Restaurant 4: Pie N' Burger

Or cracking open the high school year book I may be the most nostalgic person you’ll ever meet. Did I take marching band with you in seventh grade? Let’s talk about it on the phone. Did I have a brief flirtation with you at the summer camp of ’87? Let’s exchange My Space info. Not all of this wistfulness is of the romantic nature. As ridiculous as it sounds, every spring I make a pilgrimage to a certain little league in Covina. What am I hoping to see? I don’t know. Maybe I’m hoping to feel something I’ve lost? I’m in love with the past but not in the way you may think. I don’t like to talk about past accomplishments, relationships, or activities. But I love to see all of it, the old school grounds, baseball fields, the dairy, and experience it again before it slips away for good.
I’m game to talk with just about anyone from grade school so when I received a Facebook invitation from former classmate Loretta to be my friend, I asked her out. Nostalgia wins again.
I couldn’t have picked a worse place to meet. Pie 'n Burger is the Apple Pan of Pasadena,all counter and atmosphere and burger. I wished, however, more from the atmosphere, like tables and parking spaces, for instance. As we sat, we talked about the old times. The server had to come back three times to ask if we were ready. Well, there was a lot of ground to cover, twenty years worth. She ordered hers without cheese (a small crime where I come from) and we shared fries. Good thing, too, because how would I be able to fit in that boysenberry pie? We talked about Glendora High School and I remarked at its pretentiousness, especially to the insecure momma's boy I was. But Loretta is anything but pretentious. As we wrapped it up and I made the long journey to my car, I contemplated the hamburger I just ate, but all I kept thinking were these words:“The Bucket Burger, In-n-Out, The Bucket Burger, In-n-Out.” I wonder what she was thinking.