Lost in the Mayhem

 A Few of Those Things We’re Missing ... 

Remember the original Herbal Essence shampoo, the one that smelled like Mother Nature? You can’t find it anymore. It’s been replaced with what seems like dozens of other types and smells and additives. 

Remember Ding Dongs wrapped in foil? Long gone. When This American Life podcasts were more slice-of-life stories and less politics and investigative news? Do you remember when you could tell a Chevy from a Ford from a Volkswagen and car colors weren’t mostly gray and black and white? 

Yeah, we do, too. 

We know the world is constantly changing and the products and media and foods we consume are following suit. But we can’t help missing some of those things we loved that got lost in the change ups. 

Here’s a few of those things we think the mayhem took. Let us know what you are missing.

Cursing Villainous Attempts to Kill Off Manual Transmissions
by Mary Kay Roth

My sweaty hands are slipping off the steering wheel in one of my most vivid teenage memories, understandable to anyone who has ever learned how to drive a stick shift.  Stopped at a red traffic light on the incline at 27^th and Van Dorn, I panic as my dad sits in the passenger seat attempting to guide me through a smooth launch.

We fail.

Stomping on the accelerator, I peel out – the car lurches forward – and I paint a loud line of burnt rubber while quietly pledging a plague on manual transmissions.   

It is a pledge I will heartily renounce.

 After all, anyone can drive a dull automatic. Give me a stick shift and a five-speed any day. Give me that gloriously perfect rhythm of clutch – and pedal to the medal. 

Alas and alack, several months ago someone totaled my beloved Honda Fit and when I went looking for another manual transmission – like every car I’ve owned – dealerships laughed. 

Apparently, the manual is not immortal. When I was learning to drive, stick shifts accounted for more than half of car sales – today they tally up to a scant 2 percent. Car makers, those scoundrels, I curse them all. They’re trying to kill off the very best way to drive an automobile.  

Miracle of miracles, thanks to an intrepid Subaru dealer – I did eventually find a 2019 manual Impreza with five-speed transmission, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, 152 horsepower.

Hail the mighty stick shift, you’re not dead yet. Get out of my way, folks, I’m still laying rubber. 

Missing this Scent 
by JoAnne Young 

Scents have a remarkable effect on our emotions, moods and memories. For some of us, the scent of lavender or citrus or flowers soothes our moods or energizes, and puts us on a good path for the rest of our day or night. 

I used to love to step into the shower and spot that bottle of Black Currant Vanilla Body Wash. It would
without a doubt heighten my mood, calm and comfort me at the same time. The vanilla had a smoky/musky aroma, and the fruity, woody scent of black currant emboldened it. The warm shower mist would send the fragrance throughout the bathroom and down the hall, making the entire house smell wonderful. 

Sorry to say it was discontinued from Bath and Body Works’ aromatherapy products, and I miss it terribly. I found it on Amazon, but now it’s out of my price range, going from about $17 for a 6.5-ounce bottle to $124. I guess I will just continue to miss it. 

These Shoes
by Mary Reiman

These shoes. These shoes that fit my feet perfectly...and make me smile. This particular style of this particular brand that I’ve been wearing for years and years and years. How could they suddenly stop making these shoes? I need them. I purchase them every year. Actually, two pairs each year. Whatever colors are in stock. Some say there are others that will fit just as well. That’s not true. Over the years, I have tried on (and purchased) many brands, many styles, many less expensive. No, no, no there are no others that love and shelter my feet like these do.

What will I do? My favorite shoe store recommended I check online. So of course, I googled it. Alas, two pairs were still available in my size. Yes, I purchased them immediately. I now have one more year before facing the anxiety of shoe shopping.

When they are selling a great pair of shoes that make feet so happy, why discontinue them?

Saving My Face
by Marilyn Moore                         

Many years ago, probably decades ago, my dermatologist recommended I use Neutrogena Healthy

Defense, a moisturizer and sunscreen.  So I did.  It was easily and reliably available at the drugstores where I routinely shop.  It’s a solid gold name….who doesn’t recognize Neutrogena?  It was easy to use, just apply in the morning, and that’s it for the day.  And it seemed to work.  At least, it prevented sunburn, for which I’m grateful.  And then, it was gone.  No longer on the Neutrogena shelves, nor any other shelves.  Not in my usual drugstores, nor in others where I made a point to look.  In its place were some new products, with the word “retinol” in the label.  But no Healthy Defense.  So, I switched to a house brand of a similar product, a combination moisturizer and sunscreen.  It seemed to work well, also.  And now, it’s no longer available. 

Today, in my drugstore prowl, I found the next iteration, back to Neutrogena.  Its name is Collagen Bank, an SPF moisturizer sunscreen.  I don’t know that I need a bank of collagen…I don’t really know what a collagen bank is.  It promises a collagen-rich glow.  I’m just hopeful it will prevent sunburn, and if it smoothes out those fast-developing wrinkles, that’s a bonus.  Glad to have a Neutrogena product again, though there was only one container on the shelf, so I fear I may be repeating this exercise again in a few months.  

Don't Mess with My Breakfast!
by Penny Costello

I love to go out for breakfast. It's my favorite meal to have someone else cook for me. Way back in the 1970's, when I lived in Boulder, Colorado, my favorite place to go to breakfast was the International House of Pancakes. And my favorite thing to order there was Swedish Crepes. 

The menu described Swedish Crepes as "Four delicate crepes topped with sweet-tart lingonberries and lingonberry butter.” I had never heard of lingonberries before I tried them, but they delivered what for me was the perfect balance of sweet and tartness, and the dish became one of my favorite breakfast treats of all time. No need to add syrup. The combo of the lingonberry compote and lingonberry butter was the perfect balance of sweet-sour-buttery deliciousness. And the lightness of the crepe instead of a bulky buttermilk pancake never made me feel like I might need a nap after breakfast.

My favorite thing to order there was the Smokehouse Combo, which offered two smoked sausages, two eggs, hashbrowns and a short stack of pancakes. I always substituted Swedish Crepes for the short stack, and I never minded the upcharge.

Cut to the 21st century. The International House of Pancakes became IHOP, and an evolutionary force called the COVID-19 Pandemic presented a truly disruptive impact on the restaurant industry. Not all the developments were bad. As a culture that loves it when things are made easier, we have totally embraced curbside take-out service. But the service at many of our favorite restaurants has dropped off due to staffing challenges, COVID-induced shutdowns, and other economic winds that have blown through. Restaurants closed down completely, menu options were reduced in those that stayed open, and the impact is still felt today, in spite of the fact that, in many ways, we've moved beyond the pandemic mindset.

Sadly for me, among the casualties of the pandemic was the removal of Swedish Pancakes from the IHOP menu. I know, in the grand scheme of the losses we incurred, a breakfast item on a menu is not a big deal. And the longer we live, the more we all have to live with the impacts of those winds of change.

As I was thinking about writing about this, I did a Google search asking why IHOP discontinued Swedish Pancakes. And I found I was not alone in my disappointment and grieving tastebuds. On Reddit, someone posted "They killed my Swedish Pancakes. I'm all for change, except when it affects my favorite item."

Another person posted, "Right there with you, man. Swedish Crepes were the reason I went there instead of Denny's."

Another post read, "Why does this keep happening to the things I love?" 

I guess we all feel that pain at one time or another. Whether it's a favorite scent, shoes, face cream, or stick shifts, that pesky old saying keeps holding true. All good things must come to an end. So, I'll endeavor to adjust my attitude, and try to be more open and welcoming to that next new thing that will come along and be my new favorite breakfast surprise. On the bright side, I came across a couple of 'copycat' recipes I can try and see if I can satisfy my cravings. To borrow from another old adage, "Give a woman an IHOP Swedish Pancake, and she'll eat for a day. Teach her how to make her own Swedish Pancakes, and she'll eat for a lifetime." Yeah. Either way, bring it on! 

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