old school

mom, bonnie, eva & me--women's conference

tonight i went to lds women's conference in salt lake city with my mom, eva and bonnie.  it's one of those things that never changes.

afterwards we went to little america for dinner, a place i've been eating at for as long as i can remember.  the decor is the same as always--the naugahyde booths, the padded wall treatments, the trellised wall dividers, and the bar you can sit at, reminiscent of the coffee shop-type joint it once was, way back when, as "the hot shoppes," part of marriott's little america.  my dad worked at these joints as a young man, and they played a key role in his life and ultimately, his career.  he knew a lot about the recipes (i don't think their recipes have changed at all since hot shoppe days) and, since he and christian met up with us for dinner after the conference, he told me a lot about the olden days, his family history, the places he visited on his recent visit to the place he grew up, in maryland just across the potomac from d.c.  he's had a pretty fascinating and far-flung life, but since he's quiet, i get more little bits and pieces of his history each year.  things that are amazing, unusual and surprising.

one is never surprised, however, with the open-faced hot turkey sandwich, the liver and onions, the trout amandine, or the roast baron of beef one gets at the little america.  nor the spumoni or burnt almond fudge ice creams, the chocolate malts served in their stainless steel mixing cups, the bread pudding, or the lemon merengue pie.

much as i love something new, i'm an even bigger fan of the things that stay constant, year after year.  i'll be sad when they tear out the peach booths or replace the silk flowers.  i love the floor to ceiling bathroom stalls and the little dressing table you can sit at to reapply your lipstick.  i hope they always serve an open-faced hot roast beef sandwich & if they ever decide to take it off the menu,  i hope they will kindly wait until i'm dead to do so.