94 Diners

Do you know what a diner is? These days it is a restaurant with booths and a long counter. Diners have a long history in America. But they used to look quite different.

The first diners appeared in 1872. This was in Rhode Island. A Mr. Walter Scott had the first horsedrawn diner. He sat on a box in the back of a covered wagon. Inside the wagon were chicken sandwiches. Scott would drive up to a factory. He would sell night workers sandwiches. He passed them through a hole in the covered wagon.

The first stationary diner appeared 15 years later. It was a walk-in place in Massachusetts, with stools and a kitchen. Sandwiches, deserts, coffee, and milk were available.

Diners began to look very interesting in the 1900s. Most of the horsedrawn ones were now standing along the sides of roads. But they kept their wagon shapes. Then unused trolley cars began to be converted to diners. The long, thin shape of these cars was perfect for a counter and some stools. As trains became very stream-lined, many diners began to look like fancy train cars. They took on a sleek, smooth, silver appearance. Their insides were made of stainless steel and Formica. By the end of the 1930s, they usually had flashing neon signs outside. Perhaps you have seen diners like these in old movies.

For a while, it seemed that the classic diner was making a comeback. Many old ones were restored. Fancy ones were built new in a few big cities. The food in a diner is never extraordinary. Usually it is hamburgers or meat loaf. But people love these places for their atmosphere.

你知道餐车（diner）是什么吗？如今它是一家带有隔间和长柜台的餐厅。餐车在美国有着悠久的历史。但它们过去的样子大不相同。

第一批餐车出现在1872年，地点是罗得岛州。一位沃尔特·斯科特先生拥有第一辆马拉餐车。他坐在有篷马车后面的一个箱子上，马车里装着鸡肉三明治。斯科特会驾车来到一家工厂，向夜班工人出售三明治，他通过有篷马车的一个洞口把三明治递过去。

第一家固定餐车在15年后出现，它位于马萨诸塞州，是一个可走入的场所，配有凳子和厨房，供应三明治、甜点、咖啡和牛奶。

20世纪时，餐车开始变得非常有特色。大多数马拉餐车现在都停在路边，但它们保留了马车的形状。后来，闲置的有轨电车开始被改造成餐车。这些电车又长又窄的形状非常适合设置柜台和一些凳子。随着火车变得非常流线型，许多餐车开始看起来像别致的火车车厢，呈现出时尚、光滑的银色外观，内部由不锈钢和福米卡塑料贴面制成。到20世纪30年代末，它们通常在外面装有闪烁的霓虹灯招牌，也许你在老电影里见过这样的餐车。

有一段时间，经典餐车似乎又流行起来。许多旧餐车被修复，一些大城市里还新建了别致的餐车。餐车里的食物从来都不特别，通常是汉堡或肉卷，但人们喜欢这些地方的氛围。