I'm making a diner themed level in a video game and I don't have diners in my country. Seems to be a United States only thing, so I'm asking here for help. What's some common foods that you'd find in a diner that I can put on the menu in the video game?
I already have cheeseburgers and pancakes, I need one more food. I want something that I can 3D model myself though, so give me several suggestions and I can pick something that is both common/recognisable and easy to model and texture.
Update: Thank you everybody for all the suggestions! I'm going to go with spaghetti, and a regional fucked up diner food. Feel free to keep discussing or suggest more menu items. I might add a fifth but it's unlikely.
You want americana? This is about as universally americana it gets, since every state has one.
And padang fried rice. Peep the drain, it's Denny's Indonesia
Chicken fried steak and gravy or biscuits and gravy or cube steak and gravy. If it doesn't have gravy it's not American.
Savory pies? So either :england-cool: or :aus-delenda-est: ? You've either eaten jellied eels or a yeast infection on toast and are therefore prohibited from opining on food.
There is only one thing I like about America and it’s our food, holy shit diner garbage and bbq are the best fucking things on earth
Sandwiches are a go to. BLTs, Reubens, etc. Oh, and be SURE you get a milkshake served in one of those metal milkshake cups. I'm pretty sure you can't legally be a diner without one of those
Nah in my mind a diner gives you your milkshake in the funny looking glass like old school soda fountains
Those ones are TECHNICALLY acceptable but they're on thin fuckin ice
I went to a diner once where they gave me my milkshake in the metal cup and also gave me a glass that I was supposed to pour it into myself
that's how i'm used to it. the glass isn't big enough for the entire milk shake
Lots of regional variation in diner menus. Around Detroit, two menu items on every diner menu are gyros and chili dogs, both served with french fries.
Many will have a rotating daily special that isn't on the normal menu. Like spaghetti and meatballs, ribs or fish and chips.
ooooh spaghetti and meatballs could be pretty great as long as I can figure out how to texture the fucking spaghetti
Not common necessarily but there's a diner in Chicago that has something called the slinger. It's two sausage patties, cheese, eggs, and hashbrowns, all covered in chili. Could either throw that on or make up something else that's also ridiculous. Diners love a ridiculous, made up, signature dish.
I think Pennsylvanian diners sometimes have scrapple, which confuses a lot of people.
It really is. I love how it all just seems like something I would have thought up when I was stoned and had to work with whatever I had in the kitchen.
That sounds hilarious. I might try think up some evil concoction.
Okay, how's this? Mac & cheese, covered in chilli, with bacon rashers, covered in extra cheese, ALL IN A BURRITO, with so many sauces you wouldn't believe. Another friend came up with this and it sounds disgusting so I have to put it in. Thoughts?
I love it. I'd actually consider eating it and it's perfect for your purpose!
Spaghetti is not the one. Unless it's like a novelty spaghetti diner
Eggs, toast, hash browns, pancakes/waffles, biscuits, steak, sandwiches
Oh and coffee. Coffee is basically the most important thing. And also not spaghetti is important because that would be the craziest shit in the world, to eat spaghetti and coffee at a diner
I live in New Jersey and diners are like one of the 5 things we do right, so I have some background here.
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Large American breakfasts - eggs/omelets, bacon, pancakes, waffles, etc. Accompanied with bottomless coffee.
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A huge variety of burgers and hot sandwiches, always served with fries. Old school way would specifically be steak fries.
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An abundance of baked good deserts, usually located near the cash register so you can make a poor last-minute decision. These are almost never baked on site.
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Dinner is usually an assortment of fried foods. There are always a ton of fancy meals on the extensive menu that no one orders.
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Milkshakes.
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In New Jersey specifically, diners serve what's called "disco fries" which are an excellent knockoff of poutine. Steak fries, brown gravy, mozzarella cheese.
You've got me curious, what are the other 4 things your state does right?
Bagels
Pizza
Taylor ham/pork roll sandwiches (often on the aforementioned bagels)
Cheap and nice public beaches
Porkroll breakfast sandwhich on a bagel :meow-melt:
Fuck places that charge for beaches, wildwood is for the proletariat
I'm sure that someone is pocketing most of the beach entrance fees, they can't cost that much to maintain beyond trash pickup and the lifeguards that are regrettably paid like $12/hour to prevent people from dying. Should be paid for with state taxes.
Yeah I went to sea isle before and the beach was nice and not over crowded but still like everything on the boardwalk is expensive as fuck just let me swim for free
The coffee is undrinkable swill. The desserts are garbage too. I can see you've never been to a real European bakery. Or had real European coffee.
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-Steak with no grill marks because its done on the burger plate, seasoned with salt and pepper only, maybe
-bottomless coffee
-various types of pie
Can picture my character slippin n slidin on the smooth surface of grease stippled here and there with blood that sweated through to the surface
Realizing as a result of this thread that diners may be the only good thing to come out of the empire
Best thing. Honestly nothing like sitting there with a plate of eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and peppers with a pancake on the side and bottomless coffee. Of course, a burger and coke with fries and a big piece of pie is great too. Steak and eggs, with a nice salad and a scoop of ice cream, washed down with free refill iced tea goes down well. I love diners so much.
They will generally have foods for different times of day
Breakfast like eggs, toast, bacon, orange juice, pancakes, hash browns
Lunch - burgers, sandwiches,
Dinner - anything fried and battered.
Desserts - milkshakes, ice cream, pie. Pie is a big one. Pie with ice cream on it
You can also Google a Denny's menu for a general list of the common orders at diners.
A good example of a diner is the one from The Shape of Water.
Seconding the milkshake, that's definitely a classic. Chocolate and vanilla are both easily recognizable, and if you look up "soda fountain glass" they're usually served in those with a straw in diners
Ooh this is really helpful, thank you!
Pie is a big one. Pie with ice cream on it
What goes in the pie? I've heard that United States pies are different from what I'm used to.
I'd say apple, pumpkin, cherry, and blueberry pie are the most common pies
there are some weird old school ones like strawberry rhubarb and sweet potato
theres pot pie which is savory, but 99% of pies are dessert (in the US)
Color-wise the most visually pleasing is red for cherry. Other flavors would get lost. Show a slice, not the whole thing.
Strawberry Rhubarb, Apple, Cherry, Chocolate Creme, Pumpkin custard, lemon meringue, key-lime (a small sweeter lime from florida) meringue,
Fried chicken on waffles. There is a chain of restaurants in the south that is literally just called "Chicken N' Waffles" and people love it.
Everybody loves Roscoe's (I have not been to roscoes in years, yes I know it is expensive)
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