How well does the average Morris resident eat? I'm not just asking "how much," I'm asking how well. Our lifestyle can change a lot over time in ways we might hot appreciate or notice much.
I remember when the Morris main street had a nice standard diner that was known as Ardelle's in its last iteration. It was "Kelly's" before that. And before that, "Del Monico." Going back even further, "Del Monico" was across the street in the space that was taken over by Carl Benson's drugstore. You might think of it as the Rentz building now. Many of us will attach the name "Thrifty White." Remember Marty Ohren?
We went to Thrifty White to get a lot more than prescriptions. Thrifty White greatly modified its service after abandoning that place. It set up shop on the outskirts. Can't go there to get a spiral notebook any more. I remember the newspaper taking a photo to mark the opening of the new place as if it was a big special deal. Of course it was not. The newspaper people needed to put on their thinking caps and of course they did not. I'm sure they were invited to send their picture-taker over there because that's how these things work, "I know."
The new Thrifty White bears little resemblance to the old, as it is a specialty pharmacy place now in a minimalist building. Not to say it doesn't serve its purpose fine. But no spiral notebooks or bird feed there.
And what of the restaurant situation now? We hear in the news about food inflation and it's real. However, we don't hear so much grousing on the street about this, not like we used to. I remember when the newspaper raised its single copy price from 50 to 75 cents - there was grousing. I heard it as I did my newsstand collections for the paper.
75 cents! Someone said in raised voice "there isn't 75 cents of news in there." What is the single copy price of this thing called the Steven County Times now? Does anyone care much?
I have heard you can blow a hundred bucks for a meal at the new steak restaurant. People express surprise but I don't sense any real resentment. I think in "the old days" when people fumbled for cash and change all the time, price got more attention and got more people nervous. Because you really were aware that you were spending money. Today we have the plastic cards handy, credit and debit cards. Whip out a card and it does not feel like you are spending money.
We can be more relaxed, maybe, but the whole system could start catching up with us.
I fondly remember the many Saturday mornings in my working years with the Morris paper, going to the restaurant known at the end as "Ardelle's." Saturday morning was like a weekly rite, seeing your friends and neighbors with everyone enjoying a standard breakfast for clearly a middle class price. Bacon, eggs, pancakes, whatever.
The restaurant went out of existence to make way for expansion of a bank. The restaurant was never really replaced in the local business ecosystem. Maybe a restaurant of this type found it tough-go to continue. Many small towns had more than one of these on their "main street." Clearly middle-class places. They must have been successful business ventures.
I live alone and find it is impractical to do much if any food prep at home. As a diabetic, the last thing I need is a fully stocked refrigerator and freezer. I do not find it palatable for getting the raw material for meals at the grocery store, taking the trouble to prepare meals, putting "leftovers" in the fridge and then "doing dishes." I don't need that much to eat. But I want good nutritious food at a reasonable, hopefully middle class price, whatever "middle class" means any more.
A huge development was covid: it wiped out the buffets and salad bars almost completely. Getting "seconds" at a salad bar would help you feel filled up when you left the place. Restaurants still give out refills of the soft drinks pretty liberally. If all else fails you can feel "filled up" that way, but of course it's totally dubious from a nutrition standpoint. But are we content just feeling "filled up?" Even if it's with a questionable approach? I suspect the answer is "yes" for a lot of people.
Restaurants are still decent places to get breakfast. However, there seems a huge drop-off when it comes to meals that are outside of the breakfast menu. Remember that the salad bars are gone. Rare to find a buffet and if you do, how nutritious is all the food really? Remember nutrition?
A void
My prime contact at the U of M-Morris said to me a couple years ago, "I think the town could use another restaurant." She brought up the subject.
We heard about the college town of Moscow, Idaho, a lot after the murders there. The media talked a lot about the small town image of the place - less than ideal "amenities" or so they thought. Big city chauvinism I guess, or grasping stereotypes. My goodness, what would that media say about Morris? I mean, Moscow ID does rings around Morris when it comes to amenities.
Good thing there is no "true crime" magnet in connection with our town now. We came close back in 2005 - where has the time gone? - when we had the quite major news story of the goalpost incident here. But the media came and went. In Moscow, the incident that propelled them is still arousing so much interest and speculation. Why? Easy: the public has decided it isn't being told the whole story. So on and on the speculation and suspicion goes. There is something behind the scenes there.
Moscow has a population of about 25,000, has a vegan restaurant and bagel shops. Morris? I'll let you answer that question, but we do have the new steak restaurant where apparently you can blow a small fortune.
The bars? When I was a young adult, a bar was a place where you went to consume alcohol. You'd sit in a circle with your friends and then if you "bought a round," everyone would be so effusive thanking you. What a total waste of time and money. And then the crackdown came with DWIs.
Today bars emphasize food. I don't doubt you can get a fine meal at a place like the Old No. 1. But think of the price, compare it to dining at a "main street" diner of yesteryear. A "hot beef sandwich" special with a scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy. Any place like that now?
A few months ago the Meals on Wheels was closed for a holiday so I went into Detoy's over noon. Did they have a "special?" Well yes they did, but it was a "crispy chicken sandwich" on hamburger bun with (of course) "fries." I probably had coffee instead of Pepsi because of my health condition. A person can easily make decent instant coffee at home.
My lunch at DeToy's was frankly unsatisfying, sorry. I could be less charitable: "gut bomb." So much for trying to salvage the tradition of a noon hour "special" at a downtown restaurant. But these businesses do what they have to, to survive. And food costs go up markedly.
I recommend DeToy's for their breakfast menu. I can not be so charitable about the other stuff. They used to have a salad bar which really helped, I mean for quantity at least. Gone. Gone with the wind.
I try to get by as best I can. I miss my old friends at Ardelle's Saturday morning - many of these guys have gone on to the next life. Remember the angel character in "It's a Wonderful Life?" He said "there is no money in heaven." And Jimmy Stewart had the rejoinder "Well it's pretty important here."
Good luck relying on all your plastic cards.
On another subject: the DMV
Don't we all love sharing thoughts about the Department of Motor Vehicles? Below is a "news tip" I shared with the Star Tribune this past weekend:
How strict is the DMV with the "vision test" that I know a lot of older people dread? I went in last week for the renewal where they took my picture etc. and they didn't bring up the vision test. I know the postcard I got in advance said I'd have to take it, and I was very concerned.
I have anecdotal evidence on how the state may not be so "strict." One might assume they would be strict.
- A friend told me he struggled with it but when it was over, the employee said "Ah that's good enough."
- I struggled the previous time and the employee, who I knew somewhat, "helped" me on one or two letters, and I wondered if she'd get in trouble for that. But people told me later the state is not all that strict. That puzzles me.
- Another friend told me he struggled, then was referred to the local eye doctor who gave him the OK to pass.
- I saw my own eye doctor as a pre-emptive move, and he said: "There's only one line that you really have to get right." Also, I must have done well enough on their own little exam that day that he said "you can get a note from this office." Of course that would require another paid appointment, and these are partly covered by Medicare which is a Federal program, even though the only reason I'd be there is to satisfy state regulation.
I hope this isn't an arbitrary thing where if you're a buddy of someone who works at the DMV, you have nothing to worry about. That wouldn't be fair.
Why do I care about this? I don't want to buy new car only to find out within months I've lost my license. I can type and proofread this email. So you'll laugh and say I have nothing to worry about. But I know I struggled the previous time at the DMV and for sure my eyes aren't as good now.
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Maybe the state isn't as strict in rural parts of the state where driving is more routine?
I would face hardship if I lost my license.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minneosta - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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