Been there, Done that in the dining halls of America. I have tasted: jellyfish – tasteless rubber; turtle soup and alligator each rated a shrug. We have eaten outside on brightly lit patios and inside cozy rooms so dark we needed a flashlight to see the menu.
One highly praised meal required a drive deep into the forest to a tiny town. Across from a long closed shop with a window filled with gadgets gathering dust and cobwebs, we found the country store which folks promised, “has the best catfish buffet you ever ate.”
The place felt too quiet to be so popular. We wandered around the aisles of canned goods inside the store until we found a plain door. The door opened to a huge, brightly lit, antiseptically white, warehouse of a room. To the right we saw long rows of tables lined with chairs. Our path led directly to the buffet line with waist high stacks of styrofoam cups, plates and bowls beside troughs of plastic knives and forks.
We began filling our plates from heaping piles of fried catfish, fried frog legs, fried chicken and French fries beside sauces, pickles and desserts. Enroute to a table, we passed a big bellied man wearing bib overalls and a T-shirt who carried a fly swatter to smack flies and flick aside. As I nibbled on fried onion rings, I watched a little woman push a large grocery cart lined with a black garbage bag. As customers left cluttered tables she moved in and swooshed all the styrofoam and plastic cutlery into the cart. Nothing like a show with a tasty overload of calories.
No show, at the cute little tea shop inside the tree wrapped house with a white picket fence and wooden porch. Inside embroidered tablecloths and table runners brightened each table. The host looked at my husband and said, “Ahh, we will seat you at the Dad’s table.” We passed the princess and the garden club tables to reach it. The chicken dish I ordered came in an antique glass bowl with a lid shaped like a chicken. The chef had carefully placed my salad and muffin on a painted china plate. Even Hubby’s sandwich arrived on vintage china. No hustle or bustle to watch in any of the tea rooms but plenty of pastel displays of Victorian tea sets..
Recently we attended a conference at a resort resembling a three storied castle with enough wings and dining halls to accommodate hundreds of guests. For dinner we went to a large hall with round tables covered with black linen skirts and white tablecloths. Each place setting included heavy silverware laid on a napkin in front of a filled goblet of iced water.
At the head of the buffet line a similarly covered table held neat stacks of glass plates. We used tongs laid on small plates to serve ourselves from carefully arranged bowls of arugula or mediterranean salads. Place cards described each dish’s contents noting which were gluten free or vegan. I tried mushroom risotto, baked fish, baked chicken and brown rolls. As we finished, waiters in neat black slacks and shirts quietly removed the dishes with no clanging of dishes and walked them away to a discrete table near the wall..
Coffee, tea and dessert followed in the lounge with a scattering of small tables and chairs. I put my choice of miniature desserts and cut fruit on a dessert plate. We could choose paper cups with lids or black stoneware for the hot drinks. As we quietly engaged in conversations I sipped tea, nibbled goodies and found new friends.
Yes. We have been there and done that. Hopefully we will go and discover more in the future.