23 thoughts on “Grits Grill”

  2. Roger Paige

    Many people will have many opinions of this image. As a guy who was country raised and a 20 year retired Marine I take two things from this image. First and foremost the flag is properly displayed. The field of blue is always, “to the front and right of line as facing.” The second is the location. An average Joe grill of the community. These places…that are not high-brow… yet care enough to properly display our country’s flag. I would much rather eat here than a michelin star winning restaurant. This is the heart of America.

  3. michael kircher

    Heart of America.

    Hotdogs? Apple pie? An “average Joe grill” comfortably ethnically homogenized? A properly displayed stars and stripes? That’s the heart of America?

    With respect… For me it’s Caribbean jerk. Sushi. Linguini w/clams. Filet mignon. It’s walking down the street or sitting in a restaurant or waiting in a doctors office seeing people of middle eastern, African, Asian, South American extraction. The heart of America? It’s freezing winters in Maine, muggy humid summers in DC, scorching dry heat of the Southwest. Hearing the drums of the tribal nations. The city rhythm of kids with white plastic paint drums on the streets downtown. It’s listening to This Land is Your Land on my iPhone.

    It’s walking into the grand canyon, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, watching a gay pride parade. It’s looking up with awe at massive skyscrapers and looking down on the little old town Harpers Ferry from Maryland Heights. The heart of America is so much more than a properly displayed flag or being country raised.

    But those things are ok, too.

    And I do love a good diner burger.

  4. Carlo

    Damn well written response Michael!

    Changing the topic here…..
    To the burn team:

    Will it be possible to link the image that rotates for the archive to go directly to the essay or single that its showing? Right now if if I click the thumbnail it takes me to the general archive.

  6. eva

    Carlo:

    Haik is looking into this.. if we do what you and others suggest, we will bury again the rest of the archive, and be taken to just one essay.. so we need to find a solution to that, a link maybe to the overall archive, and see if it is technically possible that the rotating thumbnail becomes clickable..

    Gordon:

    The photographer has chosen to have comments closed.

  8. david alan harvey

    GORDON

    comment wherever you want…Road Trips is supposed to be for general commenting, yet i guess many are confused by this…i was trying to keep my stuff, my dialogue off the front page and over here on Road Trips…

    closed comments are always an option for any of the photographers….few choose “no comments”, yet Tomer did…you ask: what’s the point? that is a really interesting question for me…we debated at the beginning of Burn whether or not to have comments at all, and every once in awhile we consider no comments even now….however, somehow, for this blog i guess no comments would somehow just seem not quite right..however, i never thought of publishing work as something that existed for the express purpose of being critiqued by readers…

    yet maybe these days comments are as important as the story itself…certainly here on Burn our best comments, and our worst, comprise an amazing essay all by itself…i have threatened to do a Burn book of our collective comments and if i can find the time i will still do it….the continued discourse here continues to be relatively troll free and civil….we don’t moderate…..

    so my opinion of comments has changed over the years…and besides, let’s face it, we have a small but very dedicated group of commentators here…and regular readers of these commentators who never comment themselves…

    so yes, maybe even i would agree with you “what’s the point?”

  10. bob black

    My take on Grits :)))

    Last time i hate grits (last summer in South Carolina, Foley Beach), I had them the way i like:

    grits with garlic shrimp and a sunny-side up egg on top :))…

    does the soul good, the heart/cholesterol not so much ;)))

    As for comments: let ’em fly! :))

  13. Carlo

    Eva,

    Yes…I can see how tricky it can be.
    Perhaps the name of the photographer and essay in the thumbnail?
    I’m saying this because often times I see an amazing thumbnail and I want to see that particular essay but when I click it takes me to the general archive not the actual essay.

    Or maybe a dedicated “THE BURN Archive” button on the side bar?
    not removing the rotating thumbnail…I think it’s great.

    I don’t know….thinking thinking…..

  14. michael kircher

    Regarding the Archive thumbnail… what if you have some roll-over text stating which essay that image belongs to. That way when you click on it it still takes you to the main archive but you now know what to search for?

  17. SFJason

    I love how this photo has: “No Gritz, No Glory” on the painted window. (chuckle)
    This place looks so americana to me. Although its not the
    America MK and I live in (day to day Big City life), I always love
    going to these greasy spoons to hear what the neighborhood
    locals are chatting about and to get a “hi sugar” comment from
    the waitress.
    You can’t get that unique experience from eating a sushi roll in a Starbucks, while
    listening to Boy George. Just like you can’t get true americana eating a burger at the Hard Rock Cafe or Johnny Rockets. ;-)
    -Jason

  18. eva

    Michael.. I know what you mean.. and I am pretty sure this could be done.. manually though.. right now the option seems to be disabled, I know for sure the Road Trips thumb has and “alt” name/title/whatever it is.. but it doesn’t show.. we’ll look into it..

    Carlo.. to put a name and the essay title on the thumb leaves you with seeing very little of the thumb I fear..

  20. michael kircher

    Very cool, Haik. Hope you know how much we all appreciate what you do for Burn. Especially when all of us armchair techies get on a roll with our groovy ideas!

    You a true mensch.

  22. Roger Paige

    Michael, there was nothing ethnically mentioned, nor was hot dogs or your pie. What I was saying is that there is no place, even in other countries, that are successful or grow without people, average Joes, to do the hard labor, and that is what I took from the image. Would if have been better if I said the average Jose?

    Yes, all things you mentioned are wonderful as well, and they make up the mottled mix we are. Images say different things to different people as you are well aware of. That was just my take of it.

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