Diners are part of American roadside history. During their heyday in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, servers and cooks developed their own lingo for customers' orders. We all know OJ, BLT, mayo and over-easy.

But can you translate the following?

• Biddies on a raft — hold the axle grease, birdseed no cow and an 81— hold the hail
• Cowboy, burn the British and Joe, blonde and sweet
• Bun pup with breath, bullets in the alley and a 55
• Burn one, paint it red, take it through the garden and pin a rose on it
• Houseboat on wheels

Translation:

• Two poached eggs on toast — no butter, cereal without milk and a glass of water with no ice
• Western omelet, a toasted English muffin and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar
• Hot dog with onions, a side order of baked beans and a root beer
• Hamburger with lettuce, tomato, onion and ketchup
• Banana split to go

Diner lore — and much more — is part of "Key Ingredients: America by Food," a traveling exhibition put on by the Museum on Main Street division of the Smithsonian Institution. The program is designed for small communities across America that wouldn't normally have access to the resources of the Smithsonian.

The program came to New Mexico through the efforts of Craig Newbill, executive director, and Michelle Quisenberry, program officer, of the New Mexico Humanities Council.

Among the many food-related issues addressed by "Key Ingredients" are regional food trends, heritage recipes, the birth of the American restaurant, home-cooking traditions and the preservation revolution.

All of the topics are visually displayed: The Mitchell Corn Palace; The Wisconsin Cheeseheads; How restaurants as we know them today did not exist until the mid-1800s. (Before then, all food was either consumed at home or in taverns or inns by travelers. Fine dining took place only in the homes of the elite.)

Acoma Pueblo was the first community to host this exhibit in New Mexico. It then traveled to Questa and Bernalillo before settling into the Northern New Mexico village of Chama for the past few months. This free exhibit is open to the public through Friday, except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Chama is one of the few Northern New Mexico villages not founded by Hispanic settlers. Once the terminus of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, the village sprang up in 1880 as a direct result of the train tracks that came over the mountains from Colorado. The Chama depot was an important link to markets for the lamb and timber industries that flourished in the north-central region of New Mexico at the turn of the last century. It's still the site of the seasonal Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, the highest and longest narrow-gauge railroad in the United States.

As the Smithsonian exhibit tours the state — exploring the role food has played in our lives and how it continues to shape our world — the hosting venues add exhibits, demonstrations and programs about their own local food and culinary traditions. There are also arts and crafts projects for children to work on as the adults tour the displays.

In Chama, the local exhibits have included ranching and cowboy traditions, Jicarilla Apache culture, Spanish culture and the sheep-herding industry. The last local exhibit, an exploration of the area's Anglo culture and holiday foods, recently opened.

After Chama, "Key Ingredients" will make a stop at the Artesia Historical Museum & Art Center from Jan. 4 to Feb. 15, then travel to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales before leaving the state April 4.

New Mexican food editor Patricia West-Barker contributed to this report.

IF YOU GO

What: "Key Ingredients: America by Food"

When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Friday; closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Where: Chama Community Center, 342 Pine St., Chama. (Take Highway 285/84 north from Santa Fe. Stay on Highway 84 to Chama. Turn left on 3rd Street (by Foster's Restaurant) and proceed two blocks to Pine Street. Turn right on Pine to the Community Center.)

Price: Free

For more information: Call the Chama Village Office during business hours, 505-756-2621, or log onto www.visitchama.com.
Exhibit information: Log onto the online educational companion to the "Key Ingredients" tour: www.keyingredients.org/