Having lunch last weekend
customers were gradually leaving. at a cafe in Conway, The Observer was Sensing the room would soon be witness to the first get-together of the empty we quickly finished our meal Culinary Historians of Conway. So and got up to pay. As we were leaving, a waiter came far, there are only two of them; they seem to be struggling with an inef- by to deliver the Historians their ficient advertising department. Their food. Hamburgers, crimped fries. inaugural meeting was to start at 2:30, All it takes to patch a bleeding heart, but by a quarter till 3, when the society apparently. was as yet a duo, the show was forced to go on. From The Observer’s mailbag: A young woman wearing a T-shirt “Reading the usually fine Observer that declared “Philosophers do it (July 8, 2010), I was struck by a couple Ponderously” took charge. Introducing of things. First, The Observer referred herself to her audience of one, she to several diners at a ‘nice steakhouse expressed her dismay at the small off the Financial Center Parkway’ as attendance but said she planned to hold being in their 60s. As someone who a meeting at least once a month. The just turned 63, I wondered what those next date was tentatively scheduled for folks looked like through the eyes of Aug. 14. Though only one person (and The Observer — Aunt Bea types or this reporter) was there to hear about Jane Fonda look-alikes? But, when Conway’s foodways, she The Observer went on spoke as if there was a to exclaim the disgust crowd. That is, a little of having to look at one more loudly than was A young woman of the ‘60s’ person’s necessary for the two of 12EEEE feet (not so wearing a us and the others in the cool!), I was reminded T-shirt that cafe, the usual weekend of a recent dinner with patrons, one reading friends where I had to declared a book, another on a “Philosophers sit across the table from laptop, a couple in the someone eating rare, do it corner, another sipping practically raw prime coffee and keeping to rib. Now, THAT is Ponderously” herself. disgusting! took charge. First topic of the day: “Further down The food politics, a favorite Observer wrote about of twenty-something a vampire kit with a ideologues. “The way wooden ‘steak.’ Is that we look at food depends on our perhaps what The Observer felt like social class,” the Historian announced. he/she was eating after seeing those “Everyone has access to good food, disgusting feet?” (No, but The Observer and they should use it.” On she went to is beginning to feel like a heel.) say something about farmer’s markets and to make a general criticism of The Observer also got advice McDonald’s and factory farming. from a reader. “Seek out the ugly, We have a few Michael Pollan lumpy ones. If you spot any dark purple books on our shelf, and we’re always or blackish really horrid-looking ones, game for a discussion of how people buy all you can afford.” Our reader eat, but the Historian made us wince. wasn’t referring to discalced seniors at It’s nice to see people get riled up about a restaurant, but tomatoes, in response practical things, but her passionate to last week’s diatribe in this column. appeal to everyone in earshot was a “I don’t know all the names, but these bit much. It wasn’t just the substance are sometimes called Cherokee Purple, of the shaky claims (“Consolidation and are delicious, like the taste you of schools is a terrorist attack on remember from childhood.” farmers”) but the volume in which To show that The Observer is not all they were delivered. gripe, we will say that this summer’s It was tremendously awkward, and corn has been excellent. www.arktimes.com • july 22, 2010 5