A crazy friend of mine used to take his coffee with half half & half and half milk– I told you, sorta crazy. I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but I love the concept of half and half. Like soup and a salad, or half of a sandwich and a fruit cup, or even half of two different sammies. Chances are when you order two things, one of them is great, but hopefully both are at least good. To me it’s like playing the odds.
I’m not one to order lamb chops at the diner— there I stick to the basics of grilled cheese, a Greek omelet, or chicken souvlaki. When Matty and I go dinering, we sometimes split a grilled cheese with bacon and a tuna melt. I love those meals! I’m always amazed when someone comes in at 3 in the afternoon and orders the prime rib special that is hand scribbled in pink neon on the light up board near the register. It is a diner, not The Old Homestead Steakhouse! Are ya sure prime rib is your best option here? Do you think they move enough of them to ensure your meat will be impossibly fresh and delicious? That seems like quite an expensive gamble.
And speaking of… have you noticed that diner prices for simple things like chicken fingers have gotten extreme in NYC? (Ok, kill me now if I sound like a coupon clipping geriatric, but it’s true!) A turkey club at my neighborhood diner is now $19.95! For twenty bucks I can afford an extraordinary cheeseburger with bacon jam, extra pickles and a side of fries at The Smith, but I’d much prefer to order the burger and a goat cheese and apple salad and split them with someone— any takers?
I just like the concept of one from column A and one from column B. Then when the food comes I have options… like do I eat the hot food first, or eat my favorite first? Or a bite of each as I tackle the duo? I guess that depends on what exactly I ordered that day. And less of more doesn’t make me feel like I’m overindulging. But regardless of the specific menu, a split always makes me happy (especially if it’s a mini champagne), unless I actually have to perform one myself!
jenslittleblackbook.com 