Order Up!

In One Hundred Dreams, when Cameron and Val arrive in Aspen Cove, the first thing they do is stop for lunch at Maisey’s Diner. Their literal first taste of Aspen Cove is sitting down to one of Maisey’s blue-plate specials. But where did the term blue-plate special originate?

It is thought that the term blue-plate special dates back to 1892.  Proprietor Fred Harvey ran a chain of restaurants located in railway stations.  In 1892 he started serving fast, cheap meals to railway passengers and called them blue-plate specials. Why blue-plate? Apparently the meals were served on inexpensive, sturdy blue plates purchased from a company in Illinois. The plates were modeled after Wedgewood china. Hence, the term blue-plate special. The term is still used today, whether or not there is a blue plate involved.  

In Cameron and Val’s case, their blue-plate special was an open-faced chili burger with fries and onion rings. That actress Cameron ordered such a meal was just one more thing that took bodyguard Val by surprise.

Have you ever ordered a blue-plate special?

Read more about Cameron and Val’s story (including more about their initial introduction to Aspen Cove) in One Hundred Dreams.