WineLovers Discussion Group

That's the theme of our next Supper Club, "trailer trash". My first reaction was, "COOL!" and my second was, "What in the heck IS trailer trash food?" I need to adhere to the concept while elevating the food at the same time--after all, it must be edible.

Any ideas?

Lol. Look for any recipe that has in its ingredients list: "1 can Cream of (something) Soup", and you're in.

Learned that from my (formerly) trailer trash wife

If all else fails, take whatever you have on hand and top it with spray cheese.

Tom, there goes my step-mother's entire repertoire*.

As for spray can cheese, you're onto something: same idea, with no scary spray, is Cheez Wiz which I was convinced was the basis for a bright orange sauce that a very fine Italian restaurant used to serve with lobster agnolotti. And then there's Tater Tots. I am guessing that the basis of any good trailer trash food is processed/packaged ingredients, right?

I've been looking at pictures on the web. At least half of them feature hot dogs.

This is going to require even more cleverness than traditional high end cooking, I'm starting to realize.

*Though I loved her tamale pie made with canned tamales, I have to admit.

Mac and cheese (the real stuff- with decent cheeses) laced with truffles

Peanut butter and jelly canapes on homemade bread rounds

"Spam"- buy a can of spam, dump the product and clean the can inside and out... stuff it with pate and serve with homemade crackers (placed in a Ritz cracker box, of course)

You get the idea or go for the real thing and add your touches:

Canned beans & hot dogs
Block of Velveeta added to can of no bean chili, serve with chunks of crusty white bread
taco salad with Frito's, ground beef, salsa, cheese and iceberg lettuce

Jenise wrote:And then there's Tater Tots.

TATER TOTS! How the heck did that one not immediately spring to keyboard? Just set out a pile next to a pitcher of Tang or grape soda, and you're golden, baby!

Something my mother called "wiener stew." Cut up hot dogs, potatoes and carrots with liquid (chicken broth) cooked up together.

Hamburg gravy over mashed potatoes with lots of bread and butter.

Either one, substitute and add to?

Some sort of riff on Jell-O?

Roadkill?

Possum stew?
Frito pie?

The possibilities are...uh... limitless.

Mark Lipton

(How about "nachos" that consist of ground beef, sour cream, Cheez Wiz and ketchup with Tabasco?)

Fish sticks!

Jenise wrote:That's the theme of our next Supper Club, "trailer trash". My first reaction was, "COOL!" and my second was, "What in the heck IS trailer trash food?" I need to adhere to the concept while elevating the food at the same time--after all, it must be edible.

I'm not really the most PC guy, but I find the idea of people certainly in the top 10 percentile (if not the "1%") making fun of people in the bottom 10 percentile of income rather "tasteless"=obviously others disagree.

Dale Williams wrote:I'm not really the most PC guy, but I find the idea of people certainly in the top 10 percentile (if not the "1%") making fun of people in the bottom 10 percentile of income rather "tasteless"=obviously others disagree.

I've gone back and forth on this myself, Dale. We've been involved in conversations regarding such meals in the past and there's an element of discomfort for me that comes from the idea that this is denigrating other people in our society. I think, though, that despite the "trailer trash" moniker, the idea is to be creative with a certain type of food rather than to make fun of those we might think are eating it. I don't think my approach to the meal would change if it were called a "junk food" dinner rather than a "trailer trash" dinner.

BTW, Jenise, how about homemade Hostess cupcakes for dessert? Might go nice with Banyuls....

Dale Williams wrote:I'm not really the most PC guy, but I find the idea of people certainly in the top 10 percentile (if not the "1%") making fun of people in the bottom 10 percentile of income rather "tasteless"=obviously others disagree.

A couple things you should know before you judge. All the members of this Supper Club are politically liberal, caring people who go out of their way to help the less fortunate in our community. For instance Linda, a former nurse, works tirelessly to find benefits to help young, poor, knocked up girls bring healthy babies into this world. Me, I fund a scholarship for disadvantaged single mothers in the culinary arts program at our local tech school. And then there's Rich, the host who chose this theme: he grew up bona-fide trailer trash (his word!) in the midwest, and he's not a rich man now by any means. If anyone's making fun, it's Rich and he owns that right. And the rest of us, we're not sitting here with our pinkies in the air making fun of anyone, Dale. It's just food.

Mike Filigenzi wrote:Some sort of riff on Jell-O?

I think I'd have to like Jello more than I do in order to give that "my all". I'm better off at the Tater Tot end of things. But hey, feast your eyes on this recipe: it was the hit dish of a luncheon I was invited to but couldn't attend a few weeks ago, and a clamor for the recipe caused it to land in my inbox. To someone with a white and creamy aversion like me, it doesn't get any scarier.

Subject: Recipe
FROG'S EYE SALAD

1 1/3 cups (8 oz.) Ronzoni Acini di Pepe, uncooked
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/4 cup juice)
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Cook pasta 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain well. In large bowl, beat reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar and pudding two minutes. Gently stir in pasta and remaining ingredients; cover. Refrigerate at least five hours. 12 servings

Tom NJ wrote:

Jenise wrote:And then there's Tater Tots.

TATER TOTS! How the heck did that one not immediately spring to keyboard? Just set out a pile next to a pitcher of Tang or grape soda, and you're golden, baby!

This is it.

Hum...I never thought of it in reference to a class of people but rather, a type of food that is easily and quickly thrown together, from cans, boxes, inexpensive ingredients , that type of thing. In thinking about it, I've known folks who live in mobile homes in mobile home parks.
The ones I have been to in Redding are lovely, well kept, beautiful landscaping and mostly retired folks. I know there is one that borders the Sacramento River that the City would like to get rid of, but I have never been there. I have seen trailer trash places in movies....guess I am rather sheltered.

I agree with Jenise, it is just food they are after, not poking fun at anyone.

Another thing, I do recall a mobile home park flooding a few years back. It seems a creek overflowed, plus it had something to do with an old, and broken sewer system in the park that the creep landlord would never address. Gene and I took some clothing, pet food, cat litter, and canned goods down to the office to help out the folks and I noticed it was really a dumpy place to live. However, I also saw a lot of disabled folks, very poor mothers with children that looked like they had not had a decent meal in a long time. I was horrified. Some of the citizens formed a group, and got the City fathers to go after the landlord and made him update the place for the health, safety and welfare of the residents. Last time we went to take a look, it had improved immensely.

Jenise wrote:

Mike Filigenzi wrote:Some sort of riff on Jell-O?

I think I'd have to like Jello more than I do in order to give that "my all". I'm better off at the Tater Tot end of things. But hey, feast your eyes on this recipe: it was the hit dish of a luncheon I was invited to but couldn't attend a few weeks ago, and a clamor for the recipe caused it to land in my inbox. To someone with a white and creamy aversion like me, it doesn't get any scarier.

Subject: Recipe
FROG'S EYE SALAD

1 1/3 cups (8 oz.) Ronzoni Acini di Pepe, uncooked
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/4 cup juice)
1 3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin orange segments, drained
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup flaked coconut

Cook pasta 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water, drain well. In large bowl, beat reserved pineapple juice, milk, sugar and pudding two minutes. Gently stir in pasta and remaining ingredients; cover. Refrigerate at least five hours. 12 servings

My guess is that this is really good and would go over at your party. Sounds yummy to me!

I just got a new Vitamix blender and I'm itching to blend stuff. Suddenly, I'm thinking of a pureed soup made out of tater tots and Cheez Wiz.

Karen/NoCA wrote:
My guess is that this is really good and would go over at your party. Sounds yummy to me!

It must taste pretty good or all those women wouldn't have gone nuts over it. But I can't make something like that--whipped cream? Marshmallows? Pudding? I am phobic about cold/white/creamy food and pudding-ish textures. Can't make it, can't eat it.

Karen/NoCA wrote:Hum...I never thought of it in reference to a class of people but rather, a type of food that is easily and quickly thrown together, from cans, boxes, inexpensive ingredients , that type of thing.

Then why not say 'elevated junk food'. It seems to me that the word 'trailer trash' pretty unambiguously refers to a specific class of people.

That said, your idea for using a Spam container without the Spam and a Ritz box without the Ritz sounded pretty clever to me.

Then why not say 'elevated junk food'. It seems to me that the word 'trailer trash' pretty unambiguously refers to a specific class of people.

Well, I'm not the one who said it to start with...in fact, I don't think I have ever used that term. Not something I would even think of.

White Trash Cooking by Ernest Matthew Mickler, published by 10 Speed Press 1986 is the perfect reference cook book for this event. From Tutti's Fruited Porkettes to Big Reba's Ice Box Cake with a Cold Collard Sandwich on the side it is a genuine, funny cookbook without condescension. Barbara Kafka said: 'the food goes from awful with lots of 'oleo' to very good. the language is funny throughout"
I have never cooked from the book but have enjoyed reading the recipes and accompanying stories.

I have tried to think of reasons why this would seem like a good or interesting thing to do and I am coming up dry.

Guess I just don't get this one. (need a scratching head icon here)

I recall someone, several years ago (Joe Perry?), mentioning tiny hot dogs (Vienna Sausage?) being served with a Concord grape jelly glaze and toothpicks.