Many of you probably remember the old American movies in which the characters kept coming back and forth to the coffee shops set up in vans and other mobile spaces. They were especially popular for meetings in the evenings. If you pay attention, they are all about the same interior and decoration of the facade and windows. Such eateries also got their common name, Diner. Now they are common throughout North America and beyond.
The first Diner appeared in the United States back in the 19th century, when Walter Scott in 1872 got tired of working in a printing plant and decided to go into the restaurant business. Since rent was already a bit pricey in those days, the enterprising Walter decided not to spend money on rent, and set up his eatery in a horse-drawn caravan. So he drove around the country, trading and cooking in the same van.
The venture proved profitable, and soon there were dozens of such eateries on wheels throughout the Midwest. And in the first decades of the 20th century in every self-respecting town began to open and stationary or semi-stationary Diner snack bars. By the 50’s of the 20th century, they became an integral part of American culture. For the most part these are the same vans, only installed in one good passage place. They have a compartment for a small kitchen, a bar counter, and a dining room that is furnished simply but comfortably. A distinctive feature of the diners was the ability to stay up late, because the eateries did not close until almost midnight, and sometimes even longer.
What is the food at the diner snack bars?
It is commonly believed that American cuisine does not exist at all, but that is not entirely true. Two hundred years ago, many peoples from Europe and Asia began migrating to the New World, and each of them brought with them their national recipes. In the Americas, the recipes underwent some changes, adding ingredients unique to that continent, such as corn, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and others. In addition, old European cuisines were mixed with local Indian dishes, and as a result, a special, authentic North American cuisine emerged, in which dishes appeared quite authentic.
Thus, a typical diner menu looks something like this:
Bread and meat dishes: sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza.
Deep-fried dishes: potatoes, chicken, fish, onions.
Salads of all kinds: meat, vegetables, mixed and even fruit.
Drinks: beer, coffee, milk shakes of all kinds, carbonated water.
Desserts: pancakes, donuts, fruit pies, ice cream.
The distinctive feature of any diner is huge portions by restaurant standards. If you come to the Diner, you can be sure that you will not go hungry. Meals are served on plates rather than plates, and the minimum volume of a drink is half a liter, and liter mugs are also popular. Food, of course, in diners is unlikely to be recognized by all zealots of a healthy lifestyle, but their popularity is not affected. Usually attendance of such place is rather high.
What does the Diner look like outside and inside?
Traditionally, the outside of a Diner is a large van. To organize a diner of this type, usually takes an old railroad car or a large construction shed, or any other movable van of sufficient size. If there is no such a possibility, under the diner can be decorated and stationary room, using a maximum of attributes of the magical institution catering.
Outside diner is decorated very simply – neon signs over the door and neon same thematic figures that will be visible from afar. Appropriately decorated the entrance and windows, and at the exit you get a classic look of a diner.
Inside, the room is divided into three zones: a small kitchen, a bar counter, and a dining room. The kitchen is the backbone of everything. It’s where most of the food is prepared and served by the waiter to the tables. It is small, but it contains all the necessary elements. The bar area also prepares some dishes, but more often visitors can just order there, or have a beer, coffee or a milkshake. The dining room is equipped with upholstered sofas and wide, stable tables. There the visitor can sit for a long time, relax and eat at his pleasure.