Five Pounds, Fried Chicken & Fond Memories

I have fond memories of going out to eat with my parents in the 1960s. I was a chubby little kid, and “eating healthy” was a foreign concept. Fried food was definitely the “in” thing.

One of our regular spots was an all-you-can-eat fried-chicken-and-mashed-potatoes restaurant at the Toledo Airport. A giant Toledo Scale stood outside the restaurant, and I had a ritual: I would weigh myself before dinner and again on the way out. I was very proud when I could gain five pounds. My dad could at least be confident he got his money’s worth.

Another favorite was Glen’s on Toledo’s east side. The buffet was huge, the food was tasty and cheap, and there was plenty of it. Glen was about 50, wore a chef’s hat, and always looked like he needed a shave. His cook was his 70-something-year-old mother. It wasn’t fancy, but as a kid, I thought it was great.

Back then, I didn’t think much about eating healthy. Going out to eat was about the food, the experience, and time with my family.

Funny how decades later, it’s not necessarily the food I remember most. It’s the people, the places, and the little traditions.