Try the roadside diner
When you are traveling the byroads and backstreets of the United States, there are a couple of things that you should always do: eat at all of the local restaurants you can and stop at the world’s largest ball of string or whatever roadside attraction is weird and on the way.
McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants are familiar and consistent. They aren’t necessarily good for you, the environment or the economy, but they are ubiquitous. As creatures of habit, it is easier to hop into a fast food joint (used in all of its meanings) than it is to try and decipher a new menu. (The good news is that most menus are in English, and those that aren’t have English translations under them).
The problem with going to fast food restaurants that you know and are comfortable with even knowing that they really are terrible for everyone is that traveling is supposed to be an adventure. Experiencing the local flavor cannot happen if you are sitting in a cookie cutter franchise. Finding places like the Olive Pit in Corning, the Apricot Tree in Firebaugh and Ellen’s Danish Pancake House in Buellton takes courage to step away from the norm.
Fortunately, most roadside diners are fairly typical. They offer homemade comfort food that tastes way better than any fast food meal. Even if you stick with things you know like pancakes and hamburgers, stopping at a local restaurant will help the local economy. Rather than making the people that own shares of a multinational corporation, you will be helping folks just like you, who are trying to navigate their way through a broken economic system.
Local restaurants have more opportunity to source their food locally. The Apricot Tree owns its own orchards, and even faced with drought problems, they still source their fruit from San Francisco ensuring that the money stays in the state of California. It also means that the fruit has traveled the shortest distance possible from farm to table. Fewer resources used and fresher fruit should make everyone happy.
Roadside diners can provide a bit of flair to an otherwise lackluster day on the road. You get enough of the same on the Interstate Highways, take advantage of local dining opportunities and add a little more adventure to your drive.
Read a guide to choosing what to eat at a roadside diner
McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants are familiar and consistent. They aren’t necessarily good for you, the environment or the economy, but they are ubiquitous. As creatures of habit, it is easier to hop into a fast food joint (used in all of its meanings) than it is to try and decipher a new menu. (The good news is that most menus are in English, and those that aren’t have English translations under them).
The problem with going to fast food restaurants that you know and are comfortable with even knowing that they really are terrible for everyone is that traveling is supposed to be an adventure. Experiencing the local flavor cannot happen if you are sitting in a cookie cutter franchise. Finding places like the Olive Pit in Corning, the Apricot Tree in Firebaugh and Ellen’s Danish Pancake House in Buellton takes courage to step away from the norm.
Fortunately, most roadside diners are fairly typical. They offer homemade comfort food that tastes way better than any fast food meal. Even if you stick with things you know like pancakes and hamburgers, stopping at a local restaurant will help the local economy. Rather than making the people that own shares of a multinational corporation, you will be helping folks just like you, who are trying to navigate their way through a broken economic system.
Local restaurants have more opportunity to source their food locally. The Apricot Tree owns its own orchards, and even faced with drought problems, they still source their fruit from San Francisco ensuring that the money stays in the state of California. It also means that the fruit has traveled the shortest distance possible from farm to table. Fewer resources used and fresher fruit should make everyone happy.
Roadside diners can provide a bit of flair to an otherwise lackluster day on the road. You get enough of the same on the Interstate Highways, take advantage of local dining opportunities and add a little more adventure to your drive.
Read a guide to choosing what to eat at a roadside diner