The Unapologetic Diner
A husband takes offense when a shopkeeper publicly labels him a 'hog' for his hearty appetite.
A woman came into the store of G. Sides on Tuesday and asked what I thought of a man who would eat two slices of ham, eight eggs, five large potatoes with the skins on, six slices of bread, and two cups of coffee. I said at once that he was a hog. She then informed me that it was her husband and got mad. Just then, her husband came in and asked me what his wife said. I told him and he got sore too. He wanted me to apologize, but I refused and told him if he said any more about it I would publish his name in the Democrat. I still say he is a hog.
“I refused and told him if he said any more about it I would publish his name in the Democrat. I still say he is a hog.”
This small-town grievance illustrates the intimacy of early 20th-century life, where local merchants felt empowered to critique the personal habits of their customers, a far cry from the anonymous service culture of today.
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