Notable Eateries and Hole-in-the-Walls from the Past
Deerhead Diner, Jackson Heights (Courtesy of the New York Public Library)
In the neighborhood surrounding the Atlanta University Center (AUC) complex there were notable eateries like Paschal’s, and more humble holes-in-the-wall in which college students sought refuge from their respective college cafeteria menus. In the 1950s and 1960s, AUC students “were trying to go some place and get good food off campus. Because the food was just institutional,” says Stanlie M. James who attended Spelman in the late 1960s. It was not like today where college cafeterias are operated like a food court with salad bars, pasta bars, and lots of options. James, originally from Iowa, goes on to say, when she was a student at Spelman, “if they were having liver and onions, then that’s what they were having.” So those who could at neighborhood cafés, cafeterias, restaurants, or mom and pop joints that sold carry out items like fried fish sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, and barbecue sandwiches. Please comment on your favorite eateries and menu items from the past.
