I am a proud fourth generation public school kid. From kindergarten through in some instances PhDs and MDs. My family members who could have gone anyway CHOOSE Illinois public schools. Heck my little rural town in Southern Illinois is I think the 21st best in the state. Families move here and asked why, they say openly your schools are awesome.
Well in the mid-80s I went to Western Illinois Univesity. Kind of the middle of nowhere to the North, Western part of the state in Macomb.
It was kind of progressive before that was a term thrown around. Heck the first year I was there we all had to take a class called Welness 101. Wellness of body, mind, and sprit. Documentation about it everywhere in the dorms and on campus. Best I could tell from the class they wanted to help teach their young adults how to live a healthy and full life. And of course wellness of spirit never once mentioned organized religion. It was about doing things to make yourself feel good about yourself.
Well I spent a ton of time in the Student Union studying. This massive room. Comfy couches and chairs. Huge windows on the top floor looking at a pretty nice campus.
Well downstairs there was a Hardees. Of course ton of other fast food places off campus, but the Hardess was open longer hours. A central loction for those living in the dorms (most students lived on campus and didn't have cars). And best of all you could use your campus ID and points you had bought through the Univerisy meal plan to buy food there. After the bars closed it was a VERY popular place.
Harold worked the lateshift. He had Downs Syndrom. Mostly wiped down the tables, cleaned trays, took out the trash, and served as an unoffical greeter. I can't recall him ever working and him not greeting me with a smile, hand extended, and him telling me his name was Harold (which of course we all knew).
It would seem as they shut the place down most of the folks working would fix and take a meal with them.
Harold went off script. He'd take a tray that the biscounts came in. Line the bottom with hashrounds. Topped with a biscout, scrambled eggs, and a ton of sauage gravey and cheese. At some point the other workers were like Harold makes us one of those. They were like this is darn good.
It became known among a few you could order off menu. Ask for the "Harold Special."
Now 30+ years later I can count on one hand in the last 12 months I went to a fast food resturant and have a few fingers left. I'd rather cook. My parents that visit me about once a month to see my niece, their only granddaugther, stay with me. They have more money than they can spend in a lifetime, yet for about 75% of their meals food comes from fast food or out of a microwave.
When they go to Hardee's every moring around 6 AM, they always ask if I want to come. I refuse. Friday I went for like the third time in 15 years. I could find nothing on the menu I wanted to eat. The lady working the counter said they had a low carb bowl. Eggs and cheese. Not on their menu I was looking at. I was sure, I will try that.
I had not thought of the Harold Special for years and years. Decades.....
I ate a bite or two, went to the counter asked for a plate, hash rounds, biscout, side of gravey. I made a Harld Special.
Parents looking at me confused. I told them the story of Harold and the Harold Special. They ate most of it. Stunned it wasn't on the menu. The next day I had them bring me back all I needed to make it. Just ate it. As fast food goes not bad.
