The Book Lover's Angel

You never know when someone or something is going to take your day down a different path. Today started off super stressful. Work was HARD core. I needed a delicious break.  I took my intern Caroline with me to the ORIGINAL Whistle Stop Cafe in Irondale, Alabama. This is THE inspiration for Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg. Yes, my middle Georgia friends - we are familiar with the movie set "Whistle Stop" in Juliette. But this is the ACTUAL inspiration for the book.

This is Caroline. She is holding her little glass bottle of coca cola. Here you see a typical southern village. Check out the Barber Shop twirly thing.

As we were walking down the town center, we were waiting to see Aunt Bee and Barney and Andy.. and little Opie. None of them appeared.

Instead - we headed to the Whistle Stop cafe.

Check out the spread. We had roasted chicken with basil and garlic, mashed potatoes.. then I had mac & cheese and she had squash. We opted for dessert - I got a slice of custard pie, while Caroline indulged in Coconut Cream Pie. We both got these little glass coke bottles and literally had to get a bottle opener with our silverware.

Alas.. no fried green tomatoes for us.

You will  now see - I once again ... buried the lead. Turns out.. Caroline and I took the road less traveled.. and it has made all the difference.

Without further adieu.. Caroline Giraud is my first official guest blogger...

Take it away .. Miss Giraud...

Thanks Nicole! I thought it was pretty cool to be eating at the real Whistlestop; even though I'd never read the book or seen the movie it's just one of those well-known local spots. And let me say, the food was very good. The chicken was just okay, but the sides were the real stars. Mashed potatoes and gravy - YUM. I could've just eaten that. And the coconut cream pie...delish. After lunch we went down to this cute little used book store we'd seen on our way to lunch. We were greeted by this little old man with a beard and big glasses. He showed us the store, which was stacked to the ceiling with all different kinds of books. As we browsed, he asked me about college, telling us about his son's scholarship and how he'd changed his major. After we got to talking, Nicole told him that she worked at the American Heart Association and he told us about his own problems with heart disease, introducing himself as Voris. We ended up listening to this sweet old man's stories about the VA hospital and his family. In the end, he insisted that I read Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I just had to buy it from him, he was such a nice guy. Nicole went with The Kite Runner because, after the time we'd spent talking to him, we couldn't very well leave without buying anything. 

Good business plan, right? Wrong. He didn't take credit cards, just cash or check. And since neither of us had either, we were out of luck. We told him we would come back later, but he insisted on letting us have the books and paying him later. Nicole gave him her business card, but I don't think he was very concerned. So we left with our books, pretty much leaving Voris with an IOU. How crazy is that? But don't worry, I'll take Voris the money, along with a Hoops for Heart 2006 t-shirt, pamphlets about heart disease, and some heart-healthy snacks, on Wednesday when I intern again. Good day at the AHA? I'd say so.