RoadsideOnline

"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read."

Can't one be both?

That's the question I'd have for G. K. Chesterton, whom I'm quoting here. I'm always eager to read any book I can get my hands on. My home is overflowing with books that neither my wife Jan nor I can bear to get rid of. Many have yet to be read by either of us, and still a week doesn't go by that the collection doesn't grow by at least a book or two.

I finally found Charlie’s Diner!

Well, one of them. And I didn’t really find it, someone found it for me. But let me bask in my success in any case, because discovery is one of the charms of the Mom ‘N Pop Culture.

There was no special magic, mind you, about Charlie’s Diner. My quest had more to do with my destination. At least a few times each year I’d find myself on the way up to the Eastern States Exhibition grounds in West Springfield, Mass., to participate in shows related to the racing-trade. I used to publish a small racing magazine that covered the sport here in New England, you see.

Once the shows started I was a slave to my booth, but after setting up the day before a show I’d have a little time to meander back to my Rhode Island home. What better way to spend a bit of it than by tucking in to lunch at a local diner. Yet I still was a babe in the woods of diner exploration. I’d google "diners" and "Springfield, Mass.," and get a couple of names. And the one that would catch my attention would be Charlie’s, right there in West Springfield.

Economics professors like to talk about economies of scale. It's a popular notion for those who want to grow a financial empire (and to an MBA candidate why else would anyone want to be in business?).

Economies of scale means that the more of anything you buy the better a per-unit price you can negotiate because the more a seller stands to add to their bottom line with each sale. It also means that's many per-purchase expenses, such as the ones associated with documentation, shipping, etc., can be reduced simply by making fewer purchases. Figure it takes as long to retrieve and package ten widgets as it does to do so with one widget.

Allie's Donuts in North Kingstown, Rhode Island

Consider the humble doughnut.

It's a simple pastry. Mix a few basic ingredients into dough, roll the dough out, cut circles from the rolled-out dough, and deep-fry. Sure, there are a million ways to enhance a

doughnut's simple base with frostings and fillings, sugar and cinnamon. But the essence of a doughnut remains - humble.

As is often the case, though, making such a simple item special is anything but simple. And as the doughnut has seen its status as a breakfast-staple diminish, there is less incentive than ever to make much of an effort to do it.

I am continually on the lookout for the sort of mom-and-pop establishments that can become personal favorites and that now, with this blog, I can share with you. But on this day all I was looking for was a place close to work where I could grab some lunch.

What I found, around the corner from my employer in West Warwick, RI, was one of the best discoveries I've ever made - as well as a reaffirmation of why I go looking in the first place. The day I made my first visit to Tutto Italiano I didn't really have the time to venture far from work to patronize any of my favorite haunts. Besides, it had been a long and monotonous morning, and I was in need of a little adventure.

The place didn't look much different than it had when it was Riccotti's, but where a counter had been there now were two display cases. One was filled with a variety of cold-cuts and cheeses. The other held trays of prepared entrees like veal and eggplant Parmesan, escarole soup and meatballs in marinara sauce. I chose a grinder (that's sub to you) of veal and peas. This was a dish I'd never seen before, and it sure looked good - good enough that I ignored the fact I'd sworn off veal.