Back in Time for Dinner·Recap

Swing into the rebellious 1960s: Your guide to Episode 3

THURS JUNE 28 at 8/8:30 NT. The third episode of Back in Time for Dinner explores the swinging sixties. This decade has everything: explosions, protests, assassinations, national celebrations, new genres of music, revolutions and flower power.
(Back in Time for Dinner / CBC)

Air date: Thursday June 28 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC | Watch full episode »

The times they are a-changing for the Campus family as they enter the "swinging sixties," with looser attitudes about how to dress, eat and live. Folk icons Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison (Sharon, Lois and Bram) share their memories of coffeehouse counterculture with the teens, and later the family celebrates the Apollo 11 moon landing with an out-of-this-world meal.

Tristan hosts a "consciousness-raising" gathering where she vents her feelings about gender roles, takes on the challenges of an iconic Julia Child recipe and, later, practically burns the house down with her nemesis – the toaster.

As the family celebrates Canada's 100th anniversary, Aaron shares memories associated with his Algonquin First Nations roots. He also learns what it's like to be limited by unfamiliar equipment as he cooks a family meal for the first time since the beginning of the experiment.

Jessica gets some help from Canadian food editor, Elizabeth Baird, to make a celebratory Centennial cake while Robert struggles to endure his new Beatles-inspired hairdo.

All three of the Campus kids dip into tie-dyeing after getting a crash course in coffeehouse counterculture from music icons, Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison of Sharon, Lois and Bram.


What's happening in Canada? An age of change, upheaval and exploration

Canada is undergoing massive social changes, as a new, empowered generation of young people question the existing social order. Québec's Quiet Revolution challenges the Catholic Church's traditional hold over life in the province. The American anti-war movement spreads into Canada, as young Canadians protest their country's support of US foreign policy, and support American draft dodgers heading north. Women and Indigenous people demonstrate for the rights they've long been denied.

Oh, and we're going to space. The space race between the United States and the USSR is heating up — and futurism and space age design creeps into everything, from clothing to furniture to design.

What's happening in the family? The youth are revolting

Women are beginning to question the status quo. After the high pressure housewifery of the 1950s, women want more for themselves and their daughters. They attend in-home "consciousness raising" sessions where they discuss their lives and the rising women's liberation movement.

In the 1950s, teenagers developed their own subculture, but in the 1960s, that becomes a counter culture. Young people begin to question all forms of authority, including parental. Young Canadians cultivate a style that pushes back against a conformist culture: army surplus jackets, tattered jeans, shawls, long hair on men, and pants for women. The rebellion manifests itself in other ways, too. Teens and 20-somethings start to experiment with drugs. They become more sexually open and start to generally question societal norms.

What's happening in the kitchen? New cuisines and new technologies

New, exciting cuisines are making their way into Canadian households. American Chef Julia Child makes her television debut in 1963 on PBS' The French Chef. She turns French cuisine—previously thought of as fancy restaurant food—something you can make at home. Italian food also becomes popular, thanks to a boom in Italian immigration to Canada that started after the Second World War and continues to ramp up in the '60s. Foods like spaghetti quickly go from being exotic to being staples.

The space age influence is felt in the kitchen, too. The high tech non-stick pan becomes part of the kitchen arsenal, making heavy cast-iron skillets obsolete. Instant foods, like mashed potato flakes, also become popular.

Looking ahead. How will the upheaval of the '60s affect the '70s

The second wave of feminism, which starts in the '60s, will become a political force in the decade ahead, affecting everything from government policy to family dynamics. The radical politics of the counterculture will also change the country, as well as provoking a backlash.