My gut instinct, along with everyone else's, is to bemoan this changover from "real" to FAUX-working class hangouts, but to be honest I really don't care. It would be extremely phony of me — or anyone else who isn't a non-blue collar grunt — to pretend to really MISS the places that cater to them.

It's a curious thing, this self-hatred that's so often exhibited by young urban folks when they criticize any establishment that's full of people who are JUST LIKE THEM. "Look at that place! It's full of hipsters!" So? That's like a cross-dressing Taiwanese welder proclaiming "I'd never go into that bar — It's full of cross-dressing Taiwanese welders! I wanna go to a place that's REAL, man!" "Real" meaning any place that doesn't have anyone like him in it, apparently.

There's no such thing as "cultural purity." EVERYTHING is a hybrid. At one time Tiki Bars were considered tasteless abominations, yet now people actually want to celebrate, restore and preserve these one-time cultural anomalies, along with the so-called "culture" that goes with it. And why not? If such cross-pollinations had no appeal they would never have existed in the first place.

I like the "new" Hattie's Hat. I like that they preserved the crusty old feel of the joint, while at the same time serving food and drink that are digestible. One could argue that that makes the place "neither here nor there," but you could also argue that it now encompasses the best of both worlds, while simultaneously becoming something altogether different. Something that serves the "new" Ballard's tastes and needs. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's called good business sense!

Now somebody pass the friggin' Gray Poupon!