It is definitely good to be home. It was an INCREDIBLE week and I am looking forward to August. Do not get me wrong, I am ecstatic to be home with my wife and my little girl. Like Eric said on one of the replies on Mr. Garvey’s blog: I get to talk to my wife in person and get to hear about my little girls day.
Any way, on to the business at hand. I think I am going to stick with the topic that I originally decided. Taking a typical diner and applying the information gained from that diner and applying it to the development or re-development to a city. I am trying to understand what it is about a diner that gives people that comfort level to have open discussions and a sense of community. An additional note that I am trying to determine is that if there is a specific layout that diners have that aids in the open discussions, pride, and friendship that is seen in diners. I am curious as to what I am going to find. Maybe something will be obvious, but I want to find something that can be applied to a city.
The reason for wanting to do this is just based on the fact that the city of Cincinnati is a great city, but something is missing from it. The community feeling is not there. Watching the video that talked about Fountain Square in the middle of downtown Cincinnati and how that was one of the best plazas to be around, makes me wonder as to how we managed to do that right but the rest of the city has completely fallen apart.
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7 comments:
Chad,
I was going to mention this to you all week (well, after I heard your topic), but I kept forgetting. You should check out the Food Network television series called "Feasting on Asphalt." They have run it for 2 seasons, and both are available on DVD through their website (and probably other places). It's a show hosted by network personality Alton Brown, who is an excellent chef, food expert, and generally entertaining dude. He basically packs up his motorcycle and goes on the road for a month, and survives by finding the best places to eat that are NOT chains and are NOT on the major interstates. Often, he finds diners in small towns that say a lot about community and local history. It's an interesting look at food and the fabric of America, and our network of forgotten roads. Could be a good source for you, if you're not already familiar with it.
Another point to keep in the back of your head when you start to explore - certainly in my town there is one diner that has been here since the turn of time - it is filthy, hasn't been renovated in 25+ years (and that was only when it was partially destroyed by a tornado), is in a terrible location, but it is the absolute place to be. The power brokers of the city meet there for lunch all the time and the wait is often unbearably long. But, brother, the hot cheeseburger smothered in artery clogging gravy goodness is to die for. So are these places defined by their menu? Or is it the nostalgia? Or something else? Hurry up and figure it out, let's open some diners and retire rich rich men. Can't wait to read this one.
What Eric has described is exactly some of the content you'll find in the "Feasting on Asphalt" series. Now I'm absolutely convinced that you need to watch it as part of your research!
Chad,
I see the food aspect as Eric and Mike have talked about but I think there has to be more about it. That close proximity to one another, the amount of people together and possibly the fact that it's not a chain resturant. The architecture and interior spaces do not speak of another area and place. I think these are some interesting topics to look into.
Chad,
I have to say Eric's comment cracked me up. Yeah, so once you find the answer to this, let me know because I would like to design and open a restaurant too (like all Chinese people - it's in our genes - j/k) Anyway, I agree with what everyone had mentioned. It could be the menus and it could be the atmosphere or both. I think one of the main reason why people like to go to diners is because it's a casual place to be and also some of them are open late. Maybe, look into the history of how diners were used. In the beginning, diners were where travelers would stop to grab a quick bite to eat or drink a cup of coffee to keep them going until they reach their final destination or to meet someone, maybe an lover.....
Somehow, maybe these examples may leads us to believe why diners have become what they are now.
I think one of the things about the diner (as a general form) is that they're personalized. You don't need to have nametags on the waitresses because you've known them for 17 years, and they have a cup of tea and an apple fritter waiting for you because they recognize your car when you pull up at the curb. I don't "shop" there, and I don't "eat" there, as much as I "belong" there. Remember Cheers? "...where everybody knows your name..."
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