Milestones, Memories and Meals

What makes some places--restuaurants, camping spots, vacation destinations--stand out in our memories and hearts?

I believe it is the experiences and the company we are with in those places that create the lasting attachments. The setting allows space for connection and communion with friends and loved ones. It is often over food and drink that we share our deepest thoughts or celebrate personal accomplishments and milestones.

Earl Abel's Coffee Shop has been around for over a half a century and it has served as a icon for many San Antonians. Earl Abel's is one of those '50s style all-night diners where the friendly waitresses dress in starched pastel uniforms, many display the famous Texas helmet-head 'do, held in place with a generous amount of Aqua Net and criss-crossed bobby pins arranged just so. The loyal patrons range from senior citizens to college students and families enjoying a great homestyle meal of fried chicken or chicken fried steak and mile-high chocolate cake.

The day before Thanksgiving I stood in line at the coffee shop for my turn to purchase the requisite feast-day cherry and pumpkin pies. As I did not inherit my mom's pie-baking genes, I have relied heavily on Earl Abel's to get me and my family through Thanksgiving and Christmas with regard to the sweet stuff.

Each year I wait alongside a diverse group of San Antonians for my turn to place my order for pies. This day I gazed down the line and saw two teenage boys in Metallica t-shirts, a rancher wearing a straw cowboy hat, two chatty 60-something ladies holding expensive bags in their gloved hands, a woman who looked like she just came off her shift at the hospital still wearing her green scrubs, a elderly couple standing side by side, a Hispanic couple with their three young children, a balding, harried-looking, bespectacled man tightly clutched his wife's shopping list. We were from all parts of town, from equally diverse backgrounds and experiences, but what brought us together on this morning was our fond attachment to this special diner.

This year the line was particularly long--a few weeks back Earl Abel's made the front page of the Express News, but sadly not for their delicious food. Rather, the current owner, Earl's son, was ready to retire the diner. The paper suggested he had sold the building and land to a developer who plans to erect condos in it's place. Since this announcement, the parking lot has been packed with cars as worried, hungry folks make their pilgrimage to the diner to get one more plate of homestyle meatloaf and mashed potatoes before the doors close for good.

As I waited in line I listened to the conversations around me. Everyone had a story to share about how Earl Abel's had played a significant role in their lives and the lives of their families. The Hispanic gentleman in front of my shared memories of ending high school prom nights at the diner with his dates. The African American woman behind me smiled as she told me she was "raised on" Earl Abel's fried chicken. The Caucasian woman behind her spoke of coming to the diner as a little girl with her family and wondered where she would get brown sugar pecan pies in the future. I told my line neighbors about spending Thanksgiving at Earl Abel's 10 years ago when my family moved into our current home over the Thanksgiving weekend. There was no way I could unpack boxes, find the kitchen and cook a turkey feast on the same day. We arrived exhausted and a bit depressed to be spending the holiday at a diner. However, we were surprised and happy to be served by a cheerful staff and surrounded by other patrons in the cozy diner setting. We were welcomed to our new neighborhood with a great home-cooked meal of turkey and all the fixings. That day marked the beginning of my addiction to cherry pie!

I imagine similar conversations are happening all over San Antonio as the calendar days are ticked off towards the day when the old cash register rings up it's last chicken fried steak plate, the neon arrow pointing to the "Take Out Orders" sign is turned off and the big brown doors close for good. My family will still visit Earl Abel's in our minds at least, when we gather next Thanksgiving and reminisce about their awesome pie!

Thought for the Day: Where do you celebrate your family's triumphs and events? Where have you honored your personal milestones over food and drink? Think about those places that hold special memories for you. Take time to revisit them in person if you can, or at least revisit them in your mind. Call up a loved one and spend a few minutes reminiscing and sharing memories of the times you spent there.