Drive-throughs! They did not exist when I was a kid. Did they begin with banks? Seemed like an odd system at first. What is so inconveniencing about simply walking in to a place of business to be waited on? I personally do not take to the now-established custom of using drive-through. However, it appears most of us do. To each his own. (To each their own?)
I have occasionally walked up to the drive-through at Bremer Bank here. I do get waited on that way. Reportedly there are fast food restaurants that turn away customers who are on foot.
I'm thinking about this partly because of watching a video posted by one of my favorite economic commentators. He goes by "Jeremiah Babe." He walked along a seemingly endless line of cars at a Chick-fil-A. I found it incredulous that so many people would wait for so long in their idling cars. They're burning up gas, aren't they? They need their air conditioners on?
"Jeremiah" lives in the "Palm desert" area of the Southwestern U.S.
I thought about our fast food restaurants here in Morris, where drive-through seems rather burgeoning. Last night (Sunday) I stopped by the Dairy Queen. The lobby was open and people were inside. But the line of cars was getting pretty substantial, by my standard of judging. Again, "to each their own." I am just having trouble grasping the custom.
I bring it up here chiefly for this reason: what happens if the trend continues to grow, and we might see the lineup of cars start "snaking" out to along the curb of Atlantic Avenue? Might local public officials have to start dealing with the matter? I mean, just for the sake of orderliness or public safety? It would seem rather jarring. Let's look at the congestion or even pedestrian safety issues.
McDonald's is popular for drive-through too. McDonald's appears to actually discourage ordering at the inside counter. I would feel guilty if I were to even try.
I did not submit an order at the DQ last night. I felt uncomfortable as I noticed a "team" of young employees working very harriedly. I admire them but I didn't want to augment their burden. I sense that they, like at McDonald's, prioritize the drive-through customers. There were about three people ahead of me at the counter. I waited a while and then just left, not mad at all - I certainly feel for the employees who seem quite sharp.
I guess this new environment for fast food places is disconcerting for me.
On the other side of Atlantic Avenue we have DeToy's which has no drive-through at all. You go in and get waited on promptly and reliably. Increasingly I appreciate this business. I told a friend the other day that DeToy's should get some sort of award for having gone through the pandemic and beyond in such a reliable way. Again: no drive-through. Just go in, take a seat and relax.
Seems preferable, for me anyway, to sitting a long time in an idling car with the air conditioner on.
"To each their own."
Don't rule out one of these days seeing excess congestion of vehicles at the DQ, much like what "Jeremiah Babe" showed us. BTW he's rather a contrarian or skeptic on economic matters. He says "buy gold." Get it? But he's an interesting person to listen to. That's one thing about the "gold bugs" - they can draw you in with their perspective. But I will never feel the need to stock up on freeze-dried food!
That was then
The old Pylin drive-in in Morris was along East 7th Street. It was across from the now-razed public school. That part of town was once a "hub" of activity because of the school being there, up through grade 12 until the late '60s. A hub also, because East 7th was the main entry to Morris from the east.
I have suggested that if Prairie Pioneer Days ever gets going again here - I mean the "real" PPD in summer - it be re-named "Pylin Days," the idea being to "pile in" to Morris.
Let me add here that the smashed-up car thing with newspaper photos was once satirized by the "Dacron Republican-Democrat," a satirical newspaper. Each front page had a photo above the fold that showed a "smashed-up" vehicle.
I remember I once took a few photos like this, when I was with the Morris paper. And on at least one occasion, I photographed a "smashed-up" car that had been in a fatal accident. And at least once, the paper didn't publish the photo due to that fact. And in those situations I could be excoriated by some co-workers who were offended that I would even go out (to Sharstrom's place) and take the photo.
I was also excoriated internally once for photographing the line for the reviewal for Leonard Wulf when he passed on. Poor taste, it was suggested. Shortly after I left the Morris paper, I was looking at the front page of the Willmar paper at Casey's and saw a big photo of a reviewal line at a funeral home. Was the Willmar paper photographer called names, like I was?
Church at the park
My church is First Lutheran. We held Sunday service at East Side Park. The online stuff is on-again, off-again, alas. An email from a friend later in the day:
Don’t know if you attended the service in the park today, but I tried watching a little on the live stream. The video was good quality and the sound was good, BUT . . . it was broadcast 90° sideways, and reversed image. One had to lie down to watch it (and then through a mirror), and I couldn’t, so didn’t stay with it. Screenshot:
ELCA hangs in there
I called up the online service for St. Martin's Lutheran in Sugar Land, Texas, last night. It's an ELCA church like mine. Seems we are treading rough water these days, what with politics. The St. Martin's pastor noted at the start that the church building had been vandalized with a spray-painted offensive message.
Is it coming to this now? The ELCA is seen as "liberal" and so now we are under attack? Is it that bad? Maybe it is. One thing about DeToy's restaurant, if you go there in the morning, is that there is a fierce pro-Trump and anti-Democrat element there. I walked past two pickups with Trump stickers this morning as I entered. One read: "Trump - no more bullshit." Such grace in communications.
This is the nature of living in rural America now, it seems. Will it get worse? Inside the restaurant I overheard a patron attack Adam Kinzinger who is actually a Republican. Yes he is. Liz Cheney would be a like target for that fellow. There was a time not that long ago, when the Cheneys defined the Republican Party. What hath God wrought?
Photo of the Pylin
I included a photo of the old Pylin drive-in on my June 23 post on "Morris of Course," my companion blog. In the post I reflect back on times when we appreciated the difference between ten cents and 50 cents, like it meant something. Wow. Here is the permalink for you to enjoy the photo of the "Pylin." Right out of "American Graffiti." Look at the cars!
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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