|
|
 How Restaurants Don't Serve Black People
There is a restaurant located about an hour away from where I live called The Depot at Cody Creek. It’s nestled in the rural countryside among the pine trees and a small river that runs so clear you can see the pebbles at the bottom glistening in the sun. The pastoral setting includes a covered bridge that all visitors must cross over in order to get to the restaurant (which resembles an ancient hunting lodge), and a small ‘old timey’ general store that sells things like rock candy and ‘chico sticks’ for a penny each. It’s really a beautiful and nostalgic place. I ate dinner there last night along with 21 other friends/family members who had gathered to celebrate a birthday. The night was filled with good food, laughter and so many smiles our cheeks began to ache. It wasn’t until the meal was finished that I learned something about Cody Creek that made me sick.
Making our way back to our cars, we stopped along the path to look at the river and chat once more before saying goodbye. There was a man sitting along the banks who worked in the general store. His face, like sun-dried leather, was worn in a grandfatherly way, each line and crease hugging his toothy grin. We chatted with him for a while and learned the history of Cody Creek, the owner, and their proud tradition in the area. He closed his story by proudly informing us that The Depot was the only restaurant that he knew of that still refused to serve black people. He explained that the restaurant was actually certified as a “members only†country club, but that they only asked to see membership from those with darker skin and that it was understood in the area that only whites ate at The Depot.
I honestly believe that trying to explain just how completely offensive this is to me would only serve to lessen the true disgust his remarks evoked. There are simply no words to describe the sinking feeling in my heart and in the pit of my stomach just thinking about it makes me feel. At first, I think I was sickened most by the fact that I had just patronized an establishment in which some of my own friends, people who are like family to me, would not be welcome. But then… during the hour-long car ride home, I came to realize that much of my dismay grew from the fact that I live in a world in which such places still exist. I suppose in my mind, places like The Depot existed only in documentaries on the history channel in which brave rebels dared to drink from white only water-fountains and ride in the front of the bus. As someone living in the south eastern United States, I am painfully aware of the reality of racism, but I think it's the existence of systematic racism, rather than merely individual prejudice that I found so horrific and shocking.
Taken from http://juniperflux.tblog.com/archive/2004/06/, some blog I found while trying to find an article about this to start this thread on. I've lived within 30 minutes of this restaurant for my entire life sans 8 months, and I thought this would be a story worth sharing.
On a side note, if I knew they didn't serve non-whites, and I ate there anyway, does that mean I'm supporting racism?
|
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by mixchange
