Even In Japan Neighbourhood Joints Are Falling By The Wayside

15 years ago...I would have wholeheartedly...Nowadays not so much...
There's lots of new Roadfood out there... but at the same time many traditional specialties have either completely died out (ie. NY Jewish Deli) or are dying (traditional regional bbq, meat n threes, supper clubs etc) . What used to be considered regional are now dismissed as either tourist traps or "institutional" .and what used to be considered unique and regional have gone by the wayside.. however millennials and hipsters have revived local independent mom n pop restaurants.. look at some of the new reviews by the fexy employees to see what these new restaurants look like, and what they are serving nowadays 

I'm not sure why we have to go all the way to Japan to read this story. This story is in every small town in America. We all look for yesteryear and memories of the past but no one wants to live there. We all want better than our parents and in many cases you can't find a better life living in the same house as they did. The thing about Roadfood is that the food had a purpose. This food was a staple in the area and needed by the people living there. There is a reason why we seek out Roadfood. If it isn't a piece of our past, it was a part of someone else's. 
   How many times have we said "Things don't taste the way they used too".  My Family likes Chain restaurants. They like going to Applebee's, Red Robin, Outback and all the others. I've never walked out of any of these places saying " Boy was that good" But, it makes them happy. Just think of what Roadfood is to a Millennial. I'm thinking they must love the food court at the mall and almost every drive through fast-food place and every hip place in town.
   I remember taking my Date on a 1 1/2 hour drive to a restaurant in Connecticut. The place was there for years and had dark booths with great food and homemade pies. This place today would have a line out the door with an add-on section to accommodate all the people. The dark booths would be remolded and well lite. The homemade cooking is done by a flock of cooks that could care less. For some reason the pies just aren't want they used to be. I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's just not made with pride, love and the best ingredients. 
   Roadfood just isn't or wasn't the food to me. Roadfood was how comfortable I felt in the restaurant, how I was treated in the restaurant. The owner had a sense of pride and a smile when you thanked them for a great meal. 
   It looks like every ten or fifteen years we live in a new normal. Things change and nothing stays the same. Progress isn't living in the past, it's forging ahead looking for a better way. 
  We can tell our Grandchildren about the old time Roadfood restaurants. Our kids will tell their Grandchildren about eating food in a Mall at a food court. Their Grandchildren will then ask "Whats a Mall".......