Suckling on the glass teat for dinner
Leo | February 29, 2008While you’re all (’all‘ in this case being defined as ‘a very large value of five‘) waiting for us to get our act together here at Food In The Fort, I thought I’d point out Scott Spaulding Greider’s post this morning at The Good City regarding his dinner experience at Granite City. For anyone not in the know, Granite City is a chain microbrewery and restaurant which recently opened up a new restaurant here in Fort Wayne. While a chain microbrewery might sound like something of an oxymoron and thus one should expect the dining experience to be subpar, Scott noted something particularly distasteful on his family’s night out.
There were no less than three large-screen flat-panel TVs in Granite City’s dining room. I can see why this rubbed Scott the wrong way, it certainly would me. I’m not a luddite or some anti-television crusader. Indeed, I think amidst the sea of excrement there are more than a few jewels. Besides, I have my guilty pleasures too. But, and I think the many would agree with me, I don’t want TV inescapably forced on me (and how can it be anything but inescapable when there’s three of the damn things) at my dinner table! Especially when I’m paying through the nose for the damn dinner!
OK, perhaps I’m channeling my inner curmudgeon. However, a night out is meant to be special. It’s meant to be a time away from the distractions of everyday life and a time for pleasant conversation and a good meal with friends and loved ones. So why would Granite City think that anyone wants to have that time intruded upon, and distracted from, by TV?
Almost forty years ago that professional curmudgeon Harlan Ellison described television as The Glass Teat. As he noted in the introduction to his volume of television criticism, the book wasn’t really about television so much as it was about “… the stupidity of much of our culture“. Granite City’s choice to foist television viewing onto its’ dinner patrons, presumably because the chain believes that’s what people want, only goes to show that not much has changed.
About the author: I've only lived in Fort Wayne for slightly less than a year but have grown to love the city in this short time. We're very lucky to have such a diverse food culture that goes far beyond the typical fast food fare. As for cooking, I used to dread it but it's become one of my favorite activities to do with Catherine. There's something very relaxing about cooking and setting down to a nice meal together. Well, it would be relaxing if it weren't for the dog sticking his snout into everything but it's fun nonetheless. Read more from this author
Scott Greider is a contributor to The Good City and
Jon SwerensScott Greider is a contributor to The Good City and wrote the post that you mention, not the other Scott.
Jon Swerens
The Good City
Congratulations on the new blog and thank you for linking
Kevin WhaleyCongratulations on the new blog and thank you for linking to our site. I’m looking forward seeing what you have in store for us!
Just a quick note about your post above - I think you may have the wrong Scott. Mr. Spaulding is one of the authors of Downtown Fort Wayne Baseball (although to be fair, he did leave a comment on the post that you referenced from Scott Greider’s blog.)
Jon and Kevin, thanks for the correction and the welcome.
adminJon and Kevin, thanks for the correction and the welcome. I had just read both DFWB and The Good City when I wrote that post so I guess I had Scott Spaulding on the brain.