Memo: A Diner Isn't the Same as a `Greasy Spoon'

Originally published in Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Recently, to my surprise, I have seen many online references to diners as “greasy spoons” on the web. I have seen this misuse of the term on local blogs (one called the El Greco diner in Sheepshead Bay a greasy spoon, which is akin to calling a Mercedes Benz a jalopy) and even in the New York Post. I first saw diners referred to as greasy spoons about two years ago, which leads me to believe that this use of the term is fairly recent.
For the record, throughout most of my life, a “greasy spoon” referred to a small, unhygienic luncheonette that has about 10 items on the menu, has wobbly counter stools and a cracked counter and fries everything on the same griddle throughout the day. The very name “greasy spoon” connotes unhygienic conditions – it means the spoon is still greasy when they give it to you, meaning that they didn’t do such a good job of washing it.

Today, because of changing populations, the rise of fast-food joints and higher commercial rents, the number of these places is declining. But in my childhood, they were plentiful, and usually had a sign saying “luncheonette” outside. There usually was one person behind the counter who often didn’t make much of an effort to be nice to the customers. Nobody ate in these places if they could help it.

By contrast, most diners are extremely clean, occupy a large amount of space, are very well-lit and have waiters or waitresses who are very helpful. Just the large number of offerings on the typical New York City menu takes these establishments out of the realm of “greasy spoons.”

Of course, diners and greasy spoons do have several things in common. Both offer basic, non-pretentious types of food, usually of American origin (those foods of European origin that they do serve, such as eggplant parmesan, became assimilated into the American diet years ago). By contrast, I’ll be that many of the food writers who lump diners and greasy spoons together grew up eating sushi, tapas and Asian fusion cuisine. Diners are not what they’re familiar with.

People like myself, on the other hand, who grew up eating at diners, neighborhood Chinese restaurants, pizza places and Jewish delis, are very attuned to the differences between good and bad diners, good and bad pizzerias and so forth. We don’t lump them all together.

It may come as a surprise to some people that there is a movement to preserve classic diners. I remember when one famous Manhattan diner, the Cheyenne near Madison Square Garden, closed and preservationists started looking for places it could be moved to. There was a possibility that it could have been moved to Red Hook, but eventually the Cheyenne was separated into two parts, put onto trucks and taken to Birmingham, Alabama. Another old Manhattan diner, the Moondance, ended up in Wyoming. Diners were never a New York-only phenomenon.

I don’t think diners are the beginning and the end as far as cuisine is concerned. I’d rather have eggplant parmesan at an Italian restaurant than at a diner. I’d rather have grilled or poached salmon at an Asian restaurant than at a diner. But for good basic food – especially late at night, after other restaurants have closed -- you can’t beat the typical American diner.

So it’s time to honor the diner for its place in society. Please don’t call it a greasy spoon.

Why Not More Money for the Social Sciences?

From Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A while ago, in these pages, we ran an article about a plan to make the Brooklyn Tech Triangle (DUMBO-Navy Yard-Downtown) the biggest tech hub in the city, overtaking California’s Silicon Valley.The plan included re-doing office space with fiber-optic wiring, establishing new business incubators, collaborations between universities and tech firms, and creating amenities such as new pathways, restaurants, bike lanes, bus service and more.
Not expressly stated in the press conference, but closely related, is the upcoming conversion of the old MTA building at 370 Jay St. into a high-tech applied sciences school sponsored by NYU-Poly.
All in all, according to one of the organizers of the press conference, the Tech Triangle area is expected to support 19,000 tech-related jobs and 43,000 indirect jobs within two years.
I think this is a good thing – but it’s not the only thing. When the government and business “powers that be” can rest for a few minutes from pouring money and support into technology, why not have a similar effort to boost the social sciences?
Yes, that’s right. The social sciences, which have been around forever. I can just see someone asking, “What are the concrete rewards of someone studying sociology, history or political science?”
Well, look at all the problems of the world and the nation. People talk about the persistence of poverty in urban neighborhoods and rural hinterlands. If any solution is at hand, it will most likely come from sociologists and social workers.
Other people point to the ineffectiveness of state government, the persistence of the filibuster in Congress, how important bills can get bogged down in committees and so on. If there is any real reform in politics, it is likely to begin at political science departments at the universities.
Or maybe you’re worried about the sluggish economy, slow job growth, low interest rates and why Wall Street growth isn’t reflected in the general economy. If you’re preoccupied with these issues, you’ll have to turn to economists for answers.
Cultural anthropology? Well, the U.S. sends ambassadors all over the world. Many, perhaps most, American embassies are in non-Western nations. If U.S. diplomats want to make friends with local leaders, they have to study the beliefs, habits and customs of the local people.
But what about history? you ask. Surely, that’s frivolous – it already happened! Yes it did, but what happened once can happen again. If the government had studied the history of Iraq before we invaded that country, we wouldn’t have been so shocked when the moment after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, various factions started fighting each other in the streets.
I submit that the social sciences are as necessary to the development of society as is technology. However, their importance often gets lost in the pervasive cry of “We need more people proficient in math!” or “We need universal broadband access!”
By all means, let’s have more broadband access, more high-tech incubators, more schools of applied technology. Technology can save lives – look at the ways medical technology, such as laparoscopic surgery, has helped people. It can also save people from endless drudgery – look at the way computerized drafting has replaced what we used to call “mechanical drawing.”
But let’s have some support for the social sciences, too. No, they won’t bring in lots of jobs in the near future. But in the long run they will improve the quality of life on this planet.