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• 1 2018-12-07T17:01:59+00:00 Trends in Glassboro Dining 9 How dining has changed in Glassboro since the 1950's plain 2018-12-13T18:24:38+00:00 Local and Global Trends
  The evolution of public dining in Glassboro has been dramatic and recent. As I interviewed local residents and historians of Glassboro, I learned quite a lot about the history of 'eating out' around Glassboro State College/Rowan University over the years.
  
  It's easy to assume that the way things are now are the way they've always been. I'm used to grabbing sushi, gyoza, kebabs, burgers, mochi, tostadas, and bubble tea when I'm hungry. It seems the areas around us are permeated with cultural food and restaurants. But the public dining scene wasn't always this diverse. 
  
  Back in the 1950's, dining primarily meant going to diners. As both Maureen St. John and Andrew Halter recall, there were few other options. This meant dates, family meals, and Sunday afternoon lunches were all held at diners, with traditionally 'American' food- often with some Italian food. Diner menus, like the one below, had consistent and almost standardized selections of breakfast foods, coffee, and hot or cold sandwiches.
  
  
  St. John recalls that there were no 'fine dining' options when she attended Rowan. According to her, when families visited the college, diners became packed because there was nowhere else to eat. She also remembers in the 1970's, when coffee shops became the newest trend. 
  
  Andrew Halter has noticed a significant change in dining around Glassboro as well. Since the days of diner dominance, a larger and more diverse spread of food options has blossomed on and off campus. Even the dining hall in the Student Center has a Chinese food vendor. 
  
  Having grown up in this time, it isn't strange to me to see three Asian restaurants within a three minute drive down Delsea Drive. I have also noticed the number of diners around Glassboro is more than I see in my hometown in North Carolina. They stand as tradition and almost cateer to a romanticized sense of place. The foods there are offered at newer restaurants, but locals keep attending diners out of feeling at home. 
  
  But even diners themselves aren't immune to trends and changes. P&B's Diner was renovated less than two years after its purchase to the style of the era- a sleek, chrome exterior that was immensely popular at the time. The 1950's was looking to the future, and the diner changed to reflect the mind of the times. Less than ten years after that, it was renovated again to a colonial style, speaking to the nostalgia of the era in the face of the counterculture that was gaining traction. 
  
  P&B's went through several renovations to keep up with the times; with an alcohol license and a tap room expansion, the diner became a center of live entertainment. 'Diners' in the traditional sense- 24 hour small eateries- are going out of fashion these days. In an era of convenience and diversity, diners are having trouble standing the test of time, even in New Jersey- the most diner-concentrated area of the country. 
  
  
  
  
  Hidden History
  Just like we take for granted the diversity of today's dining, it easy to look at the history of diners as inherently 'American' and without issue. But the easy narrative of P&B's Diner is quite clearly missing historical context. 
  
  There is no mention of the background of the owners, but they almost certainly came from Greek immigrant families- with surnames of Petsas and Benas. This follows the generally non-emphasized fact that a lot of small business owners throughout history have been immigrants or have recent immigrant ancestors. It is all too easy to look at dining in South Jersey as a 'white' activity, without racial tension or issues.
  
  There is also no mention of segregation or civil rights in the history of P&B's Diner, though it is near impossible for the diner to not be affected by these historical events. The diner opened pre-integration, and stayed open through the Civil Rights Movement. Diners were popular places for sit-ins for the movement, and P&B's diner could have had to navigate those events. 
  
  It is naive to assume that the diner was not impacted by immigrant or black narratives- these stories permeated the country at this point in history, and it shows us how easily these narratives are considered unimportant and left out of written history. Because of the lack of records about P&B's diner and social issues, we may never know how the local area was affected.