Consuming Community

It amazes me how many people patronize the chain and box stores spreading across America. We should be doing more to actively resist the homogenization of culture, not to mention the loss of locally owned businesses and public space.

One thing I truly love are local restaurants. Places where the waitress calls you "hon" and when the barman says "hello" he means it. I actively seek out such spots. In some areas, Hyde Park here in Boise or the Pizza Joint in my hometown for example, you can feel the fabric of community wrap around you like a warm blanket.

When I travel I seek out such places as well. I'd consider myself an officiando of great diners and dives. On my trip to Portland this weekend for the Griz game I got to revisit an old favorite, the North Powder Cafe & Truck Stop. Classic American diner fair. Drop six bucks and get a slab of lasagna the size of a cinder block and bowl full of salad, soup and half a loaf of garlic bread. Leaving without a coffee cup in your hand is dangerous for everyone else on the highway. A great road trip spot and absolutely brilliant after carving buttery turns all day at my favorite ski hill, Anthony Lakes.