Quintessentially Lafayette

This one got published in the local paper,....and I didn't even get a free pizza......

I am a “contrary” I suppose. I don’t enjoy following the crowd. I resent being force-fed, and the last thing I need is being told what I should like. For example, I despise Purdue. Local news doesn’t seem to cover anything else. The more they shovel, the more I resent the precious Boilermakers. Whole sections of the local news are dedicated to all things Purdue, at the expense of actual information we can put to use. TV or Newspaper, no matter, they are pandering to the masses who will follow what they are told is great. Thanks to the local news outlets, I tend to root for whoever is playing against Purdue today. Purdue, therefore, is not “quintessential Lafayette” to me. They are an annoyance.

Yep. I am a bit contrary. Not completely though. If I already like something, and the rest of the world comes around to my way of thinking, I am not saying I would change. My choice for something that I feel is quintessentially Lafayette works that way.

As a small kid in growing up in Lafayette, I remember occasionally being treated to dinner at the Market Square shopping center, a little restaurant called Arni’s. Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, it was a small place, and diners may well get to shake hands with Arni himself. The staff at Arni’s always had kind words for us, nice conversation. And the food? Nothing like it. The thin crust, “cut into squares” style of Pizza made at Arni’s is typically Midwestern, popular all over our area of the country. Somehow, though, Arni’s pizza is different than the rest… unique, and in my (not so humble) opinion, quintessentially Lafayette. There have been several other Arni’s restaurants built over the years, and the Original location in Market Square has been remodeled several times as well, but it is still Arni’s. Thousands of people love Arni’s food these days, and enjoy it at several locations, but no matter how popular it gets, I will always love Arni’s Pizza. (My particular favorite is Deluxe, no Mushrooms)

Sure, I have a soft spot in my heart for Arni’s, but I bet anyone who ever lived in Lafayette can honestly say it is one of the things that they remember about Lafayette. No matter how contrary I am, I will always love Arni’s pizza, even if everybody else loves it too.