52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Restaurants

 
Week 16: Restaurants. What was your favorite local restaurant as a child? Where was it located, and what was your favorite meal? Did you know the staff personally? What is your favorite restaurant now?

 
My favorite restaurant from as far back as I can remember was McDonald's.  My daddy would take me there.  I would stand in the middle of the bench truck seat, sidle up to him, slip my little arm around his neck and pronounce, "My froat [throat] is thirsty!"  Meaning:  I want to go to McDonald's.  It was a rite of passage when I graduated from a hamburger to a Quarter Pounder when I was 9 or 10 years old.  To this day, I eat too much McDonald's.  Their french fries are the best!

However, other than Daddy taking me to McDonald's occasionally for lunch, we never ate out except when on vacation.  My mother worked every day, all day, drove over 30 minutes home, and cooked supper every night.  I don't even recall eating out while growing up - even on those annual North Carolina vacations - though I know we had to eat.  But at home, eating out just wasn't done.  Which may go a long way in explaining why I do not like to cook and eat out a LOT. 

I don't actually go to many restaurants now and sit down to eat a meal.  Mostly, I pick up food and bring it home to eat in front of the TV.  However, when we do go out, invariably it is to the local Mexican restaurant, Pacho's.  They are by far the best Mexican restaurant I've ever been to, and every friend or family member we've ever taken there agrees.  I have one friend who comes over occasionally to scrapbook, and Pacho's is the ONLY place she wants to eat lunch when she's here!  I used to know all the staff by name; however, we don't go as much anymore and there has been turnover.  One of the managers there is wonderful and always has time for a hug and chat when we visit. 

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2011) that invite genealogists and others to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. If you do not have a genealogy blog, write down your memories on your computer, or simply record them on paper and keep them with your files.