It was raining in Los Gatos today.We had lunch/dinner at Denny's. But of course you have to travel out of Los Gatos to find a Denny's. This is a highbrow little town.
I like Denny's. As much as I dislike many of the themed chain restaurants, I think Denny's is good and solid. Pancakes are fluffy and coffee is hot. What more can you want.
I read this article the other day, that I use for class. It talks about the trend of ethnification (that's a word I just made up) of food in film and popular culture in the US. How food becomes this link to a more authentic life, even if it only comes in the shape of an Olive Garden, or an Outback Steakhouse, and you yourself have no link whatsoever to Italy, or Australia.
In this context, authentic equals ethnic. The image of a grandma with an accent and a pile of secret recipes makes people feel good, even though them themselves may not have had such a grandma.
Denny's, on the other hand, is considered cheap and low class. No iconic grandmas anywhere in sight, just hungry people eating bacon. That's why I like it. Denny's doesn't pretend. And I think that's where grandma goes when she wants to put her feet up too.
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