Thread: Would you all like to take a peek as to what I am up against

Not too many of those greasy spoons left anymore, well at least over here in health conscious Multnomah county. It is either trendy food fads or vegan stuff. Fast food places do not count on that either.

I am talking about the small town kind of diners where the waitresses knew everyones preferances, and it was the main place for people to meet in town. You almost cannot find that anymore.

It is a shame that all of that has gone by the wayside for big trendy chain restaurants or the trendy and vegan places owned by the folks I previously posted about, you know, the places that serve things you cannot pronounce!

If you go to Jefferson, Stayton, Aumsville you can still find them. My dad just passed this may and he lived in Jefferson. They all met at one of the restaurants there for breakfast and everyone know everyone type thing. its that home town everyone knows your name type town. Used to be like that here. Not any more. People just grunt at you and act like your nuts if you talk to them. There is little to no community feeling left. Every discount grocery store you go into all you here is Spanish.

Yeah I know, m dad (gone in 2005) loved those places, those were the only ones he ever stopped at when we were on one of our family trips to Eastern Oregon (he had a thing for the high desert).

I grew up in Sandy (town on way to Mt. Hood on highway 26) when it was like that, everyone knew everyone, and their business. Now it is growing rapidly and is not really like that anymore.

Gresham used to be that way, really not that long ago, but it is just another Beaverton now, growing faster than it can handle. Gresham is another big illegal immigrant area now too because of it's proximity to all of the rural farms towards the mountain.

Speaking of grocery stores and Spanish. The Walmart out here has finally slipped in Spanish announcements. We were there a few nights ago, and all we heard was announcements in Spanish and the TV's they have hanging everywhere, also all Spanish. I stood in the middle of the aisle and said out loud "what the heck, are we in Mexico or America?".

Got a lot of dirty looks and a lot of smiles too!

I bought one of the border patrol hats for when I go into Food 4 Less here. It is going to be fun. I do not shop Wal-Mart they made me mad. Will never go back into one of there stores. I shop Target and for what I buy and the prices are the same. I grew up up there I moved her after college. I have family there still. It has changed a lot in 25 years. It has here too.

Grew up in Gresham, or Sandy?

Beaverton-Salem Graduated from Chemeketa.

Mail Tribune just added a sub topic of immigration. I know you Guys/Gals have been helping.

http://www.mailtribuneforum.com/

I love those old places.

There is one in a town near here where we eat every time we can.

The counter has all the color worn off the formice where they have slid plates across it to the folks sitting on the stools. The boothes are all 'broke in' so you fit really good when you sit down and the watiresses call you 'hon'.

The sad things is, there is another one we used to frequent and the last time we stopped there, it was full of illegals. There was one non-illegal. Most of them spoke Spanish, but some spoke English and they were discussing, with the non illegal, whether or not they would be able to stay if they left their spouses and how many times they had been back and forth, etc.

That was very sad.

American_made, so you understand what I mean when I referred to Gresham turning into another Beaverton then?

In 1988 I used to work for PTCU (Portland Teachers Credit Union) and had a friend I worked with who lived in Beaverton, she had horses and invited us out (my daughter was 6 then). I had never been out there, and it was pretty much all country. Now this same area is all condos, apartments, big homes, businesses, restaurants, not even recognizable. That was only 18 years ago.

The last family farm within the main area of Gresham was torn down about 5 years ago, now there is a Winco on it.

I think that people in Oregon like unpopular causes. I was in Portland on business several years ago ,just after the skating fiasco, and there was a billboard on a main thorofare that said "honk if you love Tayna".