Battle of tastebuds: Mama’s, McDonald’s offer variety
Some time ago, in the not-so-distant
past, an Emerald editor decided that a
couple of enterprising reporters should
investigate the breakfast fare in the
university area.
“But we never eat breakfast,” the
Chosen Ones protested. "Why, we
wouldn't know our eggs from a hole in a
bagel. And, what’s more, being typical
college students, we never have the
money for such an extravagance."
But, their frugal editor dug deep into
the paper’s pocket (so to speak) and
produced for them a passport to a
week's worth of breakfasting adven
ture. He bid them to eat well, and to
sample much of the area’s breakfast
offerings', so that they might return with
many wondrous tales to spin for the
delight of the paper's readers.
And so the Two set out to fulfill their
editor’s desires. This is the first seg
ment of their week-long critical eating
spree.
Let’s settle the issue from the start:
Mama’s Homefried Truckstop (790 E.
14th Ave.) is, without a doubt, the best
place to experience (as opposed to
merely "eat”) breakfast in the universi
ty area. In an organic nutshell: the food
is good, the prices reasonable, the
atmosphere inspirational. And the peo
ple that frequent the Truckstop always
alleviate any lingering notions you
might have had about mankind becom
ing some sort of homogenized species
— every type of human being imagina
ble can be found feeding in the con
genial, yet entirely unpretentious envir
onment of the Truckstop.
For those who might be misinformed,
the Truckstop is not just for vegetarians
and environmentalists. For example,
Gaib and I are clean-cut, respectable
college students; and though only one
of us is bearded, we both feel that the
whales ought to be saved, newspapers
recycled, and nuke plants nuked Also:
bacon can be a tasty thing to eat at
times, as well as sprouts and tofu.
We're good ol' normal folks — and we
love the Truckstop
The most original breakfast entree
around campus can be had there: Tofu
Scramble — a quarter-pound (pre
cooked weight and serving weight) of
tofu planted in a mountain of stir-fried
vegies, along with a thick slice of
homemade bread. This affair might
sound like an awful idea for a breakfast,
but in our opinion it’s the sleeper of the
year. Along with an oatmeal pancake
it's enough good nutritious food to see
you through an entire day.
But if you just can’t relish the idea of a
plate of vegetables for breakfast, and if
tofu seems to be at best a tasteless sort
of rubbery matter, then you can do like
us and drench the whole affair with the
pure maple syrup you ordered with your
pancakes. (Or, of course, order
something else for breakfast). There’s a
good chance, too, that the Truckstop’s
pancakes might be the best in town,
especially when you add the real maple
syrup.
At $2 75 the Tofu Scramble is a good
deal Pancakes are seventy cents each;
two of them make for a sizable meal
Maple syrup costs thirty-five cents an
ounce; otherwise, you can pour honey
all over your pancakes. We avoided the
coffee, which, at thirty-five cents per
cup, is a bit steep when you might drink
three or four cups over the course of
the meal. The large variety of teas
makes it somewhat easy to avoid the
coffee, though; a large pot is only
seventy cents.
Homefries, of course, is the Truck
stop’s middle name. And these home
fries are the state of the art in contem
porary home-fried potatoes. Many peo
ple go to the Truckstop just to indulge
in a plate of the homefries, arguably the
best way to fill your stomach for under a
dollar in all of Eugene.
Gaib and I felt almost blissful after our
Truckstop breakfast, hovering some
where close to nirvana, as we patted
our tummies. Full, yes, but not the
beached-whale sort of bloatedness a
big breakfast so often brings as a con
sequence.
In short, Gabriel and Kirk found
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