SUNDAY MEMORIES
Judy Wills
Credit ChurchArt
I think most of us have a “favorite place” where we like to eat. For some, it’s at home with all the home-made cooking we like to do, or like Mom used to make. I’m from the generation that came from that.
My family – Thanksgiving 1956
To eat “out” was a rare and precious privilege. There wasn’t a lot of money to throw around in my parent’s house, so we only ate out at special times. That got better as time went on, and going to the local Furr’s Cafeteria for lunch after church services became the norm. And we loved it.
Furr’s was known as the best grocery store in Albuquerque at the time, so when they added a cafeteria, we were ecstatic. And the food was good. We’ve eaten in many a “cafeteria” in past years where the food was only passable – and they didn’t last too long. But Furr’s was an exception. I’ve just checked online and found that it is now located in cities and states other than Albuquerque and New Mexico (Colorado, Texas), but it is still in existence – now known at Furr’s Fresh Buffett.
Credit Google Search and Furr’s website
My family also loved to eat Mexican food, and Albuquerque was loaded with just such places. Some of our favorite Mexican restaurants were in Old Town – either La Placita
Credit Google search and explorall50.com
Credit Google search and Pinterest
La Placita was known for the trees growing inside some of the rooms or La Hacienda.
Credit Google Search and Pinterest
They were practically next door to each other in Old Town, and only a few minutes from our church, so that was also an after-church place to eat. Of course, those were highly “touristy” restaurants, and they seemed to take turns having “good” food and “not so good” food. When one wasn’t too good, the other one was. And then it would take a change and we had to guess which one to go to that next time.
But then a really good Mexican restaurant opened its doors, called El Pinto.
Credit Google Search and b.zmtcdn.com
It opened after Fred and I married and moved away (1961), but Mother kept telling us it was her favorite place to eat. So we always went there when we visited Albuquerque. It lived up to Mother’s reviews. I just checked online and found it still in business with many glowing reviews.
We lived in a house just two doors down from a main auto artery, Lomas Blvd. If I walked to Lomas, and turned right, there was a little strip center there, with a small hamburger joint on the end of it. I don’t remember the name of it, but they made the BEST hamburgers there! They put chopped onions and mustard on their burgers, and wrapped them in wax paper, creating an aroma that I’ve never found since then. I think the nearest aroma to that I’ve found is when we were in Texas and ate Whataburgers. They are the best! And their burgers come the closest to that little burgers shop I’ve ever found. I really loved that place.
~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~
Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .
Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.
Old Things R New 