Plates And Dishes

The Blue Plate Special, meatloaf, a cheese-burger deluxe, a milkshake in a frosty mixing canister, a hot cup of joe - all served by a friendly face in a well-lighted aluminum tube. Such are the special joys of the American diner. And it was just these pleasures that photographer Stephan Schacher set out to document when he departed New York on a journey through Canada and the states that would test both his stomach and his resolve. Schacher's mission: to still his hunger only at diners, and to photograph both his meal and his server every time. The result is a unique and deeply human story - quirky and nostalgic and generous - of one man's quest to discover North America's diner culture and his own place in it. Traveling from a New Jersey diner to the Canadian Rockies to a shoreside clambake shack on the Pacific Ocean, Schacher's culinary adventure is documented here with a wealth of visual materials. The author's arresting photographs of succulent steaks and greasy fries, of smiling waitresses in uniform or jeans, and brightly colored plastic dashes and table mats are supplemented by maps showing the photographer's route across the North American continent.