Mom's

We recently spent a pleasant evening at Mom's on 6th and Main where one can dine on simple but very reasonably priced cooking. The atmosphere is straight out of the fifties at home, with Formica-topped, kitchen tables and sticky, plastic-covered, dining chair cushions. A jukebox in the background played Paul Anka, Buddy Holly and the King. Several of the patrons were dressed for the part, for example a guy with a pack of Camels in the rolled up sleeve of his T-shirt and girls with wide skirts and saddle shoes.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill fifties food restaurant. For one thing, there's no menu. If you don't care for Mom's casserole, you can sneak bits to the dog under the table or take home leftovers in a school lunchbox doggy bag, otherwise you have to finish up everything on your plate ("There are millions of starving kids in China"). On our visit, we were served meatloaf and lima beans with Miracle Whip topped Jell-O for dessert. Beverages were limited to plastic tumblers of whole milk, Kool-Aid, beer and, on special days, a brown cow (cola and ice cream). A few customers ordered TV dinners and retreated to the "living room" to watch Humphrey Bogart on a little black and white TV. Other evenings have featured macaroni and cheese, sloppy joes or spaghetti from the can. Breakfast can vary from oatmeal to rice crispies with cream to Wonder Bread french toast covered with real butter and maple syrup. Lunch at Mom's can consist of sandwiches with baloney, peanut butter and jelly or egg salad and a soup du jour (pea, tomato or cream of mushroom).

Beyond the humble, wholesome food, the courteous but stern service brings out the kid in you. An aproned woman from the staff sits at each table to ask how school went and to admonish slouchers to sit up straight. Though everyone is expected to clear off the table, money can be saved by cranking the ice cream maker, taking out the garbage or washing the dishes. Each chore results in a gold star, and three gold stars in a month will earn you an "allowance", a rebate on the next meal.