New Jersey diners seem to be mostly owned by Greeks these days. You need a back belt to be able to pick up the menus. How can a restaurant make a living when its menu is 20 pages long.
I remember a diner I used to eat at at the tip of Bayonne. I was working as a Good Humor man and ate there every day. (Bayonne was great for the ice cream business) All summer long I would get a big plate of blueberries in sour cream.
There was a diner that became a teen hangout on Rt 22 in either Springfield or Union. I don't remember the food, but I do remember the very very large neon sign that simulated a huge flame blazing up and down.
When I went on sabbatical in Massachusetts in the 90's, I discovered several pre-war diners that were even funkier than New Jersey. No chrome, and tiny. One was the Owl. It was in Lowell. It was alleged to be frequented by a leader of the "Beat" writers/poets. I can't remember who.
There's a lot of interest in diners as an icon of pop culture. Here's the site for the American Diner Museum: http://www.americandinermuseum.org/site/history.php
As with all these small worlds, the different "experts" and organizations fight over the true definition of a diner. Does it have to have chrome? Can you include chains like White Castle?
Last week I ate at French's Diner in Marlinton, WV. I had a ham on bisquit sandwich. The ham was a bit salty for me (recall I was below the Mason Dixon Line where salty food is part of a way of life.) The bisquit itself was melt in your mouth. The cooks, were wonderful, friendly. While high on the funky scale, the diner didn't look like one, and probably wouldn't meet an afficionado's definition.
Here are some pictures of the owl:
No comments:
Post a Comment