What was the greatest thing BEFORE sliced bread?

[oldbrownhat]

I haven't a clue. And prior to July 6, 1928, no one even thought to ask the question.

‘Home of Sliced Bread’: A small Missouri town champions its greatest thing

Home of Sliced Bread website

 

[M1A]

I think that the Earl of Sandwich has a lock on sliced bread.

 

[oldbrownhat]

I think that the Earl of Sandwich has a lock on sliced bread.

Euuuwww.... few things as gross as finding a lock of hair in yer sandwich

He, of course, would have had it sliced by hand by one of the servants.

 

[Onomea]

The salt cellar. Before the salt cellar, people either had to wander around with pockets full of salt, or lug a big hunk of salt with them to every meal and try to chip off an appropriate amount with their knives, axes, mauls, etc., for their meals.

When they were drinking, the request, “pass the salt,” could become a vicious game, with many an unfortunate diner losing digits to a too hasty neighbor...

 

[Laketime]

Spreadable peanut butter

 

[oldbrownhat]

The salt cellar. Before the salt cellar, people either had to wander around with pockets full of salt, or lug a big hunk of salt with them to every meal and try to chip off an appropriate amount with their knives, axes, mauls, etc., for their meals.

When they were drinking, the request, “pass the salt,” could become a vicious game, with many an unfortunate diner losing digits to a too hasty neighbor...

"Is that a hunk of salt under your toga or are you just happy to pay me?" Not quite the old movie quote, but in Roman times salt was often used to pay soldiers' wages (salarium), hence the term, "worth his salt."

 

[chief38]

Respect for one's privacy!

 

[bamabiker]

Toilet paper.

 

[oldbrownhat]

Spreadable peanut butter

Indeed. Before spreadable peanut butter, people had to wander around with pockets full of peanuts and a hammer.

When they were drinking, the request, “pass the peanuts,” could become a vicious game, with many an unfortunate diner getting smashed fingers from a too hasty neighbor.

And after THAT, they had to fumble with slicing the bread...

 

[oldbrownhat]

Toilet paper.

Heh, heh, heh... nice try, but it pre-dated sliced bread! According to Wikipedia:

"The use of paper for hygiene has been recorded in China in the 6th century AD, with specifically manufactured toilet paper being mass-produced in the 14th century. Modern commercial toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a patent for roll-based dispensers being made in 1883..."

Before that, they probably used day-old sliced bread

 

[Doug627]

Just a loaf of bread that you pulled pieces off to eat.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Canned beer . . .

I haven't a clue. And prior to July 6, 1928, no one even thought to ask the question.

‘Home of Sliced Bread’: A small Missouri town champions its greatest thing

Home of Sliced Bread website

 

[ancient-one]

Very sticky stuff

Spreadable peanut butter

When I was growing up peanut butter was much different than now. It came to the grocer in large metal buckets with the oil mostly separated from the peanut butter. The grocer would use a spoon or paddle to try to mix it every time someone bought some and then put it in a cardboard container which would soon bleed through.
Eating a peanut butter sandwich with peanut butter that had not gotten it's share of the oil required a lot of liquid to wash down. The peanut butter sandwich today is much better.

 

[doublesharp]

Night Baseball

 

[ExRanger714]

Smith and Wesson?
The US of A?
Printing press?
Iron tools?
Stone tools?
Fire?
Opposable thumbs?
Gender diversity?
Multi-cellular organisms?

 

[snubbyfan]

Hand rolled cigars.
My ancestors were rolling and smoking cigars long before the rest of the world knew what tobacco was.

 

[prplbkrr]

The wheel.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Canned beer . . .

And, after that:

 

[Texas Star]

Maybe steel knives?

And you can slice bread with them. I've done that when buying boutique loaves that are cut in the shop only on request.

In a food-drink sense, good wine was nice to have. And canned foods.

And the printing press will get some votes.

 

[mtgianni]

I don't know but the new braided, nanofil and fluorocarbon fishing lines leave sliced bread in the dust.
The fans of presliced packaged bread never had it hot out of the oven.