Salt Lake Crawler

Whenever too many reporters are gathered in a sleepy town for an news event—say a polygamous trial, you can expect at least one cafe story — if only to shut their impatient editors up. Quite incidentally, these stories give readers a glimpse of the community the media has invaded and changed forever.

In this case, the cafe is Jo Jo's in San Angelo, Tx., where everyone, lawyers, reporters, construction workers, gather between rounds of the Raymond Merril Jessop trial. The San Angelo Standard Times reports:

The business cards set on each table inside tell the truth about the restaurant’s strength and weakness: “Food is great, parking sucks!”

Once seated inside, patrons receive menus with a cover drawing of a monkey seated at hot meal with a fork and knife in either hand, and a spoon held by its tail.

It’s no imaginary mascot. The picture depicts Jo Jo, the husband and wife owners’ pet spider monkey.

Jo Jo's menu? Texas chicken fried steak, of course, burgers and, in a nod to demographic realities, Mexican food. Perhaps Jo Jo's will name their large syrupy ice tea in honor of the nearby FLDS compound, were the wives "keep sweet."