Pages

▼

Monday, September 26, 2011

From the Frozen Foods Dept.: I Hate Peas

"I Hate Peas"
Company: American Kitchen
Date: 70's

Photo Courtesy of Jason Liebig
American Kitchen - I Hate Peas - package box - 1970's

Rule #1 of trying to make foods "kid friendly": You can't combine something that kids don't like with something kids do like and think they won't notice. Kids are way to smart for that and won't put up with it. Riots have been started because of it. Nations have fallen. Products have failed. And this is a prime example.
American Kitchen came up with the idea to take something Kids love (French Fries) and combine them with something kids hate (in this case, peas). They mixed them both up and formed French Fry shaped sticks that I'm assuming tasted as bad as they looked.
Coming along with I Hate Peas for the great Fail Tour of the 70's was "I Hate Corn", "I Hate Broccoli", "I Hate Spinach", and "I Hate Carrots", which fittingly, were all hated by kids. These products only lasted a short time before they disappeared from stores, as kids decided they'd rather eat real peas and not be insulted by this trainwreck of a side dish.

Anyone remember eating these as a kid? Share your stories with us, because we want to know what the hell American Kitchen was thinking too.
at

14 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 20, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    I just included an article in a weekly financial blogger roundup about 10 grocery items that flopped. The blogger missed this item, which I recall from my childhood. I found this site and gave it a mention in that roundup.
    http://www.joetaxpayer.com/an-i-hate-peas-roundup

    (I linked, and gave credit for the image, fyi)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Roadboss61December 25, 2013 at 1:11 PM

    Thank you for this site as it has brought back many memories. Who in our time would have thought to save a carton (container) or take a picture of the packaging of the foods we ate foods we ate. I have for years told people about the I hate peas fries as well as the other veggie infused French fry products I tried as a youth. All thought I was crazy or making the story up. I can now direct them to this blog site to see for themselves. Again thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownFebruary 13, 2020 at 7:33 AM

      You are right. No one I ever mentioned these to remember them. Thanks for proving I’m not crazy

      Delete
  3. UnknownMarch 23, 2014 at 1:09 PM

    I've never tried them, but for some sad reason, I remember the commercial and the jingle the kids sang! Talk about an ear worm!! "I hate arithmatic and abc's, I hate washing my elbows and my knees, I hate saying thank you and please, but more than anything, I HATE PEAS!!" I guess there's something to be said about good advertising!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VictoriaMay 17, 2019 at 10:11 PM

      Beat me to it by five years. I also remember the jingle from the commercial, although I never ate the stuff, having been too old.

      Delete
  4. UnknownMarch 31, 2014 at 3:29 PM

    I could eat a TRUCK load of cafeteria "veggie sticks" right now....sort of the same principal I guess. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. John MallonSeptember 28, 2014 at 1:13 AM

    I have been called crazy by friends and family for years over this product.
    I knew they existed and they really sucked!

    ReplyDelete
  6. buttercookieFebruary 24, 2015 at 8:43 PM

    I remember I Hate Peas, but not the other varieties. I was very young, but I think I actually liked them because they tasted more like French fries than peas. And to this day, I still hate peas!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Brad M.July 9, 2015 at 10:27 PM

    We had the I Hate Peas and I Hate Carrots. I ate them for a while, but when I actually noticed that the inside of the I Hate Peas "french fry" was actually GREEN, I wouldn't touch them anymore. Ironically, it wasn't too long before I started liking real peas ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownDecember 13, 2019 at 6:59 PM

      I do remember these. I actually liked them more than canned vegetables. I remember these fries, especially the I Hate Peas, having a very dry taste though (not crispy on the outside and moist on the inside like you’d expect from a good french fry). I’m pretty sure my mom baked them in the oven. We tried several versions (I Hate Carrots, etc). I liked that you could put ketchup on them which certainly made them taste better than canned veggies. I remember asking my mom to buy more, but she couldn’t find them in the store anymore.

      Delete
  8. MrszonieMarch 21, 2016 at 1:16 PM

    I even remember the jingle!

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousSeptember 1, 2018 at 9:21 PM

    I apparently loved these as a kid! I don't remember it (perhaps because I was young enough to fall for the ruse)... but my mom said it was an amazing way to get me to eat my veggies.

    I do have to wonder, though, how nutritious they actually were. Too bad 70's packaging didn't have nutrition information....

    ReplyDelete
  10. dredlayfokNovember 10, 2018 at 5:58 AM

    Whereas, buying them frozen and then defrosting when you want the fruit/vegetable can actually retain more nutrients.

    First for Frozen

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownFebruary 8, 2020 at 8:57 PM

    I was just asking my wife if she remembers this product and if she had them. My mother bought them and I liked them lol. Thanks for putting this up.

    ReplyDelete