Going Old School: Our Adventure in Not-So-Fine Dining, Part III

You know how most people hate cafeteria food? Well, I'm not one of those people. In fact, I've eaten in cafeterias pretty regularly my whole life and have fond memories of all the non-K-12 cafeterias in which I've dined, from Morrison's Cafeteria where we used to go with my grandparents, to Rafters Cafeteria on UT Knoxville's campus where we'd eat dinner sometimes if my dad had a late meeting, to Wright's Cafeteria and Ramsey's Cafeteria and even S&S where we'd occasionally have dinner.

I don't know if it's a Tennessee thing or not, but as it turns out, I learned recently that Jenny and Holly, my partners-in-dine, also love a good cafeteria meal. Jenny spent weekends in her Nashville childhood eating at some of the same cafeterias I've listed and at the Bison Room, on David Lipscomb's campus. Holly, who grew up in Memphis, was also known to frequent S&S and Morrison's. I'll also mention because it's noteworthy (read: WEIRD) that both Holly and our friend Lindsay who's from Maryville, TN told me that they knew people who'd eat in the local hospital cafeteria, not because they knew anyone staying in the hospital, but because the cafeteria was so conveniently located.

Last night, for our third trip down Memory Lane, I guess you could say it was our destiny to eat at a cafeteria, so we went to the only existing cafeteria we could find: Piccadilly Cafeteria, deep in the heart of a somewhat shady part of town with a lot of hourly motels in close proximity. 

We'd originally planned to get there at 7 so that we wouldn't hit Nashville traffic during rush hour, but when I was researching the menu, I noticed that Piccadilly closes at 8. Yes, 8 PM. Though I was a bit surprised initially, I soon figured that the average Piccadilly diner probably eats dinner around 4:30 or 5. And by "average," I mean people whose median age is likely 65+. No offense to any AARP members reading this blog, but seriously:




Anyway, we arrived at 6:30 instead, and the place was not exactly "jumping," to borrow an expression from Jenny (and my dad), but the few people scattered around the dining hall seemed to be eating with gusto. So I whipped out my phone to document the adventure and led the charge to the trays.




Jenny, Holly, and I not only grew up eating in cafeterias, but we do still eat every day in a cafeteria during the school year, so we're pretty much cafeteria connoisseurs. Thus, you won't be surprised to learn that I didn't have to ask for instructions on the Piccadilly protocol. (Well, actually, I did have to ask where the line started, but that question doesn't count because I asked Jenny and not an actual worker). So we each grabbed a tray and then got to choose a salad, an entree, a vegetable, and a bread OR an entree, two vegetables, and a bread. Dessert was a separate charge. It was honestly hard to decide because everything looked fresh and good.

There was pecan-crusted chicken, chicken tenders, fried chicken, sausage, red beans and rice, fried fish, country-fried steak, and chicken and dumplings. The vegetables I can remember were brussels sprouts, broccoli, corn, cabbage, and collard greens. They had other sides like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, and scalloped potatoes. There were four or five kinds of bread, lots of pies, and some cakes. After making some tough decisions, we loaded up our trays and paid for our meals--$12 per person.

I was first through the line, so I walked through the dining room to find a table; it was huge dining room with many, many empty tables because I mean, we were practically eating at midnight CST (Cafeteria Standard Time). Just like at Ryan's and at Shoney's, as I looked around to find the best place to sit, it felt once again like entering a different dimension. The floral carpet was straight out of the 80's, the plain brown tables and chairs all had wheels on them, and there were fake flowers everywhere.

When I chose a table and sat down, a very nice Piccadilly's worker came up to me immediately to ask if she could get me anything and then added, "Are you eating alone, honey?" She seemed genuinely concerned for me until I assured her that my friends were right behind me. The interesting thing is that there were several people probably in their 40's or early 50's eating alone at Piccadilly; maybe they were in town on business. I hope so because otherwise, that just seems really sad, like there's some lonely cafeteria subculture I know nothing about--and hope never to know anything about.

Anyway, here's what we ended up with on our respective trays. I got fried chicken, mac and cheese, broccoli, bread, and red velvet cake:



Jenny got fried fish, mac and cheese, fried okra, and coconut cream pie:

 

Holly got pecan-crusted chicken (her regular Piccadilly entree as a kid), a veggie rice casserole, corn, and what looked like key lime pie but ended up being cheesecake:

 

 

Now after our disappointing trip to Ryan's, we didn't have great expectations for this cafeteria meal even though the food had looked rather appetizing on the line. Well, we were VERY pleasantly surprised because everything was delicious. My fried chicken was super crunchy and not greasy; Jenny felt the same way about her fried fish and fried okra; Holly's chicken was great. The accompanying food was good, too. The desserts weren't as impressive as the rest of the meal, but we still enjoyed them. I would go back to Piccadilly if I were ever in the area and would recommend it to anyone who wants some good southern food with some nostalgia served on the side.

Next week we're going a bit more "upscale"; we're heading to the Olive Garden. I have to say, though, that while I'm definitely curious to see if the salad and breadsticks are as good as I remember, to be honest, I think I'm going to miss the trays.  And of course, I'm going to miss this: