Yesterday my brother Dave, his son James, and I were driving across Illinois, bringing the motorhome from Boise, ID. We all agreed we’d like to try something non-chainlike. The GPS suggested a place called The Railroad Street Coffee Shop, on 120 Main Street in Altamont, Illinois. We happily drove past a McDonald’s, a Subway, and a few other chain shops, and into Altamont proper, past the playground and the quiet residences of the bucolic town, named from the Latin for City of Plain, and originally a part of Mound Township.
According to Wikipedia, William Henry Perrin wrote in 1883: “The name of Mound Township was bestowed upon it in consequence of what is known as the neighborhood of Blue Mound… [where] recently, the Government has erected a signal observatory upon it, some seventy-five to one hundred feet in height, from the top of which one may look across the States of Missouri and Arkansas and see the cowboys watching their herds on the prairies of Texas.”
We missed the cowboys yesterday, but found a cook’s mess that would have warmed a hungry cowpoke’s heart. When you walk in the door of the Open Door Diner (under new name and management, GPS!), the first thing that confronts you is the Wall of Shame, a vast poster board of those unfortunates who were bested by Gramps Challenge, an intimidating breakfast heap if ever one was concocted. A sampling of the epitaphs: Bigger shovels just fill the hole faster!! On the up side, I have breakfast for the week. As of yesterday, four noble souls had conquered the Gramps Challenge, and lived to achieve a Certificate of Achievement.
The rules are simple: You have 30 minutes. No trips to the bathroom. No help. No regurgitation (that would be messy). With roughly 700 miles to go before the trip was complete, we were not even tempted. But I did sample a concoction called Cooks Garbage Can. It was huge, and heavenly.
Vennia and James are the husband-wife team that have owned and operated The Open Door Diner for the last three years. Yesterday, Vennia waited tables while James tended the grill. Their daughters also work there, and family members support missions to Cuba, Panama, and other far flung locations in support of their church.
In our haste to get from Point A to Point B with the minimum of fuss, we are losing something vital: experiencing the small Vennia-and-James establishments. Mom and Pop, who, while they understand the need to make a buck, also will whimsically concoct a creation that is a wonderful culinary grab bag, and who invest their lives into their work, their community, and their world.
Tonight is the gala fundraiser for the next mission effort coming up. Give generously, and trust me: Don’t be afraid to order anything on the menu at the Open Door Diner on Main Street, Altamont. And allow yourself enough time to gab with the proprietors. You’ll be glad you did.