Omnivore - Thoughts on fast-food architecture at Zesto, following a faux-heart attack
Is Zesto a public plaza?
(TLDR Warning: Occasionally, I get carried away while writing a blog post. This one, for example ended up being over 1400 words, understandably not the length most people want to read on blogs. So, I’ve posted most of it on my personal blog, Sacred Disorder, where those with the interest to do so can read it. Excerpt:)
Atlanta generally is cursed with a lot of hideous architecture. The building booms of the ’60s and ’70s destroyed much of the city’s outward beauty. And that wasn’t uncalculated, especially downtown. More about that in a moment ...
One of the longtime blights upon our landscape - and increasingly around the world - is fast-food architecture. I was thinking about that one night last week when I decided to reward myself after having what I thought was a heart attack (seriously) the day before. It was about 11 p.m., I think, and I needed a Toffee Coffee Arctic Swirl from Zesto to remind me of life’s sweetness. (Any excuse will do, actually.)
As I approach the Retro Zesto on Ponce (above), I notice how each window frames a view of separate tables. Somehow, that reminds me instantly of Edward Hopper’s painting, “Nighthawks” (1942). I suppose the association is the nighttime view through windows of two diners. Of course, Zesto is actually flashy as hell looked at overall, whereas Hopper’s venue is nondescript ...
As I near the door, my gaze meets that of others, each window a vaugely melancholy vignette. But when I get inside the harshly bright light and join the short line, I’m immediately engaged in conversation with the interracial couple in front of me. I am proselytizing the curative powers of Toffee Coffee Arctic Swirls, which they decide to try and later tell me has changed their lives. ...
As it happens, I’m wearing my Pink Floyd t-shirt and as I walk to my table, a trio of men with Bibles calls me over and we start discussing the band. The shirt is illustrated with the band’s mascot pig and we get into a discussion about whether it’s a relevant image, as seems to happen every time I wear the shirt. We start browsing our phones faster than Sunday School kids doing Bible drills.
Then a woman sitting alone at a nearby table shouts that Pink Floyd is her favorite band ever and that, yes, of course the pig is the sine qua non of PF imagery. We high-five. The trio laughs and reopens their Bibles. One of them gives me what I assume is a business card ...