I miss college.
It was often stressful because I made the mistake of majoring in mathematics. In high school, I had excelled in mathematics and easily gotten straight A’s. And I actually sort of liked AP Calculus.
But college was an entirely different story. I had no passion for the theoretical stuff that came out of my professors’ mouths. Worse, I was terrible at it. If some unfortunate college freshman tried to ask me for help on their math homework, I would run away in shame. At one point, one of my professors asked me, “Um, are you sure you’re cut out for this?”
I absolutely wasn’t sure, but like a fool, I continued and somehow attained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. When I tell people I have a degree in math, they often say, “Oh my god, you must be so smart!” And I feel like such a fraud.
(And now I’m a hack writer 😏)
Anyway, in spite of my terrible major choice, I still had a lot of fun in college. Mostly because I quickly gave up on ever truly understanding the stuff in my textbooks and decided no amount of studying would help my soul, so why not do fun things?
I went to K-pop concerts. In my senior year of college, I went to more than 70 advance movie screenings (I saw everything from Hacksaw Ridge to Beauty and the Beast and Get Out — twice! — and My Cousin Rachel for free). I went to karaoke bars and drunkenly sang “Death of a Bachelor” (my friends always cringed when I attempted to hit Brendon Urie’s high note).
And I went to diners at midnight. There was just something about getting greasy breakfast food in the middle of the night. In the morning, it probably wouldn’t have tasted as good. But somehow, when the sky was dark and I was with my friends, the food was delicious (it also helped that I was rarely sober during these midnight outings).
I really miss college. I miss my friends calling me up late at night and asking, “Hey, want to get some pancakes?” And I miss saying, “Yes!”
Anyway, being in a nostalgic mood the other day, I decided to go to a local diner called Bagley’s Grill, which is located in an unassuming strip mall. Because I’m a boring 26-year-old now with boring responsibilities and far away from my college friends, I went to the diner in the morning instead of late at night after getting wasted at a karaoke bar.
Because I was hungry, I got a stack of pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and hashed browns. I also got a cup of coffee, which my lovely waitress frequently refilled after asking me, “More coffee, hon?”
Although it wasn’t midnight and I was sober, the food was still delicious. The pancakes were big and fluffy, the bacon crispy, the sausage flavorful, and the hashed browns satisfying. I devoured everything on my plate.
Still, I missed — miss — my friends. I talk to them on the phone and text them, but it’s not the same. I can’t just call them up and ask, “Hey, want to get some pancakes?”
Nonetheless, my meal at Bagley’s Grill did make me feel better.
It’s not the same as my college days.
But it’s still pretty darn good.
In the Cleveland area and in the mood for classic diner food? Here is Bagley’s Grill’s website. Located at 15220 Bagley Rd, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130.
Comments / 4