We live on The Isle of Long, which means that if you throw a rock you’ll hit a large, chrome-plated diner. These palaces of gastronomy have just about anything you could want for any meal of the day and the food arrives on the table seconds after you decide what you want, and often even before.

We’ll be looking at a laminated menu, so heavy it could break your lap if dropped. The waitress will jog by and dump a bowl of pickles and coleslaw on our table. We didn’t ask for; it’s just her way of saying, “Here, eat this; I’ll be right back.”