Credit: Prepared Food Photos
One of the things I loved about practicing law in a small town like Ottumwa, Iowa was going into the café on Saturday morning and having Helen the waitress walk up to my booth set down a a tin beaker of cream, fill my coffee mug, and say those magic words, “Your usual?”
“Yep.” And she would call out my order to the cook. And just about the time I turned the front page of the Des Moines Register, I would receive two scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, and whole wheat toast. Never failed. Never a mistake.
But after about a year I decided to cut down on cholesterol so when I ate elsewhere, I would have one scrambled egg, hash browns, and whole wheat toast. One morning in my usual café a new waitress approached me and offered me a menu.
“Hi, I’m Angie. I just started,” she said. “I’m Helen’s daughter.”
I ordered one scrambled egg, hash browns, and whole wheat toast.
Angie caught on quick and from then on when I showed up for breakfast either Angie or Helen would ask if I wanted my usual, I would say yes, and I would get one of two different breakfasts, depending on the waitress.
One Saturday I was engrossed in the Des Moines Register when I looked up and saw both waitresses standing in front of me with stern looks and arms crossed.
“What is your usual?” they asked in unison.
“Depends who asks,” I said sheepishly. Helen offered to adopted Angie’s usual, but I decided we should continue with my two different usuals, and just go with the luck of the draw.
Canteen Lunch in the Alley
While we are on the subject of food in Ottumwa, I would be remiss if I did not mention the Canteen. It was established in 1927 and moved to its location in the alley in 1936. I checked and it is still in operation today. It was steps away from the back door of our office, which was very important if you wanted a seat, as you will see.
Its formal name was Canteen Lunch in the Alley and it served ‘loose meat sandwiches.’
A loose meat sandwich, Canteen style.
To quote Wikipedia, ‘The sandwich and operations are intriguing in design. Every day, the lunchroom prepares 100–150 lbs of ground beef. The grind is finer than standard store ground beef. Attempts to use a coarser grind were immediately noticed by the patrons and rejected in favor of the finer grind. The sandwich is served on an oversized custom-made hamburger bun that is cut and left hinged just prior to making the sandwich. The sandwich is placed in a custom wax paper wrapper that has a thicker than average wax coating for extra protection. A teaspoon is traditionally included with the sandwich to scoop out any remaining beef from the paper after finishing the sandwich.
‘The layout of the restaurant is just as essential to the lunchroom’s success. The horseshoe-shaped counter wraps around the freestanding metal steamer. One waitress continually stirs the beef as it cooks in full sight of the patrons. Another waitress cuts the buns and adds the condiments, and another ladles the loose meat onto the buns and wraps them in their signature wax paper. This show is an integral part of the dining experience for the canteen’s new and seasoned customers.’ Wikipedia, Canteen Lunch in the Alley
I ate there too many times to count with Nancy Thompson, our office manager, who was quite a fan of the place, as were many people in Ottumwa. You might find yourself sitting between a judge and a cowpoke wearing a dusty cowboy hat and the strong aroma of the corral. And with limited seating and a large lunch rush, Nancy always made sure we scooted out the back door and across the alley before noon to get a seat.
Of course, Nancy was not the only person in town with this bright idea, and soon it turned into a ‘Beat the Clock’ version of an arms race, with people leaving their offices earlier and earlier to score a stool, first at 11:55, then 11:50, then 11:40.
And woe to those who thought they would beat the rush and come by at 1:30 because there might not be any loose meat left, after all, they only cooked 150 pounds.
Out for Justice 