This brings back some good and bad memories.
Bad -Canned pear half and mayo or canned peach half and cottage cheese was a staple "salad" of most southern baptist Wednesday night fellowship dinners. Add in some beef tips and rice or baked chicken and rice with a side of green beans and that's what was served in the 50's - 80's. Probably a product of some of the more "interesting" culinary trends that came out post war, and it was a cheap, easy side to serve a lot of people. The 50's produced some odd combinations.
Good - Weekend meals for my grandparents normally were "dinner" at 1 or 2pm and "supper" at 8pm. Dinner was their big meal and supper was usually small and haphazard. Leftover cornbread and buttermilk as mentioned above was a staple for supper and my father would still make cornbread about once a month for no other reason that to put in buttermilk. I don't recall ever doing saltines, but I'm sure it would do the trick.
Good - In spring and summer, slice tomatoes, sliced raw onions, cucumbers in vinegar, and white bread/butter was on the table for every dinner. I'm an onion guy raw or sliced, probably because of that.
Bad - Warm Dr. Pepper and lemon was a big thing. The company promoted it in advertisements and on the backs of the old steel cans. Warm carbonation is no bueno.