A Tiny Bitch

“Live to Eat or Eat to Live”. I think we’ve all heard that phrase. I’m sure I fall into the first category and, I guess like being there, but at times I envy the picky eaters who care little about eating but tolerate it just to stay alive. That first category makes it difficult to stay trim and healthy, while the ones in the other category are the ones we look at and say how the hell do they stay that skinny?

While I’m not quite like Andrew Zimmer on the Travel Channel, I must confess that it’s difficult for me to find foods I won’t taste or foods I dislike. Only one exception, I don’t care for bananas. Can’t stand the texture, but they’re fine in a nice banana bread. My love for so many foods creates a problem for me when going out to eat in restaurants. It’s very difficult to make up my mind. The problem is even worst when we eat at diners, especially those real authentic Greek ones. No one page menu specials for them, oh no, you’re handed a menu book, and if you’re there with a few people almost too heavy for the waitress to carry.

You begin to thumb through the six or seven pages and begin to wonder how the hell can they have all these types of food and keep them fresh. Then to top it all off the waitress comes back in a flash and says “are you ready to order”? Are you kidding, I need the whole damn afternoon to read this thing. For us indiscriminant eaters we are now in trouble. We find so many things that we like in the damn thing, how the hell can we possibly make the right choice. Oh please, please give me a single sheet special sheet and end my frustration.

Such a minor problem in my life that I’m ashamed to write about it, but I can’t enter a blog with out a little bitch, I’d lose my reputation. By the way we stopped in one of these diners last Sunday after the play I wrote about. One of only a few bad diner experiences I’ve ever had. Only one inexperienced waiter who got trapped having to make my coffee, and tried to take the order from a table of six who each asked him questions about every menu item they were interested in. We sat there for a half an hour without ever even giving him our order out of one of those huge menu books. Rarely walk out of restaurants, but gave him two bucks for my coffee and got the hell out of there,

The diner pictured here along Pennsylvania route 209, however, was an exception. One sheet of specials, great service and great food. Once in awhile I get lucky.

Here’s a little diner type recipe from one of my Mother-in-Law’s handwritten notes.

Simple Bread Pudding – Mary Shields

2-1/2 cups stale bread, broken in small pieces (about 4 slices)
1-1/2 cups milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pecans
Cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except butter. Stir to mix well. Pour into buttered loaf pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Serves 4