I was proud of myself for inventing the word “schminflation” but apparently I am not a word-creating genius as I may sometimes seem to be.
Anyway, knowing myself as well as I do, “Inflation- Schminflation” will probably become a recurring feature on this blog, where I will reminisce about how much things used to cost “in my day” and what they cost now. “My day” was actually not that long ago, it started on October 21,1992, and I can’t compete with the people who remember Depression-era prices, but things like that never stopped me from complaining about stuff before.
First to be featured is the “City Diner” across the street from the River Market.

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Very nice old-timey place where one can get a cup of coffee, good breakfast or a tasty lunch. I used to add “cheap” to the list but two eggs, hash browns, toast and bacon nowadays cost you $7.05. Add a cup of coffee, tax and tip and a simple breakfast just set you back at least ten bucks (I paid $12 because I felt sorry for the waitress having to be there at 6AM on Saturday and she was cute). That’s way above and beyond of my breakfast budget. In my day a person could eat breakfast for three to five bucks and there would be enough food for a family of four. I have to say that the portion was still large and hash browns were probably the best I had in a long time.

And here is a little something that “grinds my gears”: why is that when you attain a perfect balance of coffee, cream and sugar the waitress will immediately fill your cup with more coffee. I know she means well and maybe keeping my coffee cup full is her way of asking me for a better tip but really, I worked on it so hard carefully adding sugar and tasting, adding and tasting, burning my tongue and tasting again, and for what? So I can start all over with hot, under-sweetened coffee of indeterminable color? Maybe they should have little “do not refill until I give you a signal” tags.
It doesn’t matter anyway, at these prices I will not be frequenting local breakfast establishments.