


On a related note, one time in sixth grade, I was eating some green beans in the school lunch, and there was a grasshopper in the green beans!

[FOL-FAN-ITA]

Just look at one of Molly's behind the scenes photos of that episode

Ironic that Mrs. Garrett wanted to lose weight, several months after "Dieting" she returned to Eastland with a new body

['80sSitcoms]

Yeah, I doubt many teens at all were vegeterian in 1980. And back then, their parents probably wouldn't have allowed that anyway.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

On a related note, one time in sixth grade, I was eating some green beans in the school lunch, and there was a grasshopper in the green beans!

"That may be green, but it ain't no bean!"

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by FOL-FAN-ITA

Ironic that Mrs. Garrett wanted to lose weight, several months after "Dieting" she returned to Eastland with a new body

OMG FFI never thought of that!!



WOW, that's right!! It would have been a great little Easter egg of continuity if one of the girls had said, "Remember when you tried dieting last year? Little did you know the inflation diet was just around the corner!" [audience laughter]

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Great observations!

I think it was rare in 1980 to have many vegetarians. I know at my schools, you could pack a lunch or you could eat whatever the school served. Since we know the girls' Eastland dorm had a kitchen, perhaps they could have brought in a sack lunch from food in the kitchen.

I'd be in the kitchen every day making my own lunch. Probably a cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo on toast or an egg salad sandwich or maybe even that green pepper salad that Mrs. Garrett was eating. I just know there is no way I'd be eating any meat. Maybe they had spaghetti with marinara sauce with garlic bread sometimes. That would be good.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

On a related note, one time in sixth grade, I was eating some green beans in the school lunch, and there was a grasshopper in the green beans!

So gross. That reminds me of a few years ago... I was muddling some fresh mint leaves to make a mojito and there was some kind of icky bug in the mint leaves. I'm not even sure what kind of bug it was. It was sort of beige in color and very small. Yuck!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by FOL-FAN-ITA

Just look at one of Molly's behind the scenes photos of that episode

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

I'd be in the kitchen every day making my own lunch. Probably a cheese sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo on toast or an egg salad sandwich or maybe even that green pepper salad that Mrs. Garrett was eating. I just know there is no way I'd be eating any meat. Maybe they had spaghetti with marinara sauce with garlic bread sometimes. That would be good.

Okay, now you are making me hungry!

I have a good friend who is actually vegan, rather than vegetarian. But she lives in the SF Bay Area, where there are plenty of vegan choices in restaurants. Here she would likely die, based on the menu in restaurants.

[opus]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

On a related note, one time in sixth grade, I was eating some green beans in the school lunch, and there was a grasshopper in the green beans!

Wow, fancy. In my school grasshoppers were extra.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Okay, now you are making me hungry!

I have a good friend who is actually vegan, rather than vegetarian. But she lives in the SF Bay Area, where there are plenty of vegan choices in restaurants. Here she would likely die, based on the menu in restaurants.

I would never make it as a vegan. I like dairy way too much, so I'll stick with vegetarian. I doubt vegans were even heard of back in the FOL days.

As for what you said about San Francisco... that part of California is probably loaded with vegans!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by opus

Wow, fancy. In my school grasshoppers were extra.

How extra were they?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

I would never make it as a vegan. I like dairy way too much, so I'll stick with vegetarian. I doubt vegans were even heard of back in the FOL days.

I certainly don't remember hearing about veganism in the 1980s. However, Time says the term dates to 1944. Clearly, it was a small movement for many decades.

As for what you said about San Francisco... that part of California is probably loaded with vegans!

Yes, we went to MANY vegan and vegetarian restaurants.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

As for what you said about San Francisco... that part of California is probably loaded with vegans!

Natalie: "Tootie said Retro said San Francisco is loaded to the eyeballs with vegans!"

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Natalie: "Tootie said Retro said San Francisco is loaded to the eyeballs with vegans!"

Tootie: But this isn't something that should get around.

Sue Ann: Oh, absolutely.

Cindy: Who would we tell?

[80s Dude]

According to the early "Molly's Holiday" script, Molly is a vegetarian in that.

I think Charlotte had Mrs. Garrett trying to lose weight in the first season as motivation for Charlotte to loose weight.