Cheap Breakfasts and a Hon

There are many wonderful things about Oklahoma that deserve praise - the speed at which one can obtain a driver's license, cheap biscuits, and colorful Indian names for places on our maps are three that leap to mind - but none is more outstanding than the friendliness of the people.

When I entered Duffy's Diner at the crack of noon today for breakfast the waitresses received me as if the one thing that had kept them from happiness was the absence of me in their lives. I did not know them - I had not been to Duffy's in years - but the waitress with the sandy blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail called me "hon" and showed me to my very own plastic laminate table by the window. She did not say, 'So do you want coffee or what,' which I believe is the traditional greeting in New York eateries.

This is the kind of welcome you can expect to receive in a cafe in Oklahoma - even some of the chain restaurants. But the independents are my preference. These are places where the owners are workers also - like Duffy, the friendly Lebanese-Oklahoman that inquired after my well-being. And a hearty breakfast cost less than $5! Everytime I travel I look forward to returning to this place - Oklahoma.