Meat

In the early 80's, there was many an afternoon that our family went to the Sirloin Stockade after Sunday services.



The restaurant had a cow just like the one pictured above attached to its main sign. It was located just a few blocks from our house of worship, so many of those in our congregation would be there as well. It was similar to an all-you-can-eat buffet (you grabbed a tray, silverware, and pop and then ordered the buffet and/or a meal). I pretty much always chose a burger and fries. On one occasion, while my dad was enjoying steak, he said that I didn't know what good food was.

He hoped that when I grew up, I would appreciate the value of a good steak. However, it never happened. I still love burgers. They're more interesting to me. Burgers aren't just meat. There's pickles, mustard, onions, cheese, and lettuce. The combination excites me and my taste buds. It even gives me a chubby from time to time.

At the end of the meal, us kids loved going to get some ice cream out of the soft serve machine. Yummy! On our way out, Dad would go up to pay the bill and always took a toothpick from the dispenser for the ride home.

A few years later, the restaurant changed its name to the Golden Corral, then a few years after that to Prime Cut. In the 90's, its name changed again, this time to the Winona Steakhouse. Despite the name changes, the restaurant stayed the same. The last time I was there was about 3 years ago. It was my birthday and I ate there with my mom, dad, and wife. A good time was had by all.

It finally went out of business about 2 years ago and is now a crematorium. That's right. They're still using the ovens, only now they're cooking a different kind of meat.