This is a rerun of a post from November 14, 2008. Talking about discontinued foods the last couple weeks made me think of it again. And I doubt there’s more than two or three of you out there now who were here back then. Enjoy!
There’s more to going out to eat than just “going out to eat.” Sure, sometimes we just need to grab a quick bite, but to truly go out means so much more than going for the food and staying for the pie. It’s an event, a special occasion, or perhaps even a ritual. We do it to celebrate. We do it to meet old friends—or to make new ones.
I’m sure it would only take most of us just a minute to think of one significant memory that happened while eating out. It might have been a first date. (Or a last date.) It might have been that time you got a big promotion at work. (Or lost a job.) It could be something as simple as the time you ate that twenty pound hamburger in less than five hours. (What? You don’t remember that?)
I’ve heard it said that the greatest comic book ever written was the one you read when you were twelve. One could probably say the same thing about restaurants. Because nothing you’ll ever do as an adult will ever have the same magical quality of the place you went to as a kid.
One of these places for me was Shakey’s Pizza, as evidenced by the wonderful photograph above. To me, this was what “going out” was all about. It was fun, it was different, it was special, and it just might be the place I honed the excellent pizza-eating skills I possess yet today. My memories now are fuzzy, of course, but a few specific things still stand out clear. It was dark. I loved that. It made you feel like you were leaving the waking world behind and truly entering a new domain. (Not to mention it made swiping extra slices that much easier.) They played old movies and cartoons up on the wall. How awesome was that? I remember popcorn—or maybe it was peanuts—but you could throw a handful in the general vicinity of your mouth and it didn’t matter how many hit the floor.
It would be nice to be able to go back and re-live that. But, as the saying goes, you can never go home. If for whatever reason you did try to track down an old haunt, you would now find it:
- Run down and dirty (and depressing)
- All modernized and shiny (and even more depressing)
- Torn down and replaced with a Starbucks (no comment)
So perhaps these things are best left to our memories. And I’m okay with that. Because there are still plenty of places out there to create new memories and hone new pizza-eating skills.
What magical place did you go out to eat at as a kid? Share your story below. One lucky winner will receive a free slice of memory pizza.
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Enjoy my writing? Then don't forget to come back! I just might post something good tomorrow, too.
Subscribe via RSS
or email it to a friend. If you really like it, put me on your blogroll. That'd be sweet.
|
|
Permalink |
Posted in Pizza Night
|
May 29th, 2009
Nothing quite brings these two topics closer together than going out to eat. If you’re familiar with me and my writing I like cheap food. And more than that, I just like being cheap period. I highly dislike spending money for no reason at all; and for me “fancy food” gets really darn close to […]
Read the full post |
12 Comments »
May 15th, 2009
About a week ago we visited a new restaurant called Johnny Fins. (Well, the restaurant itself isn’t new. It was just new to us.) A soon-to-expire twenty-five dollar off coupon drove us there. If you’re not familiar with the area around Lake Travis in Austin, to get to anywhere around the lake (by car) you […]
Read the full post |
4 Comments »
May 8th, 2009
If you’re not eating out at a restaurant and you’re not ordering in and you’re not at a friends house, yet you’re still not eating your own food, well, then you must be on a cruise. A little over five years ago the family decided to go on a cruise. The kids were a bit […]
Read the full post |
5 Comments »
April 24th, 2009
Ask anyone what “Sunday” is named after and most are quick to correctly suggest, “The sun?” An only slightly smaller percentage might then guess that “Monday” is named for the moon. But after those two, it’s anybody’s guess where the names of the other weekdays come from. My shrewd guesses are: Tuesday is the number […]
Read the full post |
11 Comments »
April 17th, 2009
Looking for the next stop in the Austin Burger Tour? Don’t worry, we’ll be back with that later. (To be honest, I never intended to do them all in a row. The first four just sort of worked out that way.) However, all this recent burger-eating made me think: it’s time for another segment in […]
Read the full post |
11 Comments »
April 10th, 2009
Last week I asked y’all to pick the place for me. You’ll all be mad as heck to learn that Deb’s cheating actually won. She listed P. Terry’s four times in a row, thus garnering PT’s the most votes. (To be honest, I’d nearly made up my mind to go there next anyway…) Before you […]
Read the full post |
4 Comments »
April 3rd, 2009
Our first two stops on this tour were at Magnolia Cafe and The Oasis. While both places serve burgers, neither is actually known for its burgers. They just happened to be two places I stopped at when this idea popped into my head. This week is different. Now we’re at a place actually dedicated to […]
Read the full post |
18 Comments »
March 27th, 2009
If you missed Part 1 in this new series, click on the “Previous in Category” link below. There I began my tour of Austin burgers at Magnolia Cafe. A few days later, I traveled north to The Oasis. There I waited to be seated. I ordered a burger. I returned with the eye candy below. […]
Read the full post |
16 Comments »
March 20th, 2009
Yeah, yeah, … I know I call this category “Pizza Night” but I thought I’d finally kick off an idea I’ve been kicking around in my head for many moons now. About six years ago, a local Austin rag ran a cover story entitled, “Is This Austin’s Best Burger?” The cover depicted Hill’s Cafe’s “Old […]
Read the full post |
9 Comments »
March 13th, 2009
About … hmmm …. oh lordy lord … has it been twenty-one years? Yes. Yes, I believe it has. How does that happen? How can sitting in traffic for an hour feel like an eternity, but pop! oh, guess what?! Two decades just evaporated. Thanks for playing. Sorry. I’ll start over. About twenty-one years ago, […]
Read the full post |
15 Comments »
March 6th, 2009
I’ve been to two Ground Round restaurants in my life. The first one was waaaaay back when, around the same time described in a Magical Place. Like Shakey’s Pizza, the Ground Round was dark, served peanuts and popcorn that you could throw right on the floor, and generally had just the right atmosphere to make […]
Read the full post |
9 Comments »
February 27th, 2009
I went to McDonald’s again. It’s no secret that I’m completely without shame when it comes to this restaurant. Yes, I actually enjoy McFood. So I thought I’d share three McStories with you today. McStory #1 This most recent trip happened to be for breakfast. One of my favorites, actually: Sausage McMuffin, “hashbrowns”, and a […]
Read the full post |
17 Comments »
February 20th, 2009
If you’re ever in Austin and in the mood for thirty-seven pounds of fresh Italian food, you can’t go wrong with Cannoli Joe’s. Opened by the folks who run The County Line BBQ, Cannoli Joe’s takes the concept of “buffet” to a whole new level. If you’re like me, the term “buffet” (especially when combined […]
Read the full post |
14 Comments »
February 13th, 2009
Soft music plays in the background. A red tablecloth warms your mood. Candlelight flickers playfully on your partner’s face. And the smell of hot, greasy hamburgers cooked in sizzling onions wafts through the room. Nothing says Valentine’s Day like a bag of small, square slyders served with a side of love. For those of you […]
Read the full post |
14 Comments »
February 6th, 2009
Some number of years ago (I want to say “five” but I’m sure it was more like “fifteen”) I was back home and had a rare opportunity to hang out with one of my best friends. Living in different states (and being all growed up) these chances don’t exactly come along very often. This is […]
Read the full post |
7 Comments »
January 30th, 2009
I had been traveling along the East Road for some miles and wanted nothing more than to warm myself, both inside and out! Twinkling lights in the distance showed promise and I hastened my stride. The gatekeeper let me in after asking me my name and my business. “My name is Charlie. My business at […]
Read the full post |
21 Comments »
January 23rd, 2009
The following is an encore presentation of Back to the Fridge. It’s late. I’m tired. I have a headache and one severe case of writer’s block. So please enjoy this re-run from October 3, 2008. In the meantime I think I’ll opt for some BBBB. It’s Friday! Know what that means? It’s one of our […]
Read the full post |
16 Comments »
January 16th, 2009
The family went out to eat again. I’m not exactly sure where we were, so let’s just call it Chotchkies. “How many tonight?” asked the host with seventeen pieces of flair. “Four,” I responded. “Name?” he asked. “Um…looks like Stan,” I said, squinting at his tag. “Not my name. Yours.” “Oh, sorry. It’s Charles, but […]
Read the full post |
13 Comments »
January 9th, 2009
I first talked about Home Slice Pizza back in October. While I had high praise for their wonderful food, I also lamented the fact that I had only been there once. Whelp, over the long Christmas break, I righted that wrong. My mom was in town for Christmas. Shortly after she arrived, we made up […]
Read the full post |
8 Comments »
January 2nd, 2009
Although the new year is now officially underway, let’s face it: our diets don’t start until Monday. So even though we’ve all vowed to “eat right and exercise” this year (some of us, for the 27th year in a row, but, by golly, this year will be different) we may just find ourselves eating out […]
Read the full post |
14 Comments »
December 26th, 2008
While Norman Rockwell’s version of the holidays shows us all enjoying a dinner around a large, picturesque table, I have a feeling this isn’t the “norm” any longer. Perhaps it never was, and these idyllic holiday scenes are just that: scenes. We prepared a traditional turkey dinner last night. I fixed myself the minimum 3,000 […]
Read the full post |
17 Comments »
December 19th, 2008
Quiz Time: If you’re not eating out at a restaurant, and you’re not ordering in at home, then where are you eating? Answer Time: At work, of course. And while most of the time that still probably falls into the “I’m eating out” or “I’m eating food I brought from home” categories, sometimes it falls […]
Read the full post |
11 Comments »
December 12th, 2008
When I set up Back to the Fridge, the purpose of the “Pizza Night” category was to help dieters deal with the perils of eating out. The thought was simple: armed with the right information, one could enjoy a meal out from time to time without falling completely off the wagon. Originally I figured this […]
Read the full post |
13 Comments »
December 5th, 2008
Friday With the parade finally behind us, I felt like the week (for all intents and purposes) was over. But we still had one more day ahead of us. All of us, that is, except for Sarah. Today was the day they piled a couple hundred kids, instruments, equipment, and luggage back on the buses […]
Read the full post |
11 Comments »
November 28th, 2008
As much as I love my self-imposed, five-day-a-week creative writing assignment, I’ve decided to take a few days off. Enjoy this post from August 29, 2008, while you all rest and recover from Black Friday. Quick show of hands: how many people out there enjoy the “Jay-walking” segments on The Tonight Show? If you’re not […]
Read the full post |
3 Comments »
November 21st, 2008
As I stumbled down memory lane last week, another restaurant came to mind. That’s right. I’m talking about Red Lobster. (Red Lobster?) Oh. Did I say Red Lobster? I meant McDonald’s. I get those two mixed up all the time. Now I’m quite aware of the issues surrounding this particular restaurant chain. The food sucks, […]
Read the full post |
30 Comments »
November 14th, 2008
There’s more to going out to eat than just “going out to eat.” Sure, sometimes we just need to grab a quick bite, but to truly go out means so much more than going for the food and staying for the pie. It’s an event, a special occasion, or perhaps even a ritual. We do […]
Read the full post |
20 Comments »
November 7th, 2008
It was a Saturday. The day was wearing on and I had just spent the entire day doing whatever it is I do on Saturdays. The growl I heard from my midsection reminded me it was time to eat. Hmmm… what to have, what to have. Pizza? Cheeseburgers? Cheeseburger Pizza? Hmmm… Since I’d already fixed […]
Read the full post |
21 Comments »
October 31st, 2008
“It’s the most wonderful tiiiiiiime of the year…” Whoops! Sorry, wrong holiday. But I still feel about the same way. I’m sure Andy Williams does too. And it’s doubly good that Halloween falls on Pizza Night this year. Though frankly, every Halloween is pizza night in our house. For the same reasons pizza is convenient […]
Read the full post |
10 Comments »
October 24th, 2008
Dear Subway, My name is Charlie. You might recognize me. We first met back in college, when a group of friends and I decided to go out for a quick bite. “What is this wonderful place?” I thought to myself as I gazed across two yards of sandwich fixins. (Keep in mind, this was from […]
Read the full post |
19 Comments »
October 17th, 2008
One or two of you might have been wondering when I’d finally get around to talking about pizza in the Pizza Night category. I was hoping to save it for a special occasion—and I did! It’s a little occasion I like to call “writer’s block.” And what’s a better cure for writer’s block than rambling […]
Read the full post |
13 Comments »
October 10th, 2008
Here are two more things you should know about me. I’m a picky eater and I hate spending money. This is an absolutely insurmountable combination when it comes to highfalutin fancy food. I simply cannot understand the need to spend fifty dollars on six ounces of food, no matter how colorful the drizzled sauce looks. […]
Read the full post |
9 Comments »
October 3rd, 2008
It’s Friday! Know what that means? It’s one of our top seven favorite nights of the week to eat out. If you’re dieting (and you are) then you’ve already heard (or learned the hard way) that you should make every attempt to check nutritional information before you head out. Easier said than done, though. While […]
Read the full post |
15 Comments »
September 26th, 2008
Dieters face few challenges greater than a trip to a restaurant. Eating out is (or should be) an occasion and therefore, by definition, isn’t the place to hold back. Unfortunately, eating out is sometimes a necessary evil and you’d be hard-pressed to find greater temptation anywhere. (Yeah … nothing like paddling against the current for […]
Read the full post |
5 Comments »
September 19th, 2008
How many articles have you read about hidden calories? The idea is that we go out to a restaurant, order something “healthy” off the menu, but unbeknownst to us, the plate is absolutely peppered with calories too small to be seen with the naked eye. Take this article from — you guessed it — the […]
Read the full post |
3 Comments »
September 12th, 2008
If you’re thinking about taking the kiddies out for a quick bite, be warned. Most kids’ meals at fast food restaurants have too many calories. I know! It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I could have sworn the nuggets, burgers, fries, sodas, and shakes were the perfect meal. Taken from the Obvious Files of the […]
Read the full post |
1 Comment »
September 5th, 2008
You’ve got a hankerin’ for some chicken. It’s late and the only option is fast chicken. So you hop into the car and drive. “Hey, there’s a McDonalds. I think they have chicken…” Seriously? No, keep going. “Oh! A Chick-Fil-A! They’re entire business is built on cows begging us to kill the other barnyard creatures.” […]
Read the full post |
2 Comments »
August 29th, 2008
Quick show of hands: how many people out there enjoy the “Jay-walking” segments on The Tonight Show? If you’re not familiar with it, this is where Jay Leno hits the streets with a microphone and asks average people simple questions. For example, “In what year did the Battle of Beroia result in the disappearance of […]
Read the full post |
2 Comments »
. . .
on May 23, 2011 at 4:39 am
I remember Shakeys! I used to go there with my family when I was a kid. And yes, all I can remember are cool booths and it was DARK.
I also remember a place called the Anchor Inn. I remember going there with my parents and it was a treat. I suppose it is similar to Red Lobster now. I think I developed my love for shrimp there.
on May 23, 2011 at 9:23 am
I don’t remember the popcorn, but I definitely remember shelling peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor!
Happy Monday Chowlee! 😀
Love, your prettier sister, Biz
on May 23, 2011 at 11:43 am
Coincidentally, I had just turned 12 while on vacation at the Jersey shore. We visited Zaberer’s in Wildwood, NJ.
It was memorable because they had rolls of every kind, even chocolate!
Only it wasn’t chocolate, it was pumpernickel. Yuck.
on May 23, 2011 at 7:19 pm
Chocolate. 🙂
on May 23, 2011 at 2:04 pm
I also think a memorable place was the Howard Johnson’s rest stop in Breezewood PA, on our way to vacation where we got to get sundaes!
And I also remember there being a window where you could watch them make pizzas – or did I make that up? 🙂 Love Shakeys!!
on May 23, 2011 at 7:20 pm
You know, I was thinking of that too. I just found out that they closed about every HJ. I think there’s only three of them left.