[miss marmelstein]

I am in culinary school at the moment and the most inspiring lecture so far (aside from the lousy home ec cooking assignments!) was about the evolution of the fast food industry that went hand in hand with post-WWII American automobile culture. We started with Stouffers to Howard Johnson (who gave Jacques Pepin his start) through all of today’s fast food joints, including McDonalds. What an achievement!

[mad_as_he$$]

We go to the Sonic from time to time just because it is easy, acceptable quality and relatively cheap. I see high schools kids, yard apes with their parents in the minivan and older people there. Rarely see millennials.

[Covenantor]

Interesting... that evolution of the fast food industry.

I can recall that long family trips in the early fifties involved packing lunches in the Scotch cooler

because the diners had such horrible food. Gristle laden burgers, stale bread on the sandwiches, and so on.

The Ho Jo's were attractive because they were all clean, especially the rest rooms, had cheerful staff, decent meals at decent prices, kids menus, and consistent from one restaurant to the next. They also had those kids placemats with drawings, bits of history and simple puzzles to keep kids busy and quiet.