I got to see a sick friend perk up and feel better after a stop at one of their favorite roadside diners - complete with original 70s era décor and an ambience of continuing after-school employment. This place is classic.
My friend's food choices might not have been what a doctor would have ordered for gastrointestinal distress (it involved chili, cheese and lots of fried items), but the positive affect of the food was undeniable.
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| The kind of place where "all the way" means mustard and ketchup - perhaps to match the bright original décor. |
Or maybe it wasn't the food itself that had the positive affect. Maybe it was the childhood memories of family and friends and high-school escapes that helped my friend feel better.
Either way, there is still a place and a function for the few genuine roadside diners remaining in our landscapes. Adding some checkered tiles and reprinted posters might help a chain restaurant get more customers. But it's the real mom-and-pop ships, with the third generation of kids from the same families doing their stint at the register and fryer, that established that original emotional connection and still give the chain shops their meaning.
These old diners might not have a clever name for every burger variation (it's a hamburger with ???, not an outdated car brand) but the people at the register might know (because they know you) that extra mayo means a LOT of extra mayo, and they know to leave the fries in a little longer because you like them crisp.
I think that's what made my friend feel better, visiting with something unchanging and familiar when they were wondering if they were ever going to feel normal again. Just being in the diner and seeing it so eternal and unchanging confirmed that. yes, things would continue and some things can still be counted on.
BTW, I have no history or emotional connection to this place - I was just there for the food... but my fries were extra crispy, just like I like them.
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