Last time my parents were here to visit, we went in search of a spot to find breakfast before they drove back to our home in Connecticut. When we where searching, we found a small but well reviewed diner. The Staten Island Diner seemed like a nice enough spot to grab a bite to eat. The interior was bright and welcoming, and those inside seemed to be enjoying their meal. Anyone who is a native to the Island and have had the pleasure of dining here before, may have their own opinion on the spot, but for us it was a great and easy place to get some food. Just like many other diners, when we got the menu, we saw that it had pages and pages of options. Not only did they have pancakes and french toast, but they had entire rows of toppings and flavors. This was something that is pretty typical of a diner environment so I didn’t thing much of it, and ordered Nutella and peanut butter pancakes because I was feeling particularly indulgent and why not? I’m young. When the food arrived all looked good and we couldn’t wait to dig in. But in my pancakes, I had a tiny symbol starting back at me. Stuck into my flapjacks was a tiny American flag. I thought this was ironic considering the size of the meal (which was much larger than I had assumed it would be). This got me thinking, is this obsession with large portion sizes and the diner mentality of bigger being better a universal thing across the country? Has every diner you’ve been to had the same staple in size? Or is it just something that is prevalent on the East Coast? I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this and could share their thoughts. Here is a picture of my meal. Though delicious, it was definitely too much for me to eat in one sitting, and was unfortunately at the mercy of an unprepared customer. Hopefully some of you who have been across the country can add to this post. It the size of a ‘diner portion’ standard?

Shannon Bailey