You’ve probably figured out by now that I have a love-hate relationship with food. I love to eat out and I hate to cook. I’m really, really trying to cook more at home – to prove it, just come take a look at my freezer stocked with all sorts of meat stuffs! But sometimes the kitchen is just too hot to cook in!
Not counting lunch – which would really throw this equation out of whack – I have been known to eat dinner out four five four times a week. I know it’s ridiculous. Think of how much money I could save! Think of all that unhealthy food that I’m eating! But that’s a topic for another day.
There are two places in my little slice of Maryland suburbia where I eat pretty frequently – so frequently that I have earned the proud distinction of being “a regular.” Who doesn’t love being a regular? You waltz in after a hard day at work and they greet you like they’ve known you your whole life or like they just saw you yesterday…which they probably have but that’s neither here nor there.
Each place is really different from one another but I like them both because they have great atmospheres, oh, and good food!
Jersey Mike’s is a chain sandwich shop where they sell subs (hoagies). They also have the most delicious Philly cheesesteaks in the area – that’s my regular sandwich. Nine times out of a ten, I go in and the guys welcome me back and say – #17, no onions, no peppers, light ketchup. For here. And I giggle (okay, the guys behind the counter may be cute) and say – yep! Sometimes I throw them off and I order a #7 - a turkey and cheese sandwich with mayo. Because sometimes you just need a little variety in your life. I was just there (again) tonight because there was no way I was cooking in 98 degree heat! So that makes two nights this week already. Thank goodness I’m going away for the weekend!
The other place is the Tastee Diner which has been in the area since 1935. The Tastee is about the shabbiest looking place you can imagine; if you want to do some interesting people watching – hit that place up around 1 AM on a Saturday night. Oh my. But the food…the food is really good. The Tastee is my weekend spot. I usually hit it for grilled cheese sandwiches or the Saturday night dinner special – baked turkey with dressing. Oh my. I love it because the tables have old table juke boxes…but not the shiny fake ones that you find in shiny fake diners. Plus, you can play keno there. I’m not sure but I think keno is like the Maryland state lotto game or something. I never heard of it until I moved here. So, all in one place you can get dinner, listen to some tunes, and gamble. It’s kinda like a casino on the Vegas strip except without all those annoying bright lights and showgirls. Okay, you might see a showgirl every now and again. But she’s probably just doing it to earn money for school.
Last Saturday, when I took my mom to the Tastee for breakfast, she told the lady at the cash register that she heard I was becoming a regular. The lady replied – yes she is. I’ve never been so proud.
I made it. I’m a regular!
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