It's The Real Thing
This was a really fun weekend for me. I had the opportunity to experience what I consider the "real America". I took Dwight to the Waffle House this Saturday. He was a "Flea House" virgin. Frankye nicknamed it the "flea house" and the name stuck with me. We used to stop there when we traveled because Frankye loved their coffee. They have this specialty of hash browns that you can get many ways. I like the "scattered, smothered(with onions),and covered(topped with melted cheese). You can also get them with ham, peppers, chili, etc. The Waffle House is a real old fashioned diner and the food is really good, even if a little on the sleazy side.
We sat at the counter because there were no open booths. I'm glad we did because it allowed us to watch the cooks and the waitresses do their thing. They call out the orders to the cooks (who don't write anything down)and somehow they know which of the plates of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast grits and waffles belong to their respective tables. We were in awe watching the process. There were two cooks and five waitresses and they hustled. I never saw any of them stop to do nothing.
The grill cook was the only man and appeared to be the youngest one there...probably in his mid to late 20's. The waitresses all looked over 40 and had the appearance of people who have done this kind of work for many years. They were real "old hands" at cranking out the food, snapping at each other at times, and keeping the customer satisfied. It was pretty amazing. They weren't afraid to work.
The clientele was equally interesting. These were "real" people. These weren't the ones who go to Cracker Barrel. This was the real "melting pot" of America where the people were different from each other, yet more alike than different. They were friendly, minded their own business, and waited patiently for their food. I think you could have found a "story" at each table.
Needless to say, Dwight loved it. I'm sure we'll go back. It's a real place, run by real people, who serve real people...and who do it on their feet for hours.
The other things we did was go to a Suns baseball game today. Dwight, Kess and I had great seats over the 3rd baseline. The field was beautiful, the weather perfect, and the hot dogs tasted like they never do at home. Unfortunately, the Suns lost but for those of us who attended, we came away winners anyway. Between the National Anthem, the "zooperstars" entertainers (who were terrific and hilarious) and the kids (hundreds of them) running the bases after the game, it was so obviously "real" America.
America...with all its faults and difficulties, is still the "real thing". It was good to see that the real America still exists and I'm proud to be a part of the greatest country in the world.
We sat at the counter because there were no open booths. I'm glad we did because it allowed us to watch the cooks and the waitresses do their thing. They call out the orders to the cooks (who don't write anything down)and somehow they know which of the plates of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, toast grits and waffles belong to their respective tables. We were in awe watching the process. There were two cooks and five waitresses and they hustled. I never saw any of them stop to do nothing.
The grill cook was the only man and appeared to be the youngest one there...probably in his mid to late 20's. The waitresses all looked over 40 and had the appearance of people who have done this kind of work for many years. They were real "old hands" at cranking out the food, snapping at each other at times, and keeping the customer satisfied. It was pretty amazing. They weren't afraid to work.
The clientele was equally interesting. These were "real" people. These weren't the ones who go to Cracker Barrel. This was the real "melting pot" of America where the people were different from each other, yet more alike than different. They were friendly, minded their own business, and waited patiently for their food. I think you could have found a "story" at each table.
Needless to say, Dwight loved it. I'm sure we'll go back. It's a real place, run by real people, who serve real people...and who do it on their feet for hours.
The other things we did was go to a Suns baseball game today. Dwight, Kess and I had great seats over the 3rd baseline. The field was beautiful, the weather perfect, and the hot dogs tasted like they never do at home. Unfortunately, the Suns lost but for those of us who attended, we came away winners anyway. Between the National Anthem, the "zooperstars" entertainers (who were terrific and hilarious) and the kids (hundreds of them) running the bases after the game, it was so obviously "real" America.
America...with all its faults and difficulties, is still the "real thing". It was good to see that the real America still exists and I'm proud to be a part of the greatest country in the world.
posted by Lori | 5:53 PM
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