A couple good quotes from Phoebe Damrosch Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter (New York: William Morrow, 2007)
In my opinion, a good diner must pass three tests. First, it must have more booths than tables. Second, the patty melt should be revered; I should not have to specify rye or choose a cheese. Most important, a chocolate milkshake must be made with chocolate ice cream--not vanilla with chocolate syrup--and it has to be served with the remaining shake in the silver blender cup in which it was made.
We spent money on two things: food and something we soon named "everyday luxury." Under this heading fell things like eight-dollar toothpaste. Yes toothpaste can be had for a quarter of that, but we decided that if it increased our love of live at least twice a day, it was worth it. The softest underwear. Good coffee, butter, jam, and mustard. Cabs. Flowers. Slab bacon. Triple-ply toilet paper. Big fluffy towels and bathrobes. Magazine subscriptions. Cuff links and silver bracelets. Wine. Day trips. Of course, everyday luxury is in the eye of the beholder. For some people, it might be boxed cereal, a dye job, or day care. For others, it might be a private jet or a Calder mobile.
