Justine Griffin / Herald-Tribune – I remember spending a lot of time at the food court at my local mall when I was growing up.

When I was a teenager, my mom would drop me off at the mall on a Saturday afternoon to meet some friends. For hours we would browse the aisles of what were then the coolest and hippest retailers in the mall, drooling over dresses and sweaters we couldn’t afford.

But we’d always spend our hard-earned babysitting dollars at the food court — and sometimes on movie tickets.

Even now, when I shop with my mom or family members who live just north of Tampa, we still make time for Chinese food or a chicken sandwich at the food court.