P&B's Diner; How Local Dining Follows Global Trends

Implications

Learning about both the local history of a place as well as the global trends that influenced and surrounded it puts into perspective the complex interactions of places we may consider 'unchanging'. The truth is apparent from the moment we stop to consider the world around us- nothing is isolated and unaffected by larger scale trends and events. 

History is dynamic and ever-changing. The history of diners and public dining is the same. Even a small local diner in South Jersey followed more widespread renovation trends and was not limited to a single narrative. Places have multiple stories, even if all we see is the official history. As a culture we tend to romanticize our experiences, and look at a single, public story as the only facet of history and consider it 'ideal'. People yearn for times gone by, and nostalgia is a familiar feeling for all of us. However, in holding a romanticized or reactionary view of the past, we fail to see things for what they really were. 

This project was really impactful for me. I had never really stopped to consider before how a closed down diner I had driven past was anything more than it appeared on the surface. However, I was forced to stop, search, and find the plural histories and dynamics of a 'simple diner' on Delsea Drive. My research really highlighted how even the things we consider to be localized are affected by the global stories around us, and how one history is not the only history.