Earl's All-You-Can-Eat is the first black-owned restaurant in Plainview, Indiana. In what ways does the diner itself shape the lives of the main characters and the community in general?
Created: 04/08/13
Replies: 15
Join Date: 10/15/10
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Join Date: 06/18/12
Posts: 49
The Diner is the center point of the novel and for most of the characters in the novel. Many of the experiences recounted in the book took place at Earls. Earls is a destination throughout the lives of the Supremes. They meet there after Church every Sunday, they used to hang out there as teens, spouses were first encountered there and so many other momentous events. Earl, the man and his house, also figure heavily as an influence on all of the Supremes with Barbara Jean even living there for a time.
Join Date: 04/20/11
Posts: 99
The diner is like the post office used to be in a small NE Oregon town where I worked for two summers as a teen. It was where folks gathered to exchange news, good and bad, to congratulate each other or to commiserate. Or simply to sit outside in the sun for a bit, relax and converse with others in the small town. At the diner, there is the advantage of sharing coffee, a coke, a meal; relaxing events while lives are discussed and made whole by the sharing.
Join Date: 10/25/12
Posts: 83
Earl's Diner served as an equalizer. It didn't matter what church you went to, how much money you had, whether you were male or female, or later the color of your skin, everyone was welcome and everyone came to eat. Big Earl also shared a lot of wisdom with those who asked or needed a little help. Earl's was a place the community counted on. The diner remained a staple in the community's life during a time of great social change. Earl's was like "comfort food" to all who ate there. Earl's actually was another character in the novel.
Join Date: 09/16/11
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Join Date: 06/18/12
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Join Date: 04/14/11
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The diner was like the old general store used to be -- everyone could talk to each other and catch up on the latest gossip. It is very central to this novel -- the three women first became the Supremes at the diner, future husbands were met and flirted with and now that the women are older, it is an important part of their lives.
Join Date: 04/28/11
Posts: 93
Earl's was a focal gathering point for the town, no matter what church you went to or not. It was a place to let your hair down and be with your friends and/or enemies. It was a tradition that they kept as a group throughout their lives. Oh for that kind of place in today's world...
Join Date: 01/12/12
Posts: 298
Please don't let this date me (!) but I grew up in a tiny town that still had a soda fountain drug store. I'm not THAT old but it occurred to me soda fountains were small town gathering places, too, once upon a time. It was archaic when I was a kid, and they took it out when I was still in grade school, but I did go there a couple times with friends.
What are the gathering places now? Starbucks and other coffee/bagel/sandwich places. Where there's wi-fi and coffee people will gather!
Join Date: 01/24/13
Posts: 5
Earl's was home away from home. The Supremes were a family sharing conversation and meals together. They were closer than some blood sisters. They were able to share, to understand to really listen to each other at thi\eir corner of the world.
Join Date: 06/13/11
Posts: 37
Everyone needs a 3rd place - home, work - and where you go when you need to go someplace else. For many people that might be a "local" or a coffee shop - clearly it was the diner for these women and - in general - for the town. The place where everybody knows your name.
Join Date: 08/11/11
Posts: 69
Join Date: 04/18/12
Posts: 12
Earl's Diner not only "feeds souls," as debracoley so nicely stated, but it provides a home feeling for people...a place to go and feel accepted and cared for. I have experienced a place like this in my life, and it's a wonderful feeling, knowing you have people who you can identify with and who are there for you through thick and thin.
Join Date: 12/07/12
Posts: 68
Eating together is one of the important things families do together. The diner made a family of several families by bringing them together there. They met one another. They ate together and danced together. It served as a place to see others in the community you otherwise wouldn't have seen. It was a stage for some plot development.
Join Date: 05/10/12
Posts: 48
The diner provides a place that is not home or work. Most of us have one of these...a place where we go to meet others and have friendly conversation with people we enjoy. It could be a local coffee shop, the library or a diner. It is nice to be a "regular" somewhere. The diner provides this environment for the characters.
Join Date: 09/26/12
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