Diner Love

How many times have you ever sat in a diner by yourself reading a book, or a paper with a cup of coffee? Or how many times have you made the late night, early morning drunken visit to the diner with your friends? Or even meet up for breakfast or brunch to catch up and chat the morning away with those you haven't seen in a while?!

The all-American Diner is a great establishment for many. It serves at the locale for so many different types of needs and occasions. For me, it's the place of comfort...comfort food, comfort company, comfort solitude. I have no problem waking up on a Sunday morning and heading to the diner where I can enjoy my two eggs, over-easy, with home fries, wheat toast and a side of bacon...and keep the coffee coming! All while reading the morning paper and doing some quality people-watching!

I think we all have "our diner" that we go to...that if we really think about it, has seen so many memories of ours. Good times, and bad times. Much laughter and sometimes tears. For myself, when I moved to Queens, it was hard for me to feel that sense of belonging to the diner of the area, but over time, the relationship was forged. Two years later, I think I have even come to take it for granted a little bit, and had a reminder this weekend of what exactly that important relationship between me and my diner means to me.

Yesterday morning, Wangie and I were meeting for breakfast. Since she was coming from Long Island, and I from Queens, we picked a diner that was pretty much in between the two of us. One that we've both been to on a few occasions since she works in that area and I used to go to college in that area. Well, I have never felt so unlike a 'regular' in my life. The service was so unattentive AND rude, we were brought the check without being asked if we needed anything else. And in the end, we were told to leave. We weren't being loud or obnoxious. We were just having breakfast and catching up. Feeling so disgusted and unwelcome, I even toyed with the idea of walking out on the bill, but my nicer side that is obviously looking out for my karma decided against that. So, having exchanged a few, sharp words with our waiter and one of the managers, we got up, paid the bill, left no tip and left.

So, dear diner, I apologize for cheating on you with a lesser and unworthy establishment! Never again will I doubt what you mean to me and all that we've shared! The experience left me feeling dirty and shunned, and let that be a lesson to me!