jr conlin's ink stained banana

i agree with Justin (if your today is not his today, go here). i love Mom & Pop shops probably more than is really healthy or affordable to me.

Thing is, i know the reasons that places like WalMart, McDonalds, Starbucks, Baskin & Robbins and all the other mandetory community focal points exist in the world, and i also know why they're all very successful. Each of those places promotes consistency, they homogonize existance in ways that lend five minutes of peace to Mom & Dad on their cross country drive because they know Junior will scarf down a bag of Chicken McGizzards rather than whatever they might have at the Bates Diner and Fishing Supplies.

Me? i'll grab my grub with the grubs.

Mind you, i still consider a McDonalds hamburger, small fry and a sprite to be the ultimate speed feed, and yesterday, after the imposed 24 hour fasting period, it was the first thing i craved, but if i plan on spending more than five minutes in any dining establishment, they're not my locations of choice.

i like going to the more dangerous looking places. The taquaria where the counter is a bunch of card tables in the back, or the sandwich shop with a table full of elderly middle-eastern guys in perpetual heated argument in the back. No, the food isn't always better than what you'd get at Appleby's, and no, none of these places are where you'd bring your first date, but they're still far better than any other factory direct dining establishment.

These aren't folks in the business to make money or to promote the latest Disney pablum, these are folks that honestly believe they've got something pretty good to offer, and they enjoy it.

It breaks my heart when i see a mom & pop close down, i feel even worse when i see them get replaced by a factory food place, mostly because i know it'll probably do ten times the business.

Me? i'll be down at Amato's Cheesesteak, ponying up $13 for a Hogie i have no hope of ever finishing, a side of fries, and a large root beer, thanking my parents for telling me to shut up and try the yukky food.

Mostly because it wasn't that yukky after-all.