Last week, we went to Savannah to shop. Our plans for the day included eating lunch at Picadilly Cafeteria in the Oglethorpe Mall, always a treat for us. When we reached the doorway, much to our disappointment, we were greeted by a sign announcing that this particular site in the chain was now closed. The end of an era.
According to a WTOC report, this cafeteria served its last meal to Savannah residents on Sunday, March 6. The nearest Picadilly Cafeteria to us now is in Jacksonville, FL.
During my growing up years, dining at a cafeteria was really a treat. Whenever my mother and I dressed up, gloves and all, to go by streetcar to downtown Dallas, Texas, to shop, we almost always ate at Dutton’s Cafeteria. It’s where I first developed a taste for Harvard beets. I felt so grown up. When Bob and I married, my uncle, vice president of a cafeteria chain - Wyatt’s - gave us our wedding cake. The chain’s chief pastry chef baked it, complete with white sugary lattice hearts connecting the iced layers adorned with roses handcrafted from the frosting.
Although Bob and I, as newlyweds, often ate at Wyatt’s, we also patronized Jay’s Cafeteria down the street from our duplex. As a young mother of a toddler, I regularly picked up my grandmother and the three of us treated ourselves to lunch at Wyatt’s Cafeteria. The favorite dish at this cafeteria was its Eggplant Casserole. Today, none of these cafeterias are in operation. Some of our Texas friends who live in metropolitan areas still enjoy eating at Luby’s Cafeterias.
Restaurants requiring customers to carry selected dishes on trays these days are pretty much limited to institutions like schools and hospitals. According to experts, the decline of the commercial cafeteria began with the introduction of fast food restaurants and sped up with the arrival of the super-sized all-you-can-eat buffets.
Bob and I have discussed why we prefer cafeterias to buffets, but we tend to talk in general terms. First, cafeterias offer fewer choices and we think that may be one reason why the food taste better to us than those places which serve unlimited amounts of a multitude of dishes.
I’m reminded of a quote I recently heard on a NPR program interviewing a Syrian refugee who had just made his first trip to a supermarket. He said, “A million choices is like zero. How do you choose?” The man, who asked to remain anonymous because he still had family living in Syria, was overwhelmed by too much choice.
Perhaps, Bob and I prefer cafeterias to buffets because it’s easier to control the amount of food one does choose from a limited display. I’m still plagued by my mother’s caution. “Choose what you want, but eat all on your plate.” Those words are probably familiar to most of my generation. I still feel guilty when I leave food uneaten.
A couple of years ago, I tried Piccadilly’s Carrot Soufflé for the first time. It was delicious. Back at home, I searched the Internet for a recipe and came up with one pretty similar to the dish the cafeteria served. It’s now one of our favorite vegetables. (I cut the ingredients in half when I make it for the two of us.) Whenever I serve it in the future, I guess, it will now have a bittersweet taste to me.
Carrot Soufflé
2 lbs. carrots, chopped
1⁄2 cup melted butter
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, beaten
Confectioners' sugar (for dusting)
Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. To the carrots add melted butter, white sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla extract and eggs. Mix well (I use the blender) and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
2016
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