Bundles of pre-cooked bacon, ham and hash browns line the perimeter of the sizzling, stainless steel grill. On the counter is a mountain of eggs cradled in protective layers of cardboard. The cook deftly picks several eggs up, cracks them open onto the hot grill, and throws the shells away with one swift arc of her wrist.

The grill faces the counter, open to the restaurant, and the cook carries on commentary with customers at the counter watching the presidential inauguration on the television in the corner.

"What do we need another inauguration for? He's already in office," she says.

Two men with graying hair and mustaches, sitting separately at the counter, grunt in agreement. Their round bellies tell of their affinity for the burgers and BLTs turning out before them. The scene at the Honey Bee Diner in Glen Burnie is typical of the ubiquitous American icon known as the roadside diner. Home-style food at reasonable prices - usually any hour of the day - coupled with a come-as-you-are dress code and a good chance for lively discussion on anything from political affairs to the state of the weather, help define this uniquely American entity.

Diners are the kinds of places where reporters (and sometimes politicians) go to get a pulse of what's on the mind of the average Jane and John. In small towns and big cities, diners function as a comfortable spot for regulars or passers-through to speak their minds, or stay quiet and unbothered with the day's newspaper. They are microcosms of the world around us, and as American as the proverbial apple pie.

It's no surprise, then, that the diner had its start in the pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit so characteristic of this nation. In 1872, former newspaper boy Walter Scott opened up the first "night lunch" in Providence, RI. He bought a horse to pull a small wooden wagon from which he sold sandwiches and coffee - for a nickel each - to newspaper staff who worked through the night to print and deliver the morning paper.

The novel idea of serving food through the wee hours - in an era when most restaurants stopped serving around 8 p.m. - caught on and stuck. Over the century following Scott's introduction of the night lunch, establishments that would become known as diners would morph from the simple horse-drawn wooden box where Scott peddled homemade goods to customers who stood on the street to pre-fabricated diner cars festooned with elaborate tile mosaics, stained glass windows and stools allowing customers to dine inside.

Eventually the diner became a permanently situated structure whose architecture paid homage to their lunch wagon roots, even with a more streamlined appearance using stainless steel and neon - the tell-tale form that we currently recognize as the classic American diner.

Several establishments throughout Anne Arundel County keep the story of the American diner alive, dishing up generous portions of unpretentious food in a homey atmosphere. The Honey Bee Diner on Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie has been keeping this tradition cooking for more than 50 years. Originally operating as a drive-in, Honey Bee became a diner in the 1960s, moving to its current location about 20 years ago. George Filipidis of Timonium bought the diner in the mid-1970s and he and his family have operated it since.

Rena Filipidis, George's daughter, says the whole restaurant feels like a family to her.

"We have regulars who have seen me and my brothers grow up here," she said. "Some of our staff has worked here for over 20 years - they're like family to us."

Long-term staff members have become as much a part of the atmosphere of the Honey Bee as the open grill and streaming neon lights put up by Rena's brother, Nick Filipidis. At lunchtime one might find several waitresses who could flip out pictures of their grandchildren as quickly as they take down your order for a patty melt. And Rose, a gray-haired woman with a raspy voice, will greet you as you walk in with, "Sit where you want, hon."

Patrons like Cindy Salazar of Arnold, who stopped at the Honey Bee for lunch between errands, depend on diners for quality food in a comfortable atmosphere.

"In these days of the McDonald's hamburger, you can get a really good burger at a diner," she said. "And if you're a regular, the people working there probably know you and they know what you want. They'll have your coffee waiting for you, and they'll know your name."

While definitions of "diner" vary depending on whom you ask, most diner fans list essentials such as historic diner-car appearance, 24-hour operation, inexpensive home-style meals, and of course, breakfast - usually at any time you want it.

Both the Honey Bee in Glen Burnie and the Double T Diners in Pasadena and Annapolis are open 24 hours. John Kolendrianos, manager and part-owner of the Annapolis Double T, says late hours are very important for a diner, "And a big menu. We have over 300 items on our menu, and you can get anything on it anytime of the day."

The Double T Diner chain consists of eight restaurants throughout Maryland, run by brothers Tom, John and Louie Korologos. Mr. Kolendrianos and his partner Louie Marneris own the Annapolis diner together with the Korologos family. Their restaurants reflect the traditional architecture of the diner car shape with lots of stainless steel, neon and tile floors. Like many diners around the country, they relied on a designer, DeRaffelle Manufacturing, which specializes in diner designs.

Smaller restaurants on less-trafficked roads than Ritchie Highway or West Street may not be open all day, but they still offer the diner experience. Cookie's Kitchen and The 177 Diner, both on Mountain Road in Pasadena, serve up old-fashioned offerings to neighborhood regulars.

Cookie Kiser of Cookie's Kitchen (she also owns Cookie's City Line Diner on Fort Smallwood Road in Baltimore) says: "We're not gourmet. Probably the most popular item on our menu is hamburgers. We make our own patties with really good beef."

Ms. Kiser says long-term customers and employees help make her establishment what it is.

"We've been open 20 years, and some of our employees have been with us since we opened. Some of our customers have been coming since we opened. We've been very fortunate; our customers are very community-oriented. If we're ever doing a charity project, they're the first to help pitch in and volunteer."

Dave and Joyce Leisure own the 177 Diner in Pasadena, which has been open about 10 years. Mr. Leisure says employee loyalty in diners is remarkable compared to the rest of the restaurant industry.

"I just hired a bus person, but before that, it's been a year since I hired anyone. In other restaurants, you could have as much as 200 percent turnover every year."

Mr. Leisure attributes the loyalty of both employees and customers to the convivial atmosphere of diners.

"People like a laid-back atmosphere with home cooking," he said. "People are usually very friendly and personable."

Perhaps the most appealing characteristic of diners is another particularly American trait - bald-faced sincerity. Diners don't put on airs or pretend to be something they're not.

As Dave Leisure puts it: "People come to diners when they want something good to eat. Maybe they're looking for some conversation - usually something political - and the open atmosphere of a diner means they can just strike up a conversation with anyone around them. I think people like coming here and working here because it's just a fun place to be."

orginally published here: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2005/03_04-19/ENT ---