Real Men Didn't Eat Quiche in the 70s

They ate granola. And yogurt.

This is a quiche. If you were a “real man” in the 70s and 80s, you wouldn’t eat it.

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Or “eggs are for eggheads,” they said

Okay, before you blast me for my anachronistic assertion about culinary preferences a few decades ago, I am very well aware that the popular book - “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” - was actually published in 1982. That being said, the lead-up to this societal pronouncement was brewing for quite a while, in the preceding years.

Tongue firmly planted in cheek, the author, Bruce Feirstein, explained what was acceptably “masculine” and “feminine” behaviour, according to the era’s prescribed standards.

Quiche was, apparently, a no-no, as was expressing emotions, sensitivity and romance. According to the societal edict of the time, men were to eat lots of meat, participate in “masculine” activities and wear only rugged and “manly” clothing. These proscribed directives were to be followed, no questions asked. That is, if you really were a man of the era.

Now - this book - it was supposed to be satire and some points via humour were supposed to be made. Regardless, it did the job of making one think really hard about that next bite of food, whether or not it was “acceptable,” and if so, by who’s standards?

Remember that old adage “many a truth is said in jest?”

It is, indeed, true.

There was at the time, some simmering truths to some of the firmly-entrenched societal expectations that kicked off the eighties, started in the 70s, and continued on for another couple of decades, or more (depending on whom you ask). The expectations of males and females, of men and women, were very firmly entrenched in the social psyche. And although we all know that gender-fluid, non-binary or pan-sexual folks existed, there were no publicly outward examples that were part of the larger discourse. Therefore, there was a binary: Men were men and women were women, and that was that.

Burt Reynolds exemplified the macho-man archetype from the era - moustache and all. (Bettman Archive)

This hardline regarding one’s life choices - as important as the choice of a career or life partner, and as insignificant as what was on the menu for brunch (quiche if you had a double-x chromosome) - was one that was not to be crossed. You were on one side or the other. Quiche or steak. Choose your side.

A quiche by any other name…

And while we’re on the topic, let’s review a bit of background about this pastry and brunch staple, shall we?

“Quiche Lorraine” is the full name of the French oven-baked dish that is comprised primarily of eggs, cream, bacon or ham. Diversions from the “pure” Gallic construction includes cheese, and lots of it. “Lorraine” is named after the French region where the dish originated, before getting a worldwide stage and, in the 70s and 80s, a bad rap. How quiche became a cultural touchpoint is anyone’s guess, regardless of the popular book that denounced its relevance to men. Perhaps it was the popularity of The Joy of Cooking that was a thing in the 70s; perhaps it was Julia Child’s presence for decades up to the early part of the this era that popularized French cooking to the masses. Whatever it was, it left a lasting impression on a generation that continues to this day.

You were on one side or the other. Quiche or steak. Choose your side.

Julia Child’s mastery of French cooking brought the love of food preparation to the masses

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Changes in culture, changes in food

I clearly remember being a child in the 70s and my mother making the decision to no longer buy white bread. It was going to be whole wheat or whole grain from thereon in. We were to that point consuming white bread regularly, as most families were at that time. I mean, who could resist the draw of the brightly-coloured dots set upon the clean, white plastic background the was Wonderbread packaging back then?

(Fun fact: for those of you of a later generation, did you ever wonder where the term “The Wonder Years” came from? Voila! It was from the popular, though unhealthy, staple of the 70s and earlier)

At some point during this time, there seemed to be a shift; a new awareness that what we put into our bodies was actually of consequence. It finally became evident that despite the guilty pleasures of a grilled “cheese” sandwich, fried in butter - or worse - margarine - made with processed cheese (otherwise known as “edible oil product”), we knew the time had come where changes had to be made. During a period when an increasing concern for health coloured the collective consciousness, the scrutiny of food choices was never more evident.

All this interest in food writ large was not surprisingly tied to the associated expectations of what was consumed, granularly broken down to not only calories and proteins, but to gender as well. Hence, (and perhaps ironically so) in the age of granola, it also became apparent that in order to be a “real man,” you couldn’t eat quiche. Period.

So where are we now?

Some would say in a completely different space, where men and women alike enjoy this egg-based dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. No longer constrained by societal edicts that demand food consumption compliance (even with one’s tongue-in-cheek), ”real” men are making and chowing down on this once-forbidden food item like never before.

Clearly, as a society, we’ve come a long way, baby.