Dog Dish Salad

We headed for Ponca City by way of one of Bill’s favourite towns: Guthrie OK. (I can see I need to add a category, Small Town America). We looked at buying a house there but didn’t pursue it very hard. 

It’s just that this is one of the few small towns that seems to have capitalised on celebrating its history. That wasn’t meant to be a pun, but could have been: Oklahoma’s first state capitol was at Guthrie before being relocated to Oklahoma City.

We stopped for lunch at an attractive place called the Blue Belle Saloon. As you can see I occupied myself snapping photos whilst waiting for our meal, even though we’ve been before.

Across the road.

Built in 1889, Tom Mix was a bartender here before becoming a silent film star. The building has housed any number of businesses over the years. The upper floor, called a 'hall', had 17 small rooms around a lobby and was probably a bordello. 

I had to look up what 1959 had to do with anything...

Although Prohibition ended in the U.S. in 1933, there was a strong 'dry' lobby in Oklahoma that prevented sale of anything stronger than beer (3.4%, I'm guessing). This continued for more than two decades until

On April 7, 1959, Oklahoman's went to the polls and contradicted Will Roger's adage that they would vote 'dry as long as they could stagger to the polls.' They repealed prohibition...The legislation did not permit liquor by the drink, and that particular provision remained law until 1984, when the state voted it out.    ---   Source

I opted for a salad with grilled chicken and Bill had ‘fried chicken salad’. Who ever heard of ‘fried chicken salad’?

And tell me that metal bowl doesn’t look like a dog dish? It was good, all the same. I expect we’ll be back again.