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Summer Megaparty: Micro Magic French Fries!

It's July! We still have a month of Megapartying to go! Let's start with potatoes.

As a kid, any excuse to use that wonderful thing called a "microwave" was a good one, but even without the thrill of cooking my own food like a superstar, I still would've adored "Micro Magic" fries.


There was a whole line of Micro Magic microwaveable foods available in the '80s, but the fries...there was nothing on the planet like those fries. They were kind of like the fries you'd get on the hot lunch line at school, assuming you took them home in a napkin, chilled them, and nuked them back to the appropriate level of hot, oily fun. After opening the boxes, you zapped 'em right inside the package, which served the dual purpose of making the fries taste something like cardboard and making the cardboard smell something like fries. They were crude, disgusting and absolutely delicious.

I went on a little Internet hunt that took me to the poorly translated webpages of Japan, where the Micro Magic line has evidently lived on for all of these years. I've never had much of an interest in world travel, but for these fries, I think I'd do it. From what I could gather, they're pretty common over there.

I really should credit the blog I found the picture above on, but I totally lost it. Had like fifteen tabs open in Firefox, all in Japanese, and I just got overwhelmed. Sorry, mystery blog. I owe you one.

What are some of the foods you wish you could eat one more time? Answer in the comments!

Posted by Matt on 07/01/2007. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 263 comments

I may have posted on here once or so before…maybe not. But i need to start.

Anyhow, Pepsi Blue was my favorite soda ever. But everyone i know thought it was stupid and gross. I see now that all of my real friends are on the XE blog, and i don’t actually know any of them. That’s both heartwarming and extremely sad.

I was also relating to the wife just how much i miss Magic Middles while we grocery shopped yesterday.

I have a question to ask though, if anyone’s still bothering with this particular topic. Does anyone remember Taco Bell briefly putting out a line of tiny-sized burritos and tacos? They weren’t for kids meals, they were just a regular menu item. It’s completely the opposite of their new strategy, but i kinda miss ‘em just the same.

Chestnuts roasted by Scumdogg @ 07/03/2007 12:28 AM

planters used to make a peanut-shaped, chocolate filled snack a long time ago. not peanut flavored, however. they tasted like koala yummies.

nacho pizza and pumpernickel bread with honey butter at ruby tuesday.

every once in a while i miss the McRib, but then it comes back.

super mario soda.

milky way dark ice cream bars.

this is going to sound disgusting, but hidden valley ranch’s taco and pizza flavored salad dressings were the shit.

saucy susan…it was like american duck sauce.

watermelon laffy taffy…the huge bar with oreo seeds.

Chestnuts roasted by allie @ 07/03/2007 4:00 AM

Wilheim —

Chilito = Chili Cheese Burrito

They still offer it at my local Taco Bell.

Chestnuts roasted by Lemur @ 07/03/2007 12:15 PM

Even though it’s probably still around I miss tv dinner salsbury steak. It was the 80′s and my parents both worked, so a dinner of salsbury steak and homemade mashed potatoes was quick and easy. I begged my mom to make it all the time. She soon figured out how bad it was for us and my dad got sick of it and she hasn’t made it since. I also miss Alphabits which was my favorite cereal and 1-2-3 Jello, which was only made on holidays in our family.

Chestnuts roasted by Alyssa @ 07/03/2007 12:18 PM

I forgot to add: Bill Sunkist candy (Fruit Gems) are still around. My family found them at a Rite-Aid store here in MI. You also can order them from jellybelly.com.

Andrew Mars candy bars are still around here in the US. In fact I just had a Mars Almond the other week. But Mars here are called Milky Way and in the UK they are called Mars. I think they were once called Mars here in the US too, because I remember the package, but I can’t prove it.

Chestnuts roasted by Alyssa @ 07/03/2007 12:49 PM

It’s been covered here before, but Bonkers candy, the old Keebler Twists, and also McDonald’s Peppermint sundaes.

Chestnuts roasted by Metal Misfit @ 07/03/2007 1:08 PM

Dear god I am SOoooooooooooo older than you all.

I want FIZZIES – with cancer causing CYCLAMATES (product of the 60′s). I tried some that came out a few years ago but they just weren’t the same.
This was the Best way to make your own drink – a little alka-seltzer like tablet you dropped into your water and a flavored, slightly carbonated drink appeared like magic! Oh Fizzies, why did you cause cancer in lab rats?

I also want a 7-Up candy bar – it had 7 little chunks that each had a different filling inside, cherry, lemon, coconut, etc.

Oh well, I’m forcing my teen out of bed so we can go to Seattle and see the Kwik-ee Mart. Krusty-oh’s (cue Homer drooling noises)

Chestnuts roasted by Lois @ 07/03/2007 2:54 PM

I actually found New York Seltzer around my house a few weeks back! I hadn’t seen it in like 15 years, I bought a few bottles at a bulk foods store, and it was heaven…

I remember the micro magic shakes fondly, they were like a wendy’s frosty if i remember … The fries were always kinda gross if i remember correctly, but … it was still french fries (kinda like the school fries which never seemed “fried”, just kinda soggy).

I think the hot dogs w/chili in them were frankenweenies or something along those lines… they had a cheese variety too…

And the reese’s flavored corn pops tastes pretty much like the reese’s cereal, just a bit bigger. Still good stuff.

Myself i miss chewels….that gum with the nasty goo in the middle. Also smurfs gum, it was little blue and white candy-coated gum pieces that kinda looked like giant nerds…came in a big ole’ bag.

I also fondly remember the tmnt pies, but more for the collector cards than the taste of the pie itself which was pretty gross.

Chestnuts roasted by djspaceace @ 07/03/2007 5:23 PM

Way late to the thread and not scrolling up to see if it’s been said, but:

Dannon Sprinklins Yogurt. Ohhh how I was addicted to that stuff as a kid. Now all the kid yogurt comes in a tube for reasons I don’t fully understand. It makes me sad.

Chestnuts roasted by jazzy @ 07/03/2007 5:25 PM

Three words -

Dark Chocolate KitKat. I would almost kill for another one of those.

Back in my high school days I worked at Pizza Hut and we had some great pizzas that came and went too fast:

The Edge pizza – thin crust without and an outer crust, sweeter pizza sauce and seasoning on top.

Chicken pizza with white sauce (very short lived and very good).

Also the Double Decker pizza needs to make a comeback.

Chestnuts roasted by Emperor_Zorak @ 07/03/2007 7:44 PM

Boo Berry Cereal! Where did that go??!! Its fantastic!

All my stuff from Maine/East Coast- Moxie soda, Needhams candy, Poland Springs flavored carbonated water, SUNDAES and COFFEE MILK SHAKES AT MCDONALDS!!! Oakhurst milk- mocha flavored especially. Blueberry everything. Sea food. :(

Chestnuts roasted by Crazy_Mainer @ 07/04/2007 12:08 AM

this isnt too long ago … but what about the grasshopper from denny’s?

Chestnuts roasted by erin @ 07/04/2007 11:41 PM

Krispy Kritters cereal.

I’m eating a train for breakfast!

Well kind of.

Chestnuts roasted by Jason @ 07/05/2007 5:42 PM

Burger King’s Mushroom Swiss

Chestnuts roasted by Isaac @ 07/05/2007 11:04 PM

Magic Middles. This article made me think so I wrote Keebler to ask about them and tell them how great they were. Also there was a soda called Rascal that had a white rabbit on the label. These two things were staples of my diet as a kid, and were mandatory purchases for vacations to Cape Cod.

I’m surprised, Micro Magic fries were available relatively recently here; I guess they just fell off the radar. Seemed like they would go well with “Quickmeal” cheeseburgers.

Chestnuts roasted by Red October @ 07/08/2007 8:05 PM

To whoever posted about the red/white/blue popcorn: I used to love that place! (Okay, not so much the Bible Superstore, but the popcorn store was magical) That popcorn place used to make black licorice popcorn that looked like coal. Never tried it but was always intrigued.

Garfield fruit snacks were amazing, tangy, mouth-watering.

Astro pops, Clear Canadian peach soda (the kind in the glass bottle), nacho-cheese Corn Nuts, the OLD
Wheatables (the delicious white cheddar ones that were covered with that powdered cheese stuff and had a picture of Billy Ray Cyrus — maybe? — on the box), Rice Krispies Treats cereal . . .

Those Dinosaur Eggs candies which was the big chocolate egg covered with the white candy shell and had the strange tough gummy dinosaur in the middle.

and the most coveted cereal of my childhood:
Fruity Marshmallow Krispies.

Chestnuts roasted by stamptax @ 07/08/2007 10:31 PM

I too remember the Micro Magic fries… I loved buying those, the microwaveable cheeseburgers and Super Pretzels… ahh the memories.

I did a little research. The company that owns Micro Magic is J.R. Simplot. They also happen to supply McDonalds with 60% of their potato stock.

They happened to find themselves in court owing over $7 million in back taxes (ouch!).

Here’s a PDF of the case with a more detailed info of the company….

http://www.bvappraisers.org/contentdocs/court/Estate_of_Simplot.pdf

Chestnuts roasted by Rob Poole @ 07/09/2007 3:08 AM

God, I would DIE for some Amazin’ Fruit.

Also for Waffle Crisp and a Slush Puppy.

Ooh, that watery icey goodness… there’s only one place left in North Carolina that has them now.

But those tantalizing Amazin’ Fruits…
god.

Chestnuts roasted by Fredrick @ 07/09/2007 5:25 AM

The article on TMNT Pies says it all. Even though I vomited after eating one back in the day.

Also, pretty much every retired cereal.

Chestnuts roasted by Paul @ 07/10/2007 1:50 PM

I definitely agree about Keebler’s Pizzaria Chips, I miss eating them so much. I remember always bringing some to school for lunch. Keebler’s Oboisie’s Chips. Josta soda and Chopper Red soda. I don’t know why they took it out of the 7-11′s. It was great to mix with Pepsi.

Also, on a road trip from Vegas to LA our tire blew out and we had to be towed to a Pepboys somewhere along the 15, there was a little steak sandwich shop behind the Pepboys. It was the best steak sandwich I had ever eaten and only for $3.99. I wish I knew where we were and what the place was called. It only had a walk up window. I miss that steak sandwich.

Chestnuts roasted by Mel @ 07/10/2007 2:56 PM

I’m Canadian, and I can’t get a lot of these things readily, whether they still make them or not, nor do I know what most of them are/were called

-There was this peanut butter and jam/jelly that came together in a jar
-sandwhich cookies that were shaped like knights, castles, dragons and princesses. They were chocolate and vanilla and filled with vanilla creme. They were my most favorite as a child.
-Lots of cereals…cookie crisp, all the Cap’n Crunches except the original, cocoa krispies, Kikx (spelled right?), etc etc etc…
-Strawberry jello pudding (had it but once…)
-Magic Middles
-These really tasty potato chips that came in a cardboard box like a laundry powder container (had them but once while camping across the border)
-Arthur Treacher’s hush puppies
and finally…
-Sour Balls. The kind I used to get as a kid, not the crap ones they have now. I’m talking about tripple coated in sour-goodness, THEN coloured and the dyes soaked into the sour stuff and they were filled with sour powder. They killed my taste buds for a week!

Oh, Emperor_Zorak, I had a dark chocolate Kit-Kat last week. They’re not gone, just hard to find.

Chestnuts roasted by Cutie Kitsune @ 07/11/2007 12:34 PM

I had forgotten about Magic Middles, PB Crisps and Pizzerias, those were all good.

Pudding roll-ups for sure, though when I bring it up to people they look at me like I’m insane. I also miss the old, original recipe Cookie Crisp, which was really amazing, Giggles, Flinstones Push-Ups, fruit wrinkles, pudding pops, the Dole pudding that came in a can (always tasted better), Ecto Cooler juice boxes, Amazing Fruit gummi bears,

I’ve bounced between the US and Canada my whole life. So I’m always missing some treat I can’t get. When I travel or when I’ve moved, it’s always fun to rediscover old favorites and mourn the ones that are discontinued.

In Canada they had this candy called Choclair, it was like a kit kat but covered in dark chocolate with several forms/varieties of chocolate inside…amazing. You still find the label on the candy rack in old school convenience stores, I believe it was a Cadbury candy.

In the US I also miss the Wendy’s Monterey Ranch Chicken sandwich, which was like the McRib in that it only came once in a while…but then it just disappeared. Haven’t heard of one in years in the US or Canada. I also really miss French Bread Pizzas and Rice Crispies Treats cereal – not sure if they were discontinued or just not available in Canada.

Micro Magic I remember lusting after and trying and not liking much.

Chestnuts roasted by Sass @ 07/11/2007 11:49 PM

Wow! I remember those! My brother and I used to eat the fries and burgers all the time!

Chestnuts roasted by Kevin @ 07/16/2007 12:35 PM

By word of mouth, I heard these things caused cancer in lab rats. I only hope not because I ate these things everyday in my youth.

Chestnuts roasted by josh @ 07/16/2007 11:57 PM

someone mentioned granola bar type things with goo in the middle…I remember a product called “incredibites,” I believe they were red packages of bite-sized granola sandwiches that came in three flavors.

Chestnuts roasted by KT @ 07/19/2007 6:38 PM

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