”
This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a
whimper,
”
T.S. Eliot wrote in 1925 in his famous poem,
”
The Hollow Men.
”
“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper,” T.S. Eliot wrote in 1925 in his famous poem, “The Hollow Men.”
It is with sadness today that I note the passing of a Gilroy institution where I spent many happy hours, one of the last places that was uniquely “Gilroyan,” a place that created its own character, rather than relying on the typical cookie cutter décor design of a Denny’s or a Chili’s. Because it was the owner’s collection of memorabilia covering the walls and every available space, the Golden West restaurant across from Lowe’s had a personality that made you realize you’d never sit in a room with that exact collection ever again. I wish I could remember all of it, but now it is a blur of racing-related collectibles, movie star stills, celebrities and the 3 Stooges, and whatever else struck the owner’s fancy.
And while Golden West’s humble cuisine might never have been featured in Bon Appetit magazine, it still had the best hot fudge sundaes in town. It sat alone, the only light on that part of the windswept landscape, like a painting by Hopper. You could almost see James Dean stopping by for a burger on one of his road trips.
I will never forget the hours I spent hanging out with my notepad in the closest place I could get to a Gilroy version of a café in France, a place where no one ever asks you to leave; people talk for hours, and I could write for as long as I wanted to. I will never forget the waitress who could do 27 different voices on cue, including a perfect version of Minnie Mouse’s sneeze. I will never forget her talent and good humor with all the kids I brought in.
I’m sure as all the Mega Super Fantastic stores are built, I too will find myself shopping at businesses that are driven more by corporate greed than by personal responsibility or building a feeling of community. As I shop for those bargains, I’ll try to forget that corporations like Wal-Mart remain the world’s largest buyer of goods from sweatshops using child labor.
I can enjoy my $1.50 kosher hot dog at Costco as much as anyone, but sitting at a plastic table in a giant warehouse will never inspire me the way sitting in a booth at Golden West did. A special part of Gilroy has just been bulldozed to the ground – I can just picture the booths and the floors and the walls as they went down, and along with everything else, down went the final carefully handwritten note from the employees as it slipped away under the bulldozer’s tires: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, we at Golden West are forced to close our restaurant at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2003. We wish to thank all of our loyal customers for your past 30 years of patronage. Sorry for any inconvenience. Best regards, Golden West.” Thirty years of service … out with the old, in with the new…is new always better … is bigger always better? … I can only say, along with everyone else who loved Golden West, hats off to the owner of Golden West. Hats off to the many employees who made it the haven that it was. Hats off to the loyal customers who recognized a good thing and made it a success by returning again and again. Now the days of Golden West pass into our memories.
“This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a whimper.”
