Greasy spoon?? What the heck?

Geoffrey
I think I remember that place, though it was nearly 20 years ago. I had friends living near there who said, ‘Look you can say you don’t want bacon or sausage but you can’t say you don’t want milk in your tea.’

It depends where you live, Geoffrey. There's nothing dying about the "caffs" round our way, though these days they're as likely to be staffed by Turks or Greeks as Brits. I love the menus, often displayed prominently above the serving counter, which manage to create two dozen different meals out of subtly varied combinations of the same 5 ingredients: bacon, sausage, egg, beans and mushrooms.

Monty Python satirised this in their very odd Vikings cafe sketch, (helpfully provided with Spanish subtitles in the link below) featuring the not-so-popular these days tinned meat known as spam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bW4vEo1F4E&t=2s

The earlier note from NJ reminded me that in the US, the best diners are reputed to be in New Jersey. I've been to many and I totally agree. Good plain food and sure, prices have gone up, so in no way except lack of pretension are they greasy spoons. Places like this--not always diners--their name came from diner cars on the railroad, which was what many diners started as--used to be found in most cities and towns. You could usually get a decent meal, especially breakfast, there, and if you found a good one on a long drive somewhere, we would always return on a trip taking that route. Eggs over, crisp bacon, maybe raisin toast, good strong coffee, and sometimes things like corned beef hash, blueberry pancakes or challah french toast.

Quite so. I've been to New Jersey several times and eaten at several diners.

My worst eatery experience was not at a greasy spoon but at a shiny modern place inside Heathrow Airport. I'd bought a sandwich, and when I held it up ready to take a bite, I became aware of movement, and there was a maggot crawling along it. They offered to replace the sandwich but I'd lost my appetite by then.

UGH!!!

My wife had a similar experience at a "gastro pub" near Guildford. They too offered to replace the pate or provide a cash refund. They didn't offer a fine bottle of wine, or similar. That was very foolish of them, as when we got home she phoned Environmental Health who raided them later that day and found lots of maggots.

Their court appearance and hefty fine made a great article in the local press!

Geoffrey Stirling.

Fond memories of a "greasy spoon" 24 hour diner called the Silver Moon Diner. Most diners were made it seems with a rubber stamp. Windows all along the front with booths on the front wall. Then an island of booths in the middle with a counter and fixed stools along the back. In days past, booths had a mini-jukebox that played music just loud enough for you to hear it. No meal plan as breakfast, lunch and dinner could be ordered any time of day.

So called a "greasy spoon" in my mind because they had a skillet to cook all food which is usually high in grease. Not necessarily bad tasting food, but certainly not healthy for you. "greasy spoons, referring to diners goes back to my grandmother's day. So, early 1920's.

Plenty of Greasy Spoons left here up North where it's Grim! They might masquerade under modern names, but the quality of cooking is unchanged, limp bacon, big mugs of tea, greasy overcooked eggs, hard sausages, 'orrible toast & margerine......
Oh yes!
Thank heavens for Heinz tomato ketchup!

Loads of Greasy Spoons in the Midlands too - absolutely not a dying breed. Not to be too stereotypically Gen Z, but I prefer a nice vegetarian or vegan cafe.