"An early morning waitress in New England leads a lonely life, but I soon learned that if I tried to inject life and gaity into her job with a blithe remark she dropped her eyes and answered "Yep" or "Umph." Still, I did feel that their was some kind of communication, but I can't say what it was."
Steinbeck is on the road and stops in at the local diner to basically get a taste of the locals, and see what that particular part of America's social climate was. And apparently the social climate in the early morning was rather arctic. I believe meeting people different from you is a crucial part of any road trip. Nature may be purifying, but you must learn about your fellow man as well. Steinbeck expresses his affection for people of all sways of personality in this beginning section. These are all taciturn northerners and he speaks about the bond of communication he felt with a waitress that would be considered sullen in Texas. He is showing how meeting new people is a warming enjoyable feeling, even if they aren't openly warm in return.
Why are Texans so loud and proud but others are so quiet and calm? Is it nature vs nurture? Is it the climate?
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