the breakfast queen

yesterday was 70 degrees. this morning i woke up in a snowstorm. i was so disappointed because i wanted to take everything out of the van and organize it, but it was not going to be possible today. so i decided to take on the things i could accomplish today and that included breakfast. exploring my new neighborhood i discoved a little diner called the breakfast queen 2. at 11am on a sunday, you have to wait in line, though it moved quickly. i started to gather the scene while i was in line. bright red booths lining the walls, a row of tables in the middle with those chairs that have the padded backs and seats, always remind me of pizza hut in the 80's, neatly hung art on the walls--paintings of cars, faces, dogs. so american. the kitchen was wide open to the dining room and the cooks were moving fast, methodical and practiced. the one closest to the dining room was in a good mood, greeting regulars and laughing. he was young and i heard someone ask if he was so and so's son. he said yes.
i was seated and offered coffee immediately-yes of course i'll have some. a sassy blond in her late 40's brought it to me in a mug with advertisements for local businesses on it. i came to adore her through the meal, she minced across the room, swaying her hips and laughing flirtatiously. she had a great figure and apparently it still worked for her, she was having a great time flitting about and she was a darn good waitress to boot.
i learned the names of the waitresses when the cook called them up to pick up their food. sandy, brenda, debbie. i just made sense and they were all over 40 with long hair and plenty of energy. when debbie came over to check on me she asked in her smoke-cured voice "is everything delicious?" and indeed it was. the hash browns were real potatoes and not greasy, the eggs were done right, the sausage was not scary and the toast perfectly buttered rye. the coffee left something to be desired but this is a real diner, not a yuppied out version of comfort food with a tongue in cheek decor. this is just what it's trying to be. a great place to eat regular food. you won't find tofu or a latte or steamed chard on the menu, you won't find a tattooed hipster lazily stooping to serve you. that's in another part of town and while i'm sure i'll go visit, i'm happy to be where the breakfast queen reigns.
tomorrow...pray for better weather