Why do people romanticize diner food?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some diners are better than others. What you describe sounds horrible to me, but I like good diner food. Both DH and I are from small towns and there is a diner both places that we love to visit when we are there. In his hometown, it's a greek diner with amazing souvlaki and even better pies. In mine, it's a classic "greasy spoon" but they have a homemade green chili sauce that they use in a lot of their dishes that is amazing and just tastes like home to me. I'd recommend either of them to people traveling through these towns and I don't think they'd disappoint -- no rubbery eggs, greasy film, or fake syrup in sight.

If I'm on the road to the sort of places you might go for kid's sports, I default to chain restaurants a lot because you know what you are getting and there's usually a floor to how bad it can be. Like an Applebees in some rust belt town isn't going to be great (most of the food will probably just be heated up), but you are also unlikely to get food poisoning and the bathrooms will probably be reasonably clean.

But if I have a recommendation from a local for an actually *good* diner, I'll definitely go. As others have noted, a lot of it is comfort food that is very filling and when you are on the road, that can be just what you need.

Also meant to mention that I lived in LA for three years in my 20s and there is a large diner culture in LA and a lot of amazing diners. Way better than a lot of what you find on the East coast. Also obviously better Mexican joints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP go get yourself some corned beef hash and a side of hash browns and a fried egg over medium, then mix it all together. Add some hot sauce and a side of sausage patties. Wash it all down with a hot black coffee and then get back to us.

DO, this is my exact order except I sub biscuits and sausage gravy for the sausage if I’m in the South. Amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Was it a NY or NJ diner? It's comfort food. The pancakes are fluffy and the eggs are cheesy. You need to order correctly - you go there for burgers or grilled cheese or a BLT....not a steak dinner.

And the atmosphere is part of it. The 60 year old waitresses who are the right combination of gruff and charming.

Omfg, I want to go to a real diner NOW!! There's no real diner here.

All of this! Another good order is a pork roll sandwich. You won’t find that in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP go get yourself some corned beef hash and a side of hash browns and a fried egg over medium, then mix it all together. Add some hot sauce and a side of sausage patties. Wash it all down with a hot black coffee and then get back to us.

A kitchen sink of the restaurant's aging Sysco slop blended together in a skillet! Yummy!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Yes, thank you for having the courage to share this truth.

If you need an appetite supressant, take a gander at all the pictures people post of their scrapple breakfasts on the google reviews of diners in the greater philly area

I can’t help but laugh when Google and yelp reviews have the nastiest most unappealing photos of food and the reviewer says 5/5 stars excellent food! Lot of rubes just love their slop.

Agree. I don’t get it.

The worst and cheapest ingredients possible: margarine, generic bread, fake syrup, frozen hashbrowns, premade pancake mixes, canned mushrooms, American cheese (white American referred to as swiss), burnt Folgers coffee, plastic packets of cheap jam

You nailed it. Corn syrup jam on the table is the immediate prole tell that you're about to served nasty slop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s better than fast food and quicker when on the road than trying to find fine dining and waiting hours to be seated, served, etc. We usually go with their soup/ dishes of the day and most of the time it hits the right spot: much less greasy than the usually fried / grilled fast food, fast enough, and sometimes unique and actually really good tasting.

How is it better? Busy corporate fast food places have fairly high standards. A random independent diner, who knows. McDonald's or a diner, both are just heating up and deep frying frozen items. Eggs are about the only thing that's fresh at both. Diner soup tastes like canned concentrate.

[Anonymous]

”The fork feels old”

Boo freakin Hoo!

You there’s an old saying…. you’re about as happy as you decide to be. Must suck to be you.

[Anonymous]

I do not know anyone who " romanticizes" diner food OP. The only time I have ever been to a diner was because it was the only place around or open.

[Anonymous]

Going to a Waffle House is one of my favorite things about road trip. Pecan waffles with hashbrowns -- salivating right now just thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going to a Waffle House is one of my favorite things about road trip. Pecan waffles with hashbrowns -- salivating right now just thinking about it.

+1!! I just looked up the closest one and its 27 miles away from me! Sad day.

[Anonymous]

I’m from New England and DC doesn’t do diners right. When I’m back home, the diner food is so different and good. Definitely need to order right. Fluffy pancakes, tuna melts, patty melts, French fries and milkshakes, cream pies.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I have many fond memories of Greek-owned Midwestern diners with my grandmother, or with college friends. Haven’t found a great diner in DC, though Silver Diner is an interesting, healthier spin.

Those cases with the multi-layer cakes that looked so good. And all tasted like sawdust the worst possible cakes. But they had pretty much everything under the sun on the menu. Meatloaf, lo-cal diet plate (tomato with cottage cheese), crepes, eggs, pancakes, club sandwich, patty melt, etc. All was just ok, never amazing, the cakes were terrible.

I never understood those massive menus. How can one place make so many food items?!

They don’t make anything. They heat up and fry Sysco slop.

Maybe at a crappy diner. Good diners make everything in house.

Ok…but 99% of them aren’t “good diners”

Depends where you are. There aren’t any good ones around here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I have many fond memories of Greek-owned Midwestern diners with my grandmother, or with college friends. Haven’t found a great diner in DC, though Silver Diner is an interesting, healthier spin.

Those cases with the multi-layer cakes that looked so good. And all tasted like sawdust the worst possible cakes. But they had pretty much everything under the sun on the menu. Meatloaf, lo-cal diet plate (tomato with cottage cheese), crepes, eggs, pancakes, club sandwich, patty melt, etc. All was just ok, never amazing, the cakes were terrible.

I never understood those massive menus. How can one place make so many food items?!

They don’t make anything. They heat up and fry Sysco slop.

Maybe at a crappy diner. Good diners make everything in house.

Ok…but 99% of them aren’t “good diners”

Depends where you are. There aren’t any good ones around here.

Nope, they are all mostly garbage food. If they weren’t, they would be a “nice” brunch place and not a diner. Even the Greek ones in the Midwest. They might have a couple homemade items, but the rest is the same garbage talked about in this thread, fake syrup and all.

[Anonymous]

Because they CAN be great! Signed, former New Jerseyan.

[Anonymous]

Those of you that say NJ diners are great, could I get some recommendations, especially in Northern Jersey? My brother lives there, and we're up that way a lot.