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| Fried green tomatoes with remoulade. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
There they are, my friends, the sweet and savory fried green titular tomatoes from one of my favorite books and movies. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe" by Fannie Flagg is about as Southern as it gets - comedy, tragedy, and good food.
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| The Whistlestop Cafe. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The book is set in Whistlestop, Alabama, and is based on Flagg's hometown of Irondale, Alabama. The movie version, however, was filmed in Georgia, in the teeny town of
Juliette, about 10 miles east of I-75, south of Atlanta and north of Macon. It's a mill town built along the Ocmulgee River, with a former general store right by the train tracks that figure so prominently in the book. It's hard to believe the movie was released 20 years ago -the little town still enjoys a tourist trade all these years later.
In October, we took a day trip from Atlanta to Macon, with a stop at the Whistlestop for some authentic Southern food. The day was crisp and the sky was blue. And the fried green tomatoes and fried chicken were excellent.
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| Fried chicken with collard greens. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Good Food sign at the Whistlestop. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Interior, Whistlestop Cafe. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Shops in Juliette, Georgia. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The shops in Juliette are cute, but the real draw is the Whistlestop. There's a bit of a wait, but the time goes quickly while waiting on the front porch, or browsing the shops.
Sure wish Buddy had read this sign before he decided to run across the train tracks...
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| Sign by railroad tracks. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Smokey Lonesome's shack is located behind the Whistlestop.
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| Smokey Lonesome's shack. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
And of course, Frank Bennett's memorial. Remember, the secret's in the sauce.
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| The secret's in the sauce. Lucy Mercer/ A Cook and Her Books |
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| Juliette, Georgia. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
The mill has been closed since 1957 - it was formerly owned by Dixie Lily and Martha White.
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| The Mill in Juliette, Georgia. Lucy Mercer/ A Cook and Her Books |
The sheriff's office and a few other stop s in downtown Juliette...
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| Sheriff's office. Lucy Mercer/ A Cook and Her Books |
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| The bank in Juliette. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Sign at Whistlestop Cafe. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Front porch of the Whistlestop Cafe. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
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| Whistlestop train depot. Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books |
Do you love "Fried Green Tomatoes?" Either book, movie or dish counts. Of course, if you can quote lines from the movie or book, you're my best friend! My favorite line is from Towanda: "Face it girls, I'm older and I carry more insurance."
Text and images copyright Lucy Mercer 2012.
