Travesty

I received a disturbing message from one of my close seminary friends this weekend: “The Uptown Diner can’t stay open late anymore.” To quote Shaggy from Scooby Doo, "Zoinks!" Supposedly, the diner is no longer permitted to serve food after such-and-such hour on weekends without such-and-such a legal permit. The owners are supposedly petitioning (and have petitions readily available) for keeping said diner open during their night-owl hours. What a ghastly message! How depressing! It would seem that my personal tradition has come to an end and it is as if Minneapolis itself died a little bit “on the inside” this weekend: eating sinfully good food after midnight. Moreover, this travesty closes an important chapter in my life. And what kind of “chapter” could possibly be governed by the closing time of an after hour diner? Here’s some insight.

I started seminary three years ago. Shortly after moving to the Twin Cities from Decorah, IA—my life changed dramatically. There was no “constant” in my life: no buddies or girlfriends. I was raptured from my comfortable life and capriciously placed in an unfamiliar setting. Fortunately, two of my close friends started school in the Twin Cities and moved into an apartment together. Their place became my home away from home—which happened to be close to the infamous diner. It was the perfect hotspot after an evening out on the town: a beacon in the night, a place to absolve and soak up all that ailed me (sinfully delightful). But it became much more than a diner to me; it was a place of community, communion, and conversation (this thing we call fellowship). It was our place: our constant. The chapter must come to a close!

Though is it unfortunate said diner cannot continue serving into the twilight hours--I suppose it is time that I grow up and learn to go to bed at normal, humanly hours of the night (and not eat anything after midnight). I wish you all a wonderful day. You should check out the diner if you get a chance. They've got the best waffle fries ever!

-Dan