Dr. Who and TV Dinners

Remember those TV dinners of yesteryear? The ones that were actually in foil containers with foil covers? They came in a box that you would tear open. Next you would carefully peel back a portion of the foil covering – usually over the dessert part. Then you had to wait for what seemed like HOURS while it baked in an actual convection oven – not a microwave.

Mom would pull it out of the oven and take the rest of the foil off while you peered over the edge of the counter to make sure that none of the peas or corn got into the mini apple cake in the middle top compartment.

Remember eying that cake while mom made you eat the Salisbury steak and potatoes? Or the meatloaf? Or the fried chicken? There were no more than two or three bites of cake, but man, you downed that steak and potatoes to be able to have it.

Our mom set up TV trays in the living room. She would carry each TV dinner into the living room and place them in front of us on the trays.

Now, it always seemed to be the 6:00 hour when we’d be eating, so we’d either have to watch the news (which we thought was a TOTAL snooze) or PBS. If we ate early enough, before the news hour, we might get to watch ZOOM or the Electric Company. Most nights, though, it was Dr. Who.

Dr. Who with the big nose and crazy curly hair. Dr. Who with the long coat and striped scarf. With a British accent. With all the answers.

I never could figure out how he could fit an entire ship inside a phone booth.

I never understood how they could cook all those different foods at the same temperature for the same amount of time and have a tasty little meal.

It never occurred to me how we could fit so much fun into TV dinners and Dr. Who.

Thanks, Mom.