Down Home....
One of the real advantages of living in a smallish city is that there are some things that just never change. There are those places surviving that will take you back many decades both with the decor and in the patron's encountered there. One of those places in downtown Midland, Texas is Johnnie's Barbecue. Johnnies is essentially as it was the first time I walked in the door in 1960. The layout is the same, the chairs have been inhabitants for 50 years as have some of the patrons and of course, there is Johnnie. I can't remember a time that I have entered the joint that Johnnie wasn't been behind the serving area, as well as a few of his employees who have earned 50 year service pins.
Johnnie's constitutes a time warp. There just aren't too many places in this modern world that one can reenter his youthful haunts to find things completely unchanged. Where else can you sit in a chair you probably sat in 42 years ago with some of the same diners sitting opposite you? A place to not only remember your past, but to participate in it. Despite comments about the dubious cleanliness of the place, the methods of potato salad production, and the smoke from the septigenariuns cigarettes, Johnnies has a charm to old time West Texans that is unmistakeable. Johnnies, as mentioned, is downtown where the oil business is. Johnnies has been synonomous with lunch to old time oilmen since the 1950's the way "The Spot", several blocks over, is to breakfast and the way the much lamented and now defunct 007 Club was to strong drink and riotous living. These places are where the deals were made in the oil business. Some of the men you encounter at Johnnies today became fabulously weathly, some went broke, some did both.
Occasionally when Julie and I have lunch, I'll want to go to Johnnie's as we did today. Julie complains about having to wash the smoke out of her clothes after the meal, but the food is pretty good...standard barbecue fare. More than the food though is just the opportunity for me to travel back in time and I suppose to reconnect to my roots.
And there is always the opportunity to see a friend not recently seen. Today it was George O'Brien. George lives somewhat across the street from my folks and is someone I've always liked, a rather quiet, modest guy who is also in the oil business. He, his wife Sandy and I walk our dogs on the same route some days. George is a friendly, regular sort of guy except for one small thing...he won the Medal of Honor in Korea. You never know who'll you'll run into at Johnnie's.
One of the real advantages of living in a smallish city is that there are some things that just never change. There are those places surviving that will take you back many decades both with the decor and in the patron's encountered there. One of those places in downtown Midland, Texas is Johnnie's Barbecue. Johnnies is essentially as it was the first time I walked in the door in 1960. The layout is the same, the chairs have been inhabitants for 50 years as have some of the patrons and of course, there is Johnnie. I can't remember a time that I have entered the joint that Johnnie wasn't been behind the serving area, as well as a few of his employees who have earned 50 year service pins.
Johnnie's constitutes a time warp. There just aren't too many places in this modern world that one can reenter his youthful haunts to find things completely unchanged. Where else can you sit in a chair you probably sat in 42 years ago with some of the same diners sitting opposite you? A place to not only remember your past, but to participate in it. Despite comments about the dubious cleanliness of the place, the methods of potato salad production, and the smoke from the septigenariuns cigarettes, Johnnies has a charm to old time West Texans that is unmistakeable. Johnnies, as mentioned, is downtown where the oil business is. Johnnies has been synonomous with lunch to old time oilmen since the 1950's the way "The Spot", several blocks over, is to breakfast and the way the much lamented and now defunct 007 Club was to strong drink and riotous living. These places are where the deals were made in the oil business. Some of the men you encounter at Johnnies today became fabulously weathly, some went broke, some did both.
Occasionally when Julie and I have lunch, I'll want to go to Johnnie's as we did today. Julie complains about having to wash the smoke out of her clothes after the meal, but the food is pretty good...standard barbecue fare. More than the food though is just the opportunity for me to travel back in time and I suppose to reconnect to my roots.
And there is always the opportunity to see a friend not recently seen. Today it was George O'Brien. George lives somewhat across the street from my folks and is someone I've always liked, a rather quiet, modest guy who is also in the oil business. He, his wife Sandy and I walk our dogs on the same route some days. George is a friendly, regular sort of guy except for one small thing...he won the Medal of Honor in Korea. You never know who'll you'll run into at Johnnie's.
