1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,800 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody get this. Chuck and I will be back 2 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: on tour this January out in the Pacific Northwest. On 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: the twenty fourth of January, we'll be in Seattle at 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: the Paramount Theater and the next day, January twenty fifth, 5 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: will be in Portland, Oregon at our beloved Revolution Hall. 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: You can get tickets on pre sale right now use 7 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: our offer code sysk live or the promoter's offer code 8 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: true West, and then general sale tickets start Friday. We'll 9 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 1: see you guys in January. 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 2: Welcome to Stuff you Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio. 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: Chuck and Jerry's here too, and this is Stuff you 13 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: should Know, the Greasiest of the Greasy Spoons edition. 14 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 2: That's right. May I have a moment at the top 15 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: here to speak to our layoff of last week that 16 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,080 Speaker 2: no one even knows because the Stuff you should listener 17 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 2: were right on time. 18 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,479 Speaker 1: I'll step aside into the wings as the spotlight zero's 19 00:01:04,520 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: in on you. Well. 20 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: First of all, I just wanted to thank everybody. My 21 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 2: my we lost our dog, Charlie. We had to put 22 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 2: our eldest Charlie to sleep last week, and so I 23 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 2: wanted to say thank you to all the people on 24 00:01:17,760 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: Instagram who were so kind, many many hundreds of people 25 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 2: commenting and many many thousands of people parting, and that always, 26 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 2: you know, helps out. But this was a tough one. 27 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 2: You know, we've lost five animals now since stuff you 28 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 2: should know launched, which is remarkable. Don't you think you 29 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 2: have a huge bummer, huge bummer. But Charlie, it was rough. 30 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 2: This was Ruby's first loss, and she insisted on being there, 31 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 2: so we kept her out of school and the vet 32 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: comes out of our house and Ruby was there for 33 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 2: the whole thing and she did you know, it was 34 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,279 Speaker 2: devis but she did great and many many lessons were learned. 35 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:04,440 Speaker 1: Man, that's amazing. 36 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 2: Chuck, Yeah, she did a good job. It was yeah. 37 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 2: I mean they're all very hard always, but I think 38 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 2: maybe being Ruby's first made it a little tougher even 39 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: she had. I think I've been saying it this way, 40 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 2: which is when you have an eight year old, you 41 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 2: hear all different kinds of cries out of your kid, 42 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: and they all have an agenda, usually right like I 43 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 2: didn't get this, or I wanted that, or I'm hungry, 44 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,800 Speaker 2: or I got hurt or whatever, like they all have 45 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 2: like a different sound and a different meaning, but this 46 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 2: one was brand new, and this was a cry of 47 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 2: pure heartbreak and it was awful. So it sounded different 48 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 2: and it was not something I want to hear again 49 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 2: anytime soon. I had no agenda attached to it, and 50 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 2: then I think that's what part of the awfulness was. 51 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: It was just just heartbreak. So it was rough. We 52 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 2: got through it. And I know I told you guys 53 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 2: this personally, but I want like the world to know 54 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: how amazing you and Jerry are for basically just saying 55 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: like this. We record on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two hours 56 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 2: before we were set to record is when we decided 57 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 2: to do it, like we got to do this tomorrow. 58 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 2: So I was clearly not going to record then, and 59 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 2: then we did it Wednesday, and Thursday rolls around and 60 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,200 Speaker 2: I still was in no shape to do it, and 61 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 2: this screwed up our schedule, and you guys were just 62 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 2: really supportive, like family is. So I want everyone to 63 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:41,000 Speaker 2: understand that. 64 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: You got it. Of course we wouldn't be any other 65 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: way because we are family. 66 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 2: I appreciate that. And now we are in phase three. 67 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 2: The decision is phase one, which is awful doing it 68 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 2: is Phase two and now the not thereness is the 69 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 2: extended just sort of muscle memory of all the you know, 70 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 2: the routines that are built into your life with a 71 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 2: pet that all of a sudden you go to do 72 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 2: and it's not happening. So adjusting to that. 73 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,119 Speaker 1: I was holding it okay for phase one and two, 74 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: but you just got me with phase three. 75 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's it's the little things like, oh, Charlie licks 76 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 2: the cats spoon, so when you do the cat's meal, 77 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 2: you go your body still goes to put the spoon down, stuff. 78 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: Like that, and then you just have to look at 79 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: yourself and sob well you do. 80 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 2: That's exactly right. I've been eating a lot of cat food. 81 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: That's gotta make the whole thing that much worse too. 82 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,040 Speaker 2: I have been sick to my stomach, but it's pretty tasty. 83 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: Well on behalf of everybody who knows and loves you, 84 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: or even people who don't like you. I'm very sorry 85 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: that you guys could go through that. That's an awful thing. 86 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: And I can't even make myself get into your shoes. 87 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: I won't do it, So don't I am You. 88 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:56,479 Speaker 2: Can take the mon you can take the month off 89 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 2: one day when when you need to. 90 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't want to talk about that. 91 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 2: Now you don't have to, So okay, well, welcome back. 92 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 2: Now let's talk about diners. 93 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: I think it's good we're easing into diners like it's 94 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: a warm bath, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, because diners, agreed, 95 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: maybe the easiest topic we've ever done in our entire lives. 96 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 1: I cannot think of an easier one, can you. 97 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 2: Well. I mean I think we've had a lot of 98 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: stuff that's easy, all right, Like like any of the 99 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 2: toy episodes stuff like that is all easy. 100 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, yeah, I guess you're right. But this one, 101 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. For some reason, it just struck me 102 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: as easy. It has like a lot of like a 103 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:44,600 Speaker 1: narrative arc. It has overlooked pop culture here there peppering 104 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 1: with it. It's got some neat little just kind of 105 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: pull points bullet points that we can go. I just 106 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:53,239 Speaker 1: like it. It's just easy. And thanks to Olivia for helping 107 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: us with it. 108 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 2: Yeah. Oh, and speaking of Livia, this turned out to 109 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 2: be a great assignment because Livia is sibling in law 110 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 2: runs a diner. Ember is o, Livia's sibling in law, 111 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 2: and they restored not only a diner, but they restored 112 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 2: the Wooster lunch car number seven sixty five man from 113 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 2: all the way back in nineteen thirty nine. And that 114 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 2: will all make sense what that is shortly, Yeah, it'll 115 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 2: be and super impressive. But this is in Moran. It's 116 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:30,040 Speaker 2: the Moran Square Diner in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. And this thing 117 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 2: is awesome and the genuine article, and they serve you know, 118 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 2: like a diner food but updated and not fancy. But 119 00:06:38,320 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 2: you know, it's just sort of a more modern telling, 120 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 2: like there's some vegan options and from local farms, just 121 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 2: sort of elevated diner food. Right, So guys, say hi 122 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 2: to Ember. 123 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, Hey, Ember and the diner. I know we're all 124 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: be eating next time. I'm in Fitchburg. 125 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 2: I know where's Pitchburg. 126 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: I don't know, But what's the name of it? Again? 127 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: Tell everybody so they can. 128 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 2: Go there in the square or for all I know, 129 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: it's the Moran Square Diner. Mrin. 130 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: Okay, that's great. Yeah, thanks to Livia for helping us 131 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: with this one. Thanks to her family members for keeping 132 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: the diner thing going. And really, chuck if you want 133 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: to thank anybody, I feel like we have to thank 134 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: Walter Scott. 135 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 2: Let's do it. 136 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: So Walter Scott. The reason we're thanking him is he 137 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: is a printer for Providence, Rhode Island. And this was 138 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,320 Speaker 1: at the time where people who were in one profession 139 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: could break into completely other professions. It's just what they 140 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: did back then in the. 141 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,080 Speaker 2: Nineteenth century, not like today. 142 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: No, not like today. You like, keep your head down 143 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: and stay in your lane. That's what you do, that's right. 144 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: So Walter Scott decided that there was a whole market 145 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,400 Speaker 1: that was being missed. That there were people who worked 146 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: the late shift and when they were either going into 147 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: or coming off of that shift, the restaurants weren't open. 148 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 1: There was nowhere for them to get food. They didn't 149 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: have cafeterias that were They were totally esked, you know. 150 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: So he said, I'm going to start selling food to 151 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: these people, and the best way to do that is 152 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: to just sell it out of a horse and carriage. 153 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:15,320 Speaker 2: Basically, yeah, which was essentially a food truck. 154 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. 155 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 2: They called him lunch Wagons and he got copped pretty 156 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 2: quick or imitated, I guess, because people, you know, back then, 157 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,880 Speaker 2: ingenuity and starting a new business was all the rage. 158 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 2: So it's a guy named Sam Jones who said, all right, 159 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 2: I'm going to start up my own late night food 160 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,199 Speaker 2: truck wagon. I'm going to name it the Owl. It's 161 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 2: going to be in what's the Mass And. 162 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: Walter Scott was like, oh, I hadn't thought of naming it. 163 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a pretty good name too for a late 164 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 2: night eatery, for sure. And that was imitated and people, 165 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:50,200 Speaker 2: you know, it was a bible business all of a sudden. 166 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:55,960 Speaker 2: Jones expanded his own enterprise in eighteen eighty seven by saying, hey, 167 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 2: let's go ahead and make one of these that actually 168 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 2: has a kitchen and maybe a few spots at a 169 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,440 Speaker 2: counter where you can eat. No servers yet at this point, 170 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 2: it's just like people got their food through a window. 171 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,920 Speaker 2: And then he started adding more and more carts, and 172 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,520 Speaker 2: then he moved to Springfield, added more carts there, and 173 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,320 Speaker 2: it was a legit business at that point. 174 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. So between eighteen seventy two and by eighteen ninety one, 175 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:26,880 Speaker 1: the concept had been born, added upon and then was 176 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: patented in eighteen ninety one by a guy named Charles Palmer, 177 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: and Charles Palmer bought Sam Jones's wooster setup. When Sam 178 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:37,720 Speaker 1: Jones moved to Springfield, and he's the one who patented it. 179 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: He said, I don't know why you didn't do this, 180 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: but I'm going to patent it. And his design was 181 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: extremely simple, but he added a counter, so now there 182 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: was a separation between the kitchen and where you sat 183 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:53,520 Speaker 1: inside the dining area like in the actual diner. He 184 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: added those windows, or at least he patented those windows 185 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: that you handed food to other people who were just 186 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: taking it to go. Just the barest minimum of an idea. 187 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:07,400 Speaker 1: He went and patented it. But it eventually became Diners. 188 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: And what's interesting is the reason it became Diners was 189 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 1: not from like some normal evolution. It was from social 190 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 1: pressures instead that basically took these mobile food trucks and said, hey, 191 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,080 Speaker 1: take the wheels off of those things. Guys. 192 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, Well what happened was, you know, this was 193 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:30,160 Speaker 2: such a viable business model for people opening these And 194 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 2: this is what happens a lot of times with early 195 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 2: sort of innovations is then you innovate around it. So 196 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 2: companies that manufactured like buildings and things and as you'll 197 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,439 Speaker 2: see railroad cars, they saw that people were doing this 198 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 2: in little structures, and they said, well, we're going to 199 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 2: start manufacturing these little food wagons and just selling them 200 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 2: to people, these boxes on wheels with little kitchens. Yeah, 201 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 2: and maybe we'll make them kind of cool looking on 202 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,440 Speaker 2: the outside and paint them so they're sthetically pleasing, and 203 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,440 Speaker 2: we can ship them. We can ship them on trains. 204 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:05,839 Speaker 2: They're small enough at this point where you can put 205 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 2: them on a truck if you need to. And there 206 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 2: were three big builders of these at the time. The 207 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 2: Wooster Lunch Car and Carriage Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company 208 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 2: this is a Massachusetts and then there was one in 209 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 2: New Jersey called the Jerry O. Mahoney Company, and then 210 00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 2: the PJ. Tyranny Company in New York building these sort 211 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 2: of made to order little restaurants that you can just 212 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 2: PLoP down and start working on. 213 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, And like you said, the Marin Square Diner Olivia's 214 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 1: Relatives Diner in Fitchburg, they redid or refurbished a Worcester 215 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,920 Speaker 1: Lunch Car and Carriage Manufacturing Company prefab. 216 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, and number seven sixty five. 217 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, there are some still around, not just from that company, 218 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:49,800 Speaker 1: but it seems like there's a lot of Jerry o' 219 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: mahoney's still around and in operation. Like they built these 220 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 1: things solid. As a matter of fact, one of them, 221 00:11:56,679 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: I think it might have been PJ. Tierney said, if 222 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: there's something wrong with it, or your thing starts coming apart, 223 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: put it back on a train, ship it to us. 224 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:06,679 Speaker 1: We'll tune it up and send it back to you, 225 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: which I mean, and then he was like, nobody's going 226 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 1: to do it, No, exactly, Like I can't imagine anyone 227 00:12:12,720 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: took them up on it. I mean, what a pain 228 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: that would be. But it kind of goes to show 229 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: like they stood behind their caftsmanship and just the fact 230 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: that these things have been around for one hundred years. 231 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: Some of them haven't even been refurbished. Yeah, that you know, 232 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: they did a good job making. I'm I guess, is 233 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: what I'm trying to say. 234 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely. And then kind of what you were talking 235 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 2: about in the early twentieth century, you know, you start 236 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,560 Speaker 2: parking these lunch wagons everywhere, a couple of things are 237 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 2: going to happen. Restaurants nearby are going to say, hey, 238 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 2: wait a minute, what the heck? These people can just 239 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 2: move all over town and serve wherever they want. That's 240 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 2: no good for us, and then people that lived in 241 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 2: these towns and some of them they're like, I don't 242 00:12:53,559 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 2: like these things moving all over the place and parking 243 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 2: on the street. So they just started to park it 244 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 2: where they were and just serve food from one place. 245 00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 2: And in nineteen thirteen, with the Jerry o' mahoney company, 246 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:13,559 Speaker 2: they started producing sort of the same thing, a prefab restaurant, 247 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 2: but this time they were made to just sit there. 248 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:22,120 Speaker 1: Right. They were about twenty six feet long, which is 249 00:13:22,800 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: really specific. 250 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, it was very specific. 251 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: And I think Jerry o' mahoney, I think it was no. 252 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:33,520 Speaker 1: Patrick Tierney was the one who took this idea when 253 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: they started making them stationary, and it was like, let's 254 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: dress these up a little bit. So like if you 255 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:39,600 Speaker 1: look at some of the old ones that are still around, 256 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 1: like they have like handlaid tile, the wood sometimes has 257 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:47,800 Speaker 1: like carvings in it. They're pretty neat. They're very cool 258 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,079 Speaker 1: look and they look super nineteen twenties. Even. I think 259 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,440 Speaker 1: there's one called Casey's. I can't remember where it is. 260 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:54,800 Speaker 1: I think it'll come up later. Where like that. The 261 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,800 Speaker 1: light fixtures are original to it too. But this whole 262 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,360 Speaker 1: thing was like it was a diner that it came 263 00:14:00,400 --> 00:14:03,000 Speaker 1: to you, the diner owner, on a train car and 264 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,080 Speaker 1: then was taken to your location and set up and 265 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: you would hook water up to it and gas up 266 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: to it, bring in your appliances and just open your 267 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,720 Speaker 1: doors and start serving hash browns. 268 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 2: I guess, or at the very least hash. 269 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's how you made your initial money, I think. 270 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 2: So the deal with why they're called diners is very 271 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 2: simple is because they were shipped on these trains. In 272 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,440 Speaker 2: order to fit on the trains, they were shaped like 273 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 2: railroad cars and they essentially were modeled after railroad dining cars. 274 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 2: So they called them diners like the diner car on 275 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 2: a train, and they, you know, were sort of smoothly 276 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 2: curved for aerodynamics, and like you said, Tierney came along 277 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 2: and added some like chrome and this is in the 278 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 2: nineteen thirties when that Art Deco thing was happening. And 279 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 2: so that's why you know the diners, the sort of 280 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 2: the class diner that you think of has that chrome 281 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 2: look and neon and these padded benches and built in 282 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 2: boosts is all modeled after these cool trains, and they're 283 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 2: dining cars at the time. 284 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: If I remember correctly from our Googie episode though that 285 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: streamline modern look, yeah that you think of with the 286 00:15:20,360 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: classic diner that was modeled on the trains of the time. 287 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: I think the trains were actually modeled on ships. I 288 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,680 Speaker 1: think the ships were the ones that originally, oh really 289 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: had that look. Yeah, and then it was taken from 290 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: that for buildings and trains and diners eventually. 291 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. And you may have been thinking of Mickey's because 292 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 2: Libya listed Mickey's Diner in Saint Paul, Minnesota is one 293 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 2: of the O Mahoney ones, And just do yourself a 294 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:49,600 Speaker 2: favor and look this thing up at some point if 295 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 2: you're listening, because the Mickeys Diner in Saint Paul is 296 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 2: beautiful and gorgeous and a kind of a perfect quintessential 297 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 2: example of these shipped pre ab restaurants. 298 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: I think I think the one I'm talking about is 299 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: Casey's Diner and Natick Okay, I think that's the one. 300 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:10,680 Speaker 2: You're all gorgeous though. 301 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: They are, and that's the one that still has like 302 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: Handley tile and it looks like the original like light 303 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: fixtures and all that. There's still some pea in the 304 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,400 Speaker 1: toilet from the very first customer, like it is authentic. 305 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 2: Should we take a break? 306 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:25,840 Speaker 1: I think so? 307 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 2: Now, all right, somebody at Casey's needs to instagrab that 308 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 2: toilet and we'll be right back. 309 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: So we have like a oh, we're back by the way, Chuck, 310 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:03,479 Speaker 1: just stuy. I know it's been a minute since we recorded. 311 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:08,840 Speaker 1: But the kind of view that we have of diners 312 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,400 Speaker 1: today is set in time, as we'll see, and it's 313 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: set in a certain period of time. But prior to that, 314 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,280 Speaker 1: there was a pretty different view of diners, and it 315 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:23,040 Speaker 1: was that it was like basically a working man's place 316 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: to get grub, and that very much grew out of 317 00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: where diners originated. They served food grub to working men, 318 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,359 Speaker 1: and you didn't have to basically be particularly genteel or 319 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,399 Speaker 1: mannerly to go to a diner. So diners started to 320 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 1: get reputations as places where, you know, if you're a 321 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,919 Speaker 1: middle class man or a woman of any kind, you 322 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: would probably steer clear of diners. Up until about World 323 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,120 Speaker 1: War two, that's the reputation that they had. Even as 324 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: cool as they looked, you didn't really go there unless 325 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:01,399 Speaker 1: you were like a blue collar dude. Essentially, there were, 326 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 1: of course, people who would kind of break custom and go. 327 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: But for the most part, that's kind of what they 328 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 1: regarded as that kind of place like a Dave and 329 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: Busters today. 330 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:17,919 Speaker 2: Right, you know my beef with Dave and Busters is 331 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 2: when was the last time you went in one? Or 332 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 2: have you ever? 333 00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: Oh? I have, it's been a really long time. 334 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 2: There aren't enough just regular arcade games. I think it's 335 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:31,399 Speaker 2: weird now like they have it. Yeah, they'll have like 336 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:33,719 Speaker 2: a pac Man, but it's on a fifteen foot screen. 337 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 2: They just need an area, you know, a little bit 338 00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:40,280 Speaker 2: for the for our generation who are taking children and 339 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 2: stuff to where you know, dad wants to play a 340 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 2: little galaga and dad can't. 341 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm totally with you, man. 342 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,719 Speaker 2: Anyway, kids love them. They don't know what a galagh is. 343 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 1: No, they're done. 344 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 2: So the menus at this time were not the most expansive. 345 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,280 Speaker 2: I know these days are kind of known like you 346 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 2: go into a good Greek diner and there's like nine 347 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 2: pages of things. You'd get a pot roast, or you 348 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,200 Speaker 2: can get an omelet. But back then it was kind 349 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,920 Speaker 2: of grab and go, or you would eat kind of 350 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:14,800 Speaker 2: quick because you got to get back to your shift, 351 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:16,920 Speaker 2: or if you didn't have to get back to your shift. 352 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,360 Speaker 2: You just ate and kind of hung around and maybe 353 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 2: gambled a little bit or something like that. 354 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: It was like the local diner. Yeah. 355 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,280 Speaker 2: Probably it was like you know what you would imagine, 356 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,360 Speaker 2: like eggs and you know, stuff like that. It's real satisfying, 357 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:33,679 Speaker 2: maybe a sandwich, but pretty limited. They were generally owned 358 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 2: and frequented at the time by second generation, maybe first 359 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:42,640 Speaker 2: generation European immigrants. So you might also find some sort 360 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 2: of local to their place in Europe stuff like you 361 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 2: might find spaghetti or a goulash or something like that, 362 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:51,879 Speaker 2: along with some American style stuff. 363 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: Yeah. So the fact that you can find the best 364 00:19:54,359 --> 00:19:57,919 Speaker 1: bakleva in America at diners is it follows in that 365 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 1: tradition because so many diners are owned by Greek immigrant families. 366 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:03,879 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, should we go ahead and talk about that? 367 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: Yeah? Why not? Because apparently there was a point in time, 368 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: if it's not still going on, where Greek immigrants basically 369 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: ran the show as far as diners went in the 370 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:15,920 Speaker 1: entire United States. 371 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think the Livia found one source that said 372 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 2: ninety percent of diner owners in the US were Greek, 373 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 2: and not only that, they were from the island of 374 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 2: Carpathos or Carpathos. I'm not sure that they pronounced it. 375 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: I'm going with Carpathos Carpathos. 376 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:35,719 Speaker 2: What I say, Pathos Carpathos. 377 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:40,439 Speaker 1: I think that's where Balki came from. Uh. 378 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:44,280 Speaker 2: And there were a couple of waves of these immigrations 379 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,480 Speaker 2: the early twentieth century. They would own coffee shops and 380 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:52,200 Speaker 2: Greek neighborhoods. But the diners that we're thinking of today 381 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:56,480 Speaker 2: happened after an influx of Greek immigrants in nineteen sixty five. 382 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,680 Speaker 2: And like a lot of businesses is sort of where 383 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 2: you might think, like, wait, it seems like a lot 384 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,680 Speaker 2: of people from this country run this kind of business. 385 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 2: It's because they come here, they run it. Their family 386 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:12,160 Speaker 2: works there, and then the son or daughter maybe splinters 387 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,720 Speaker 2: often opens one and some of their family might come 388 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,959 Speaker 2: over and cousins and work there, right, And it's just 389 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 2: it's a family business, and it expands in such a 390 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 2: way where all of a sudden, ninety percent of them 391 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:24,400 Speaker 2: are Greek diners. 392 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 1: Yeah. It also explains that those coffee cups that were 393 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: huge in the late twentieth century in New York that 394 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: were blue with white lettering and kind of like a 395 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 1: classic Greek style because the Greek's owned the diners. It's 396 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: just as simple as that, which I'd know the Broadway 397 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 1: diner that used to be here in Atlanta that was 398 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: definitely owned by Greek people. There's one on not Holcombe Bridge. 399 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,520 Speaker 1: What's the other bridge that's done off of Piedmont that 400 00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:57,040 Speaker 1: Cheshire Bridge. I can't remember the name of that diner, 401 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: but that's owned by Greek people. These are like, I 402 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,160 Speaker 1: know what you mean, quality diners too, by the way, 403 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:04,800 Speaker 1: but I don't think I've been in a diner that 404 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 1: didn't at least show its Greek roots by offering like 405 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:13,000 Speaker 1: baclava or euros or something like that. And maybe even 406 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: my life, I don't think I've been in a diner 407 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,679 Speaker 1: that wasn't a chain, that wasn't owned clearly by a 408 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:22,680 Speaker 1: Greek family. Yeah, so at that ninety percent checks out, 409 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,080 Speaker 1: I guess, is what I'm trying to say. Anecdotally, at 410 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:26,880 Speaker 1: least I agree. 411 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 2: So post World War Two, we kind of brought you 412 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 2: up to World War two and what it was like. 413 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 2: WW two brought all kinds of changes to America, a 414 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,240 Speaker 2: couple of which were really important as far as diners 415 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 2: were concerned. One was people, you know, that was sort 416 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,239 Speaker 2: of an economic boom, so people had a little bit 417 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 2: more money to eat out at restaurants, which wasn't a 418 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 2: huge thing prior to that. And the other thing that 419 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 2: happened was suburbia kind of started happening, which included one, 420 00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:03,320 Speaker 2: families moving to suburbia and two big you know, facilities 421 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 2: and factories and plants in suburbia. But they had their 422 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 2: own cafeterias, right, so their markets were sort of declining 423 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 2: in one way. But at the same time, these middle 424 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 2: class families started coming out and they wanted to eat 425 00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 2: in these diners, and so they made changes to sort 426 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:21,239 Speaker 2: of accommodate for that. 427 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, they were so lucky because their market just bottomed 428 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: out like almost overnight after the war. And the fact 429 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,639 Speaker 1: that they were able to just kind of adapt and 430 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: change their whole jam and be successful again, that's hats 431 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: off to them. But the way that they were able 432 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: to kind of find another market was that those families 433 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:43,760 Speaker 1: that had more money to eat out. And interestingly, I 434 00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:45,920 Speaker 1: hadn't thought about this, but a lot of women entered 435 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: the workforce for the first time in World War two, 436 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:50,320 Speaker 1: and after the war, a lot of them stayed in 437 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:54,320 Speaker 1: the workforce like this. This custom had been broken, and 438 00:23:54,359 --> 00:23:58,199 Speaker 1: there was a new social acceptance of women working. It 439 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 1: was more socially accepted than it was before. And if 440 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,680 Speaker 1: you're working every day, you probably don't want to cook 441 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,560 Speaker 1: every day. So now not only does your family have 442 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:08,879 Speaker 1: the money to go eat out, you have a great 443 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:10,919 Speaker 1: incentive to go eat out if you're the mom too, like, 444 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: let's go eat out somewhere. But you don't want to 445 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: spend all of your money every time you go out. 446 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: So diners kind of moved to the suburbs and said 447 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: to and open their doors, and those families with the 448 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,640 Speaker 1: little extra money and working moms came to eat there. 449 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 2: That's right. And I'm gonna go ahead and stop people 450 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 2: emailing to say, Josh, you missed a great joke opportunity. 451 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:32,280 Speaker 1: Oh what was it? 452 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 2: Well, when you said hats off, you probably should have said, 453 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 2: my fez is off to you? 454 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: Where feeses increase? 455 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 2: Isn't it Greek? 456 00:24:41,160 --> 00:24:47,280 Speaker 1: No, that's Northern African, like Morocca, Moroccan or something or Tunisian. Okay, 457 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: I think you're thinking of Shriners, and there may be 458 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:53,239 Speaker 1: some Greek Shriners. I'm not sure. But in Greece they 459 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:56,720 Speaker 1: wear those little kind of sailors caps, almost like a sailor. 460 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 1: It's a cruss between a newsboy cap and a cap 461 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,200 Speaker 1: captain's cap. Okay, do you know what I'm talking about? 462 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: Look up Greek Greek cap? 463 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 2: Well you know what, I just looked up Fez's Moroccan. 464 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 2: But it's actually ancient Greek in origin. 465 00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:16,200 Speaker 1: That seems like a pretty wild technicality if you. 466 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,880 Speaker 2: Ask me, it is because it is probably not associate 467 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 2: with Greece. 468 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:21,080 Speaker 1: But look right, my Greek cap. You'll know exactly what 469 00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. 470 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,440 Speaker 2: Well, wait, but I bet there's a name for it, right, 471 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 2: the Greek cap. It doesn't have a I don't know, 472 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:31,360 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, like a Greek fisherman's cap. 473 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:34,119 Speaker 1: Yes, exactly, that's exactly what I mean. That's what you 474 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: would find somebody wearing it a diner who worked there. 475 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, a skipper cap or a Breton cap. 476 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:43,119 Speaker 1: Okay, so there you go. So I tip my Breton cap. 477 00:25:44,760 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 2: Where were we? Oh, we were talking about women all 478 00:25:47,040 --> 00:25:48,560 Speaker 2: of a sudden, being like, hey, I don't have to 479 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:50,160 Speaker 2: cook all these meals. That's great, right. 480 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 1: And then the diners moved to the suburbs and found 481 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: like a whole new market. Yeah. 482 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:56,919 Speaker 2: And the other thing that they did to help sort of, 483 00:25:57,200 --> 00:25:58,679 Speaker 2: you know, they kind of cleaned up their act a 484 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,160 Speaker 2: little bit, yeah, and said listen to you guys, maybe 485 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 2: don't gamble. Inside the restaurant, they started all of a 486 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,480 Speaker 2: sudden there were servers, Like they wanted to make it 487 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 2: a more you know, full restaurant kind of experience, so 488 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:15,800 Speaker 2: you don't even have to get up and go get 489 00:26:15,880 --> 00:26:18,160 Speaker 2: the plates of food. Now we're going to have people 490 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 2: serving them to you, yeah, domesticate them. And and teenagers 491 00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 2: all of a sudden it was like, hey, we can 492 00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 2: go hang out of the diner after school, or like 493 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 2: these things are open light at night. If we're up 494 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 2: to no good, we can go buy the diner and 495 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 2: you know and pour a little whiskey into our soda pop. 496 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: So Also, and another thing that domesticated the those diners 497 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: was that those servers were in large part women. The 498 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: new servers that have been brought on board were women, 499 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,439 Speaker 1: and that signaled to families like, hey, this is a 500 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 1: safe place. Like if I'm safe to work here, you're 501 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,359 Speaker 1: safe to eat here. Hun right, you know. 502 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, they were to say, yeah, uh, these were still 503 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 2: prefab restaurants for the most part, even post war, but 504 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,800 Speaker 2: they added more windows, they added like sort of that 505 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,880 Speaker 2: pastel color theme that you see in diners came along then, yes, 506 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 2: sometimes mirrored ceilings, yeah, tile for mica counters. That's that 507 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,040 Speaker 2: nineteen fifties kind of look because they had to all 508 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 2: of a sudden, you know, cars were resuming by in 509 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 2: the road and they had to get people's attention to 510 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,959 Speaker 2: stop and eat. So the diners had to look you know, cooler. 511 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:28,639 Speaker 2: And that's kind of where that Googi thing come in. 512 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 2: You might have a cool Googi sign, so a car 513 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 2: would go, ah, I got to stop there, right. 514 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,040 Speaker 1: So the image that you have of diners, like popular 515 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 1: diners that you see in like a movie like Greece 516 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,879 Speaker 1: or something like that, or Happy Days or whatever that was. 517 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,439 Speaker 1: It solidified to this era, the suburban post World War 518 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:48,200 Speaker 1: two diners. The image that we have of diners is 519 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 1: like the classic thing. 520 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, still mainly in Northeast affair, but starting around the 521 00:27:55,880 --> 00:27:59,679 Speaker 2: fifties and into the sixties is when they tried to 522 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:04,119 Speaker 2: expect and west and South and it didn't go quite 523 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 2: like it did in the Northeast. In the South, I 524 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 2: think people associated diners with the Northeast. 525 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,280 Speaker 1: And the War of Northern Aggression, I think still too. 526 00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,000 Speaker 2: Well sure, and just there was you know, in the 527 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:17,480 Speaker 2: South at the time, there were just a lot of 528 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:19,440 Speaker 2: things where it was like, oh, you know, that's how 529 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 2: the Northerners do it, and we don't do things that way, 530 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,159 Speaker 2: so that we didn't have diners down here like they 531 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 2: did up there. 532 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: No, not in classic style, but diners in everything but 533 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,880 Speaker 1: name were here pretty early on. I think waffle House 534 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: started in nineteen fifty five, and I'm sure there were 535 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:41,600 Speaker 1: diners that, like silver Skillet has to have started before 536 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: the fifties. It is old, the majestic, yes, old. So 537 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: I mean we had things, they just weren't prefab They 538 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: didn't look like trains necessarily, although some did or had 539 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: some qualities like that. They just didn't call them diners 540 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 1: down here because diners were Yankee. 541 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:58,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's pretty much exactly right. 542 00:28:58,920 --> 00:28:59,160 Speaker 1: Right. 543 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 2: Well, we can go ahead and talk about waffle House 544 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 2: because they kind of figure in. In the nineteen fifties, 545 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 2: these new places, these new chains started popping up that 546 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,960 Speaker 2: you know, you may not call it a diner, but 547 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 2: something like Denny's opened in California in nineteen fifty three 548 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 2: originally Danny's Donuts and morphed into Denny's and Denny's and 549 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 2: Ihop which was in nineteen fifty eight, also in the 550 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 2: LA area. They're both essentially diners and even in kind 551 00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:31,720 Speaker 2: of how they look on the inside and the things 552 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 2: they serve and the spirit waffle house is a diner 553 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:39,719 Speaker 2: like kind of full stop. They even I don't think 554 00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 2: they're prefab but like I think opening a waffle house 555 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:47,760 Speaker 2: is like this kit in a box built yeah. 556 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, but they have like all of the 557 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:52,720 Speaker 1: classic trappings of a diner. There's the kitchen area that's 558 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 1: separated by a counter that people sit at. There's servers 559 00:29:56,200 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: that come out from behind the counter to help the 560 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,920 Speaker 1: people in the booths booths or booth seating is like 561 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: actually a diner innovation from way back, and you know, 562 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: there's a door that separates the booths that you come 563 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: in like this is a diner. It's a diying expensive 564 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:14,440 Speaker 1: food exactly, yeah, exactly that can may or may not 565 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 1: give you dysentery. 566 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 2: No, no, no, I love waffle house. 567 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,040 Speaker 1: If house the other day and it was not good. 568 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 2: I did too, And that's the first time I've eaten 569 00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 2: there in years. Where what did you have? 570 00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:27,560 Speaker 1: And where did you go? And why I was on 571 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: in Smyrna. Okay, I went because I hadn't been in 572 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: a while, and I was craving scattered and covered hash browns, okay, 573 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:41,040 Speaker 1: And it was just gross. I don't know if it 574 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 1: was I've changed or this particular waffle house was bad, 575 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,400 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it was a gross experience for 576 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: men like gross. 577 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 2: Well, I'm sorry to hear that, because I think one 578 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:56,560 Speaker 2: thing waffle house is known for is their remarkable consistency 579 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 2: of like the food is kind of exactly the same 580 00:30:58,480 --> 00:30:58,959 Speaker 2: at all of them. 581 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,080 Speaker 1: Okay, sorry, I don't I don't mean the food. The 582 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: food was generally fine. I mean like watching a cook 583 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:06,719 Speaker 1: drop something on the floor and just pick it up 584 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: and use it to stuff like that. Really, there was 585 00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,880 Speaker 1: a seat that had inexplicably had like a trash bag 586 00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: over it and some tape at the counter, like it 587 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,600 Speaker 1: was just a gross scene. It had like all waffle 588 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 1: houses had that just structural grease that has never been cleaned, 589 00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 1: that is holding the place together like glue, And for 590 00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 1: some reason this one was just grosser than the normal 591 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:35,360 Speaker 1: waffle houses grease structure all. 592 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 2: Right, Well, I had a great experience. Actually went to 593 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 2: waffle House with our friend John Hodgman. 594 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:40,920 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, where'd you go? 595 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 2: Well, somehow, and this might chock some people who know 596 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 2: about John, I managed to get him to the camp 597 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 2: and he went camping, yeah, before his Atlanta show. And 598 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 2: then after the camp, on the way back to Atlanta, 599 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 2: we stopped at one in you know, North Georgia. So 600 00:31:59,560 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 2: that's like a more real deal experienced waffle house then 601 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:05,240 Speaker 2: you could probably imagine. 602 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: I think they probably keep theirs cleaner because there are 603 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: very few places to eat out, so they kind of 604 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: take pride in what they got. 605 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:15,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was good. I had an egg sandwich and 606 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 2: some hash Browns and John and I splittle country Ham. 607 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: Oh boy, it was good. You were being bad. 608 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:25,800 Speaker 2: But boy, I used to go there a lot late 609 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 2: night in college. That was the thing. 610 00:32:28,240 --> 00:32:31,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. No, I loved waffle House in high school. I 611 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: always has a place in my heart. I was just 612 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: very disappointed that, well that's why you went there. It's 613 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: entirely possible that I have become more of a germophobe 614 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:40,719 Speaker 1: than I was in high school. 615 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:42,400 Speaker 2: I think you and I should hit one up at 616 00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 2: some point. 617 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:47,360 Speaker 1: But if I'm just sitting there and like, don't touch anything. Well, no, 618 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 1: it's me. You can be the gauge of whether it's 619 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: me or not. 620 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,680 Speaker 2: Just to put a button on this. The very first 621 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,200 Speaker 2: waffle house you mentioned in nineteen fifty five that upened 622 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 2: in Avondale, Estates, which is just a few minutes from 623 00:32:58,040 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 2: where I live, and there is a restored a sort 624 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 2: of original waffle house. I guess it was the original 625 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,280 Speaker 2: waffle house. They have restored as kind of a museum, 626 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,920 Speaker 2: but I don't know if it's ever open. I think 627 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 2: you can do events there, but it's it's never opened, 628 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 2: so I'm not even sure what the deal is. 629 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 1: That's like strange the world of coke having like the 630 00:33:19,440 --> 00:33:23,960 Speaker 1: coke fountains, but nothing comes out of them. So just 631 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: to button this whole thing up about like Denny's and 632 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:29,400 Speaker 1: I hop in waffle House. Yeah, they were diners, but 633 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: they were diners that you knew what you were getting 634 00:33:32,080 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 1: no matter where you were in the country because they 635 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 1: were chains, and they really gave locally owned diners, like 636 00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:43,240 Speaker 1: the real deal diners a run for their money and 637 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,760 Speaker 1: almost squished them out of existence. So too did fast 638 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: food chains that were coming up about the same time, 639 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: Southern California almost killed the diner. Essentially, is what we're 640 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:56,840 Speaker 1: what we're saying by spitting out. I hop Denny's, fast 641 00:33:56,840 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 1: food stuff like McDonald's, and I think Taco Bell. But 642 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:06,960 Speaker 1: thanks to that fifties nostalgia of the seventies, Yeah, like 643 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 1: Greece Happy Days, Shanna. No, yeah, exactly, Shanna. I can't 644 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: think of any other examples, but it was a big 645 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: deal back then. They loved the fifties. In the late seventies, 646 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,600 Speaker 1: it managed to like rescue the diner and basically revive 647 00:34:21,640 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 1: it and keep it alive just enough so that you 648 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 1: could make a living again as a family, a Greek 649 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:32,120 Speaker 1: family apparently owning a diner and just you know, cooking 650 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: great diner food. 651 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:35,759 Speaker 2: Totally. Should we take a break? 652 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 1: I think we should. 653 00:34:37,160 --> 00:35:02,759 Speaker 3: All right, we'll call this the post waffle House break. Shit, 654 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:09,280 Speaker 3: all right. 655 00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:12,319 Speaker 2: Now I can think about is setting waffle house right 656 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 2: in your mind again? 657 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,400 Speaker 1: Well we'll go. It's not like that was its last chance. 658 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:18,200 Speaker 1: I won't be going back to that one again. 659 00:35:18,280 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 2: But Okay, it sounded like you were kind of like, 660 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 2: I don't know, why would I even risk it again? 661 00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: No, No, I think it could be that location. 662 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,320 Speaker 2: Okay, fantastic, that one's dead to you. We should go 663 00:35:29,360 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 2: to the one over near me where Kid Rock got 664 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 2: in a fistfight man that guy. Uh Oh. The other 665 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,399 Speaker 2: thing we didn't mention about waffle House, which is they 666 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,920 Speaker 2: are open twenty four to seven three sixty five and 667 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:48,160 Speaker 2: FEMA actually uses what's called the waffle House Index, wherein 668 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:50,400 Speaker 2: if there's a natural disaster in the area, if the 669 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,719 Speaker 2: waffle house actually is closed, then they will say that 670 00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 2: they were like even the waffle house is closed, which 671 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,120 Speaker 2: means we're in real trouble. 672 00:35:57,200 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, Like things are really bad there because the waffle 673 00:36:00,239 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: does not close. 674 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:04,240 Speaker 2: I had a Thanksgiving there once when I was alone. 675 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 1: How was it? You know? It was. 676 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 2: Fine and kind of fun and kitchy, but then also 677 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:14,640 Speaker 2: a little lonely and sad. Yeah, as you would imagine that. 678 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: But also it's like one of those situations where you 679 00:36:17,719 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: connect with the people that you're surrounded by, strangers that 680 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,319 Speaker 1: you meet ay more than under normal circumstances. That can 681 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: be pretty gratifying in and of itself. 682 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:28,720 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I still keep in touch with with Butch 683 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:32,000 Speaker 2: and Trucky and uh, kid Rock, flim Flam and Kid 684 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:34,440 Speaker 2: Rock and all those people flim flam. 685 00:36:34,520 --> 00:36:36,680 Speaker 1: Huh, what's flimflam about? 686 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,440 Speaker 2: Flim flam? He's he's a brick layer. 687 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,600 Speaker 1: Oh okay, I know that guy. 688 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 2: He's a good guy. 689 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,440 Speaker 1: Did he go to Georgia stated? 690 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:46,359 Speaker 2: He lays a heck of. 691 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:46,839 Speaker 1: A brick too. 692 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 2: I uh so. The the tie between the diner and 693 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:58,960 Speaker 2: just sort of pop culture and politics is one that's 694 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:02,760 Speaker 2: always been around, even back in the very beginning. Lvia 695 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 2: found this article from eighteen ninety six from the Boston 696 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 2: Morning Journal where they talked about it was a place 697 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:14,480 Speaker 2: where the fashional gentleman could rub elbows with the homeless itinerant. 698 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:16,600 Speaker 2: But you know, it was always just sort of like 699 00:37:16,719 --> 00:37:19,719 Speaker 2: this is authentic America where all kinds of people can 700 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:23,360 Speaker 2: get together. And that is why it became a stop 701 00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:26,360 Speaker 2: for many politicians when they were in town to maybe 702 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 2: go to the local diner wherever they were, when they 703 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 2: stopped in a town when they were on the campaign trail. 704 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 2: But certainly some diners have distinguished themselves as you have 705 00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 2: to come here basically if you're campaigning for office. 706 00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:42,360 Speaker 1: It's interesting there's one in particular called the Red Arrow Diner. 707 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,319 Speaker 1: It's in Manchester in New Hampshire and it was Bill 708 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 1: Clinton who put it on the map, at least the 709 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:54,440 Speaker 1: campaign map. He apparently he lost pretty bad in Iowa. 710 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:58,360 Speaker 1: I can't remember Tom Harkin, that's right, was one of 711 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:02,280 Speaker 1: his who Tom Harkin. He was a senator from Iowa. 712 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:05,080 Speaker 1: So he trounced Clinton and everybody else in Iowa at 713 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,880 Speaker 1: the caucus. But Clinton made a huge comeback by getting 714 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 1: really like on the ground and shaking hands and kissing babies. 715 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 1: And one of the ways that he did that was 716 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:16,520 Speaker 1: going to diners. And one of the diners that, for 717 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:19,600 Speaker 1: some reason or another stuck was the Red Arrow Diner. 718 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:23,880 Speaker 1: And it became tradition. Like when you go through New Hampshire, 719 00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:26,359 Speaker 1: if you're running for president in the United States, you 720 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 1: go to the Red Arrow Diner. You have a pressop there, 721 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,800 Speaker 1: you go, meet a few people, you eat some pancakes 722 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 1: or something, and you leave. But you have to do it. 723 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 1: You can't not do it, which is pretty cool. But 724 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,239 Speaker 1: the thing that surprised me is this actually goes a 725 00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:42,759 Speaker 1: little further back than nineteen ninety two is Jimmy Carter, 726 00:38:43,120 --> 00:38:46,680 Speaker 1: who first was like, man, I want to portray that 727 00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:50,040 Speaker 1: I'm going to the people. Where are the people, and 728 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 1: then he thought the diner, specifically the Chat and chew, 729 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: which is the worst name for any restaurant ever in 730 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:59,359 Speaker 1: the history of civilization. I don't know if that's going 731 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:01,719 Speaker 1: to track in Tunnel one to New York. 732 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:05,600 Speaker 2: It should be the chat then chew, right, or the 733 00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:07,480 Speaker 2: chew then chat. Don't do both of the same. 734 00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: Thing, right, or maybe the chew quietly swallow And then 735 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,000 Speaker 1: when you think of something interesting to say, chat. 736 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 2: I like that, knew better. Yeah that's good. Yeah, Jimmy Carter. 737 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 2: It's been a thing ever since then. Diners have always 738 00:39:21,200 --> 00:39:25,439 Speaker 2: popped up in pop culture. There's a few notable instances. 739 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,800 Speaker 2: One of course, is the Edward Hopper painting from nineteen 740 00:39:28,840 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 2: forty two Nighthawks, which is that classic painting of the 741 00:39:32,600 --> 00:39:36,799 Speaker 2: diner on the corner. And you know, all kinds of 742 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,160 Speaker 2: people have been painted into that painting since then. 743 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:42,360 Speaker 1: Yeah. I had that poster the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. 744 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:45,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was at Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. 745 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:49,880 Speaker 1: Yep, and Bogie and Elvis is behind the counter working 746 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:53,000 Speaker 1: for some reason. Now, okay, I don't know why Bogeye 747 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,000 Speaker 1: would be included in that. He was fine, He had 748 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:59,160 Speaker 1: a gratefulfilling, nice life, no broken dreams, not one. From 749 00:39:59,200 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 1: what I understand. 750 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:03,880 Speaker 2: There was the movie Diner, of course, Barry Levinson's movie 751 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:09,080 Speaker 2: from nineteen eighty two. Great movie set around these dudes 752 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:12,680 Speaker 2: in nineteen fifty nine Baltimore and sort of that diner 753 00:40:12,719 --> 00:40:16,360 Speaker 2: culture of hanging out and you know, up to no goodness. 754 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:20,239 Speaker 1: Apparently that that movie in particular, But I think Barry 755 00:40:20,280 --> 00:40:25,240 Speaker 1: Levinson's work in general inspired Quentin Tarantino. His whole banter 756 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: thing that he's so well known for. Apparently it comes 757 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:29,400 Speaker 1: from Barry Levinson had no idea. 758 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:32,440 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Old Tarantino has a lot of 759 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:36,439 Speaker 2: diner stuff. The reservoir Dogs opening scene, yep, I don't 760 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 2: tip that whole classic scene. 761 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 1: A lot of barely scripted banter in all of his. 762 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:44,080 Speaker 2: Movies, yeah, which is heavily scripted. 763 00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:49,760 Speaker 1: So god, that'd be so hard to do well. I mean, yeah, 764 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:53,719 Speaker 1: Breton cap off to the actors in Tarantino movies who 765 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:56,799 Speaker 1: can memorize that stuff and regurgitate it without making it 766 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:58,759 Speaker 1: seem like it's win totally, you know. 767 00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:02,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. The great diner in pulp fiction, of course, is 768 00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 2: the Hawthorne Grill in La which is now an AutoZone. 769 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:10,000 Speaker 1: That's sad. But what about the Marte Cafe in North Bend, Washington, 770 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,040 Speaker 1: which stood in as the Double R Diner. 771 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 2: In Twin Peaks Classic. 772 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: It is a classic diner so much so that you're like, 773 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,279 Speaker 1: that's kind of a creddy diner. Like that's how well 774 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:20,200 Speaker 1: they nailed it. 775 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:24,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, big time. I think they shot the pilot in 776 00:41:24,920 --> 00:41:29,200 Speaker 2: the actual North Bend's location and then they moved to 777 00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:31,280 Speaker 2: a sound stage for a lot of the actual show 778 00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:34,759 Speaker 2: and rebuilt that diner, but then went back to the 779 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,640 Speaker 2: real diner for the movie Firewalk with Me, and I 780 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:43,640 Speaker 2: believe it was partially burned down in two thousand and rebuilt, 781 00:41:43,719 --> 00:41:46,439 Speaker 2: but it didn't look the same. So in twenty seventeen, 782 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:49,520 Speaker 2: when David Lynch came out with the new Twin Peaks, 783 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,400 Speaker 2: they actually paid to restore that diner to its original 784 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:55,800 Speaker 2: appearance so they could film there, which is awesome. 785 00:41:55,880 --> 00:41:59,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, just goes to show you production companies get stuff done. 786 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, like when they rebuilt Avondale Mall near me because 787 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:06,719 Speaker 2: Chuck Norris drove a pickup through it in Invasion USA. 788 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 1: That's amazing. Yeah, there's one called Tom's, Well, Tom's Restaurant 789 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:15,960 Speaker 1: I think it's just called Tom's. It's in Manhattan on Broadway, 790 00:42:16,440 --> 00:42:19,480 Speaker 1: and if you've ever watched Seinfeld, that's what they uses 791 00:42:19,520 --> 00:42:25,320 Speaker 1: the establishing shot for their Monks Coffee Shop, I think right. Yeah, 792 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:29,680 Speaker 1: and the Suzanne Vegas song Tom's Diner is about Tom's 793 00:42:30,280 --> 00:42:34,239 Speaker 1: as well. Oh, Susan Mega, Yeah you remember that song? 794 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:35,240 Speaker 2: Sure? 795 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:38,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to tell us a near worm. 796 00:42:41,480 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 2: Well I will, I will batty you. At the same time, 797 00:42:43,719 --> 00:42:45,799 Speaker 2: we can drive people crazy by me singing my name 798 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:50,160 Speaker 2: is Luca. On top of no, you can't do it, 799 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:54,680 Speaker 2: I will if you want. Okay, you ready, my name 800 00:42:54,800 --> 00:43:01,240 Speaker 2: is Luca. I live on the second floor. It definitely 801 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:02,400 Speaker 2: makes Luca more upbeat. 802 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:05,960 Speaker 1: W Yeah, for sure, it's a it's not supposed to 803 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:06,440 Speaker 1: be upbeat. 804 00:43:06,480 --> 00:43:10,240 Speaker 2: For sure. We can mention cases because you are correct. 805 00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:14,840 Speaker 2: That is in uh Natic or I'm in Massachusetts. How 806 00:43:14,840 --> 00:43:20,600 Speaker 2: you pronounced Natick? Yeah, totally okay, And that's supposedly the 807 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:24,520 Speaker 2: oldest diner in the United States. That's still a thing. 808 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:28,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. It started out as like a lunch wagon, like 809 00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:32,279 Speaker 1: with a horse attached to it from eighteen ninety and 810 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:35,000 Speaker 1: then it became one of those Worcester Lunch Car Company 811 00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:39,040 Speaker 1: models from nineteen twenty two, and I guess they bought 812 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:41,960 Speaker 1: that and replaced the lunch Wagon with it in nineteen 813 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,960 Speaker 1: twenty seven. It's been running ever since then. That's just amazing. 814 00:43:45,719 --> 00:43:49,280 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And we got to shout out New Jersey 815 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,880 Speaker 2: because Jersey and when I lived there, there was a 816 00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,479 Speaker 2: kid from the South who who only knew waffle house. 817 00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:58,880 Speaker 2: Basically all I heard was diner this, and diner that. 818 00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:01,120 Speaker 2: You know, whenever people out, well, let's go to the diner. 819 00:44:01,160 --> 00:44:03,040 Speaker 2: Let's meet at the diner. I was like, what is 820 00:44:03,080 --> 00:44:05,320 Speaker 2: it with you people in diners? Because I didn't know 821 00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:08,560 Speaker 2: about this culture in the Northeast. And New Jersey is 822 00:44:09,160 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 2: I believe, still the leading state for the number of 823 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 2: diners today. 824 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:18,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. If you've ever watched Sopranos, let's set in New 825 00:44:18,200 --> 00:44:20,320 Speaker 1: Jersey and they're in diners like all the time. 826 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, six hundred of the roughly two thousand diners still around, 827 00:44:25,840 --> 00:44:30,400 Speaker 2: as according to Smithsonian Magazine, are in New Jersey. And 828 00:44:30,760 --> 00:44:33,319 Speaker 2: maybe the Jerio Mahoney company being based there had something 829 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:36,640 Speaker 2: to do with that, but they love their diners in Jersey. 830 00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:40,080 Speaker 1: Well, there you go, Jersey. This episode was for you. 831 00:44:41,080 --> 00:44:41,440 Speaker 2: That's right. 832 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:45,399 Speaker 1: Can you get anything else? Nah, I don't either. Since 833 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:48,520 Speaker 1: Chuck said Nan, I said, I don't either. That unlocked 834 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:49,760 Speaker 1: listener mail. 835 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:54,799 Speaker 2: Okay, I'm gonna call this buttons buttons buttons. We heard 836 00:44:54,840 --> 00:44:57,759 Speaker 2: from a lot of people about why buttons are for 837 00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:01,759 Speaker 2: traditionally for a man's garment and a woman's garment on 838 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,840 Speaker 2: different sides. I had heard this, but I forgot Okay, 839 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,240 Speaker 2: so thanks to everyone who emailed in. But we're going 840 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:12,680 Speaker 2: with Sheila from Decatur, Georgia, because Sheila's right down the 841 00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:16,960 Speaker 2: street to as a long time Atlanta and uga Alum. 842 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:19,560 Speaker 2: I love your show, guys, especially when you reference Atlanta 843 00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:23,239 Speaker 2: and Athens go Dogs. Regarding your mention of buttons on 844 00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:27,080 Speaker 2: the opposite side, women's clothes have traditionally been made with 845 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 2: enclosures on the opposite of men's because of upper class 846 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:35,720 Speaker 2: royal women having assistants when getting dressed. Therefore, and people 847 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:39,760 Speaker 2: being traditionally or not traditionally but predominantly right handed. Therefore, 848 00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:41,600 Speaker 2: the buttons would be fastened by someone on the other 849 00:45:41,719 --> 00:45:45,719 Speaker 2: side of the person wearing the clothes. I guess with 850 00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:49,279 Speaker 2: the assumption that actually working the button with your right 851 00:45:49,320 --> 00:45:53,879 Speaker 2: hand is more intuitive and easier than your left hand, 852 00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:57,320 Speaker 2: your non dominant hand, so more right handed people. Means 853 00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:00,560 Speaker 2: men were dressing themselves with a button the right and 854 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:04,200 Speaker 2: women were dressed by other women with their buttons on 855 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:04,720 Speaker 2: the left. 856 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:08,760 Speaker 1: That's fascinating. Who is that? Who wrote that? Suzanne Vega? 857 00:46:09,120 --> 00:46:12,840 Speaker 2: That was Susanna, That was Shila, Chila Vegas, Susanne's sister. 858 00:46:13,120 --> 00:46:15,880 Speaker 1: Thanks a lot, Sheila. We appreciate that from you, and 859 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:18,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people wrote in, So yeah, thank you 860 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:21,120 Speaker 1: to everybody like you said. And if you want to 861 00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:23,560 Speaker 1: be like Shila and the whole gang and write to 862 00:46:23,640 --> 00:46:25,759 Speaker 1: us and tell us something interesting that we didn't know, 863 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:28,759 Speaker 1: you can do it via email, send it off to 864 00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 1: stuff podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 865 00:46:41,920 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 2: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 866 00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:49,040 Speaker 2: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 867 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:51,000 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.