This afternoon after school I found a plastic clamshell box of what looked to Eat-n-Park Smiley cookies just sitting on the table in conference room in the office. I was baffled. Eat-n-Park is a Bob Evans type family resteraunt in PA - there are a few in OH and WV but mostly in PA. The nearest one is probably at least a 3 hour drive. Yet those cookies had that distintive Eat-n-Park Smiley Cookie Smile. But where did they come from? And could I have one? Or 12?
I walked away thinking I'd go talk to one of the other 1st grade teachers who is from PA, maybe she'd know if they were genuine and where they came from. As I was heading down the hall I saw Renee - a 2nd grade teacher who is also from PA and that reminded me that her parents were here for the weekend! Aha! So I ask, did your parents happen to bring some Eat-n-Park Smiley Cookies? The answer...."yes"! Oh joy! She had some with her and she gave me one and gave one to Nicole - the other 1st grade teacher! Made my Friday!
Later I walked through the office - that same dozen cookies was still sitting there untouched. So I helped myself to a 2nd cookie. It occured to me that it was after 5:30 on a Fri - no one was likley going to eat them and I almost took the whole thing. But I didn't. :( I wish I'd had!
Eat-n-Park was a staple of my college experience. We always went in the middle of the night and always stuffed ourselves with baked ziti, grilled cheese, and the famous "fishbowl sunade". We went so often to the Eat-n-Park in Hermitage, PA that we made friends with the waitress - Pixie. She always worked the night shift and we got to be her favorite customers. She was even invited to a few weddings of the core Eat-n-Park crowd!
1 comment:
Bob Evans............
* long, melancholic sigh *
That's "our" place to eat while in the Summersville, WV area. Why can't they give up just one (!) of their locations and put it along I-95 near Savannah? It's not like you folks are lacking for any ... I think I tracked them to one every 1.42 exits along the interstates up there.
As for Eat-N-Park, we were up in western Penna. back in the fall of '06 (check the blog archive of late Sept/early Oct), which looks to be the core of this chain's reach. I cannot believe we missed that one! Those cookies look evil. Positively evil. In our tradition of eating at restaurants that aren't available at home, Eat-N-Park would certainly have been a stop.
I see the nearest one is in Bridgeport, WV. That might be worth a little side trip next year.
Now I want one of those cookies.
-Tal
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