PRgal

I know that they want to address the idea of moms needing to juggle two jobs, but in the real world, most families in the Johnsons' income bracket would likely have some sort of help (at least someone coming in once a week to do the cleaning) - at least in my circle. I also think they could have spent some time addressing the issue by having the kids do some of the work. I mean, there are four of them, right? And it could be funny...

I'm an outsider looking in (Chinese descent) and have only seen the pilot/first episode. Based on what I saw, a lot of it isn't really a "black" or "race" thing, but a socio-economic class thing. Andre grew up poor (from the sounds of it) and has since become upper middle class. This is not that different from my family and many of his peers (my dad grew up in post-WWII Hong Kong and his family shared an apartment with at least two other families/boarders). However, I grew up in a suburban home in Canada where I had a bike, piano lessons, went to camp, Brownies, etc, etc... I went to Chinese school for a bit and was taught my heritage, but my dad's more disadvantaged upbringing was never really touched upon as part of my "heritage." True "heritage" came from folk tales, songs/nursery rhymes (which my parents mixed with western ones - they really tried their best to ensure that I wasn't too "different" once I started school. I also took char siu (Chinese style roast pork) and soy sauce roast chicken sandwiches to school rather than full out "immigrant" food (which, to be honest, doesn't taste good cold, anyway)), language and food. Andre, on the other hand, seems to equate being black with his less advantaged upbringing. It's funny to see these differences of course - without it, you won't have a show. But it's good to note the class situation - and from the older generation's perspective (we too often see the kids' perspectives in movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Bend it like Beckham). ETA: A reply up noted that Italians are seen as "white." Sure, but they are also still "ethnic" and even today, often have their own "identity" that isn't WASP - especially in cities like New York. Same with Jews.

I'm sort of in that 35-65 age range (I turn 35 in a matter of weeks) and I DO NOT like Lenny. Maybe it's because I'm a city girl from Toronto who is a bit of a foodie (and with a somewhat diverse palate), but I find Lenny unpolished and unsophisticated. Food Network already has someone like him - his name is Guy Fieri and he's on ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME. Besides, since Lenny trained in Europe, he's faking his "unsophisticated" vibe. Take that Chelsea Market yogurt spot for example. The cut made it sound like he didn't know what sumac was (rather than being surprised). If Lenny is a trained chef (I heard that he was trained in Europe?), then he should know. Of course, the vast majority of the North American population (or world, even) isn't exactly like me (or my husband). I have a cousin who only tried quinoa for the first time late last year while I've been making quinoa stuffing for my Thanksgiving/Christmas turkey since 2011 (to be fair, she lives in Asia where it might not be as common/readily available).

I'd say that their home's fairly accurate. My parents bought a house in a new development around that time, so our kitchen was a little more modern and everything else a bit newer looking. For example, our fridge resembled theirs, but it was white, rather than yellow (yellow is more 70s). As for houses in general, I recently did an MLS search and noticed that homes in that neighbourhood are twice the inflation. Keep in mind that I live in Toronto, where the average single family home is $600K+.

A neighbour of mine had that. I printed my first Printshop birthday card on her computer. I was probably five (we're looking at 1985ish). She actually kept that computer well into the 80s, and got a DOS machine around late '89. People kept their computers for a very long time back then. My current Mac is from 2012, and we'll likely get a new one in 2015.

Technically, words spoken twice are more colloquial. Nai Nai is more "granny" than "grandmother."

I'm only a little older than you (born September '79, so maybe just a few months). I remember making graphs on an early(ish) home computer (this was in '86) as well. The first program I remember running was "Samples" when my mom bought our first DOS machine. In order to run Samples, we had to go into BASICA, press F3 ("Load"), type in "Samples" and then press F2 to run it. There were ten programs, I think, including one that played music (either Music or Keyboard). We had that computer for YEARS (until some time in the early 90s!!!!!!) and games I played on that machine included Rogue, Jump Joe 2, Math Castle (had to answer math equations to find my way out of a haunted castle (or risk being eaten by a dragon)) and Paratrooper (BTW, a recreation of this game is available on iTunes for $0.99. It's called DOS Paratrooper if you're interested. You can get Rogue, too).

I asked my mom about being in IT back in the day and she told me that in the 1970s, when she first arrived in Canada from Hong Kong, she noticed that the gender balance back in the "old country" was a little bit better (not by much, but still better). She attributed this to the relatively affordable help that middle class families got (and can still get) over there. That way, moms (and you know it's always the moms) don't have to worry about hurrying home to make dinner for the family. The domestic helper will get everything started. I went to school with quite a few people who are from Hong Kong and many have moved back. While one might see Facebook posts asking about daycare here, there, there, it's about getting a referral for a helper. The helpers, mostly foreign women from Southeast Asia (generally the Philippines), are live-in nannies and housekeepers for the families. Someone like Donna, whether 30 years ago or today, wouldn't be as stressed about juggling home and career in places like Hong Kong.

My mom was in IT, but she also didn't work for an IT firm (she worked for a government-controlled operation). She and another woman were pretty much the only women on the team (there might have been another, but I am not sure). She never talked about the lack of women in the industry, only that it didn't seem as bad as how others seem to portray it. She also joked about how she was a "double minority," being Asian AND female. Of course, working in IT for the government is a different ballgame in terms of demographics. I learned A LOT about tech while she was working there (she left when I was 12 because my dad was transferred to another country. She probably could have been C-level had she stayed. Not sure of her title when she resigned, but it was likely along the lines of director).

Maybe someone should change the title....this thread is meant to be a nostalgia thread! :)

For those of us who remember the Speak & Spell, not sure if you've seen the simulator...I think my parents REALLY wanted me in STEM because they got me a Speak & Math before a Speak & Spell.

I'm also going to give it another few episodes. Also, the show being in set in 1983 means we're probably less than a year away from this ad, which will likely get some sort of mention, probably towards the end of the season. These guys SHOULD know something that it's...coming...

Where were YOU during that time period? In 1983? I was 3 1/2, going on 4 and probably a bit of a chatterbox, so I don't remember anything going on in the show. I wonder if they're going to mention something about Cabbage Patch dolls - weren't they THE gift that holiday season? My mom managed to get me a brunette doll named Marcia (Marsha?), but I changed her name to Jennifer (because, you know, half the girls I knew were Jens. It's THE name for my cohort - ha ha). She had a red dress and I still have her somewhere. ETA: I realize that in 1983, most computers had LESS than 640K RAM (wasn't 128K pretty standard back then?), but 640K seems to ring "80s" to me. My family's first PC was 640 KB (though it was not until 1987. Don't remember the make, just that it was DOS).

I'm looking forward to this. My mom worked in IT back during that time period. She wasn't working for an IT company, but for the government, though. I think she'd be interested in seeing this! Note: I remember my mom bringing home "computer paper" for me to use to draw. Looking back, I think they were printouts of something from a spreadsheet - a bunch of numbers printed landscape.

So we are introduced to the future Mr. Jenny in this episode...Oh, and I don't think Mater likes the idea of leftovers, Chummy (even though she doesn't know what Tupperware is).

I missed the first season, so I'm wondering: How did Chummy get her name?

Doesn't Trixie smoke? Or maybe she just seems like that "type."

Taken from a TwoP thread... 21st C Dowager Countess: Do you have plans for the weekend? 21st C Matthew (replies to email on his smartphone and doesn't even look up): What's a weekend?

I've never seen the show before, but managed to catch bits of this episode. Is she really that clueless about Chinese New Year? I would have thought that people would know more than what she did from media. It's not like she's in the middle of nowhere, far, far from a large urban area. I hope she was told to play up her cluelessness.

I hope nothing tragic happens to Sybbie!

Secrets & Lies!

Is the son attending boarding school in the UK (I've been watching on and off)? Kids don't like to be different, so adopting the accent might be a way to fit in.

Re "breast is best": I wasn't actually asking about nursing vs. formula, but the actual phrase, "breast is best." Was that term used in the late 50s/early 60s?

What's really interesting is over on Chopped Canada, almost every female chef who made it to the final round has won and there were women on at least half the shows aired so far.

LOL on the hair thing! Don't think she's the type to copy everything the celebrities are doing. She's the opposite of Trixie.