The more things change, the more they stay the same

Living in Pensacola, Florida is a very exhilarating experience. The beaches, surfing, fishing, boating (and yes, eating) are beyond compare. But one thing that I had to get used to was the ever changing attractions; be it restaurants, clubs, even the regular business infrastructure. Yes, the ever present storms during hurricane season can contribute to the change, such as finding your favorite watering hole blown two miles inland. And there is the economy. But one thing that I had to get used to was that Pensacola, being a military city, is a very transient area. Always changing. From neighborhoods to shopping districts, this area is in a constant sea of change. As an Aspergian, it is extremely frustrating. We love our routine. And nothing frustrates me more than to go out to eat at my favorite place, only to find out that it has shut down (curse you Firehouse Subs!). Or even worse, to go to a restaurant that served seafood bordering on ambrosia, only to find out that the menu has changed to a kind of Tex-Mex/French/Italian/Asian kind of place (believe me, I've seen worse).

That was one thing that I rarely had to face as a New Englander in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Nothing ever changed. We bought our pizzas at the same place (Village Pizza, still there thank God), we shopped for clothes at the same place (Wilson's, still there since the mid 1800s), we partied at the same bars, joined the same clubs, it was a life of peaceful continuity. And I loved it. I tell folks about life in Greenfield, and they can't even imagine that such a place exists. Growing up there was a real Norman Rockwell kind of Life (if Norman went to the weekend dinners at the Elks).

So imagine my horror to find out that my favorite hometown restaurant "Bills" shut it's doors. This place had been in business for seven decades, offering some of the best comfort food beyond belief. It's big claim to fame was it's lobster pie, which brought tears to your eyes, it was soooo good. In fact it did receive national recognition in Ford Times magazine (does anyone even know if that monthly is still in existence?). It was the kind of place where the waitresses started out of high school, and generally could work there through retirement. How many of these places still exist? We had company parties there, celebrated birthdays, had wakes, it was a home away from home. And finding out that it had closed caused my heart to skip a beat.

So, it was with some apprehension that I found out that some local business people bought the place and re-opened it as Greenfield Grille. I know from past experience that new restaurants have a very risky time for the first few years (remember "The Station"?, yours truly was a cook there). And with the iffy economy that we are presently living with (I doubt that Boston even knows that Greenfield exists), this could have been a potential problem.

Until the other night. I got a Tweet (yes, I'm a Tweeter, I admit it) that the Grille got a huge shipment of Butter & Sugar corn (I don't care where you are from, this corn is a gift from the Gods) from one of the local farms, and gave it out free with every meal. Now I know to someone that routinely eats at any of the 5-star epicurean chow halls around this country, this might not seem like a big deal. But to a New Englander, and especially someone from Franklin County, this is something that is just done. Any longtime establishment would do it without even thinking. Just a little something to thank your longtime customers, a little local goodwill. And it made my heart soar. Because it showed me that the kind folks at The Greenfield Grille are in it for the long run. And that this place will be there when I bring folks to the area 25 years from now. So if you are ever traveling up I-91 in the Pioneer Valley and your gut starts rumbling, there is a nice un-pretentious place on Federal Street in Greenfield (a little joke, an ounce of pretentious is worth a pound of manure) that will welcome you with open arms, serve you a great meal and offer some down home New England hospitality. Just like it's always been done. The more things change, the more they stay the same.