The Secret is in the Sauce...of life

I have been through my fair share of small towns.  I love small towns.  There is something about the sense of community and the solitude of a small town (perhaps I am jaded since I think all small towns should be just like Stars Hollow), but I have never been through a town as small as Juliette, GA.

I grew up hearing stories from my Daddy about those towns with one red light and a stop sign, but had never really seen one.  That hasn’t changed after today.  I saw no red light.  There was no stop sign.  It was one street.  We walked the entire town in less than 5 minutes. 

For those of you who do not automatically know why my adventures would take me to Juliette, GA look no further than one of the two restaurants in the town.  Juliette is home of the Original Whistle Stop Café.  Now that, readers, should mean something to you.  If it didn’t *cough* anyone under 20, perhaps you need to turn to your trusty Netflix and look up a little movie entitled Fried Green Tomatoes.  You’ll thank me by the end I promise.   Even though the movie takes place in Alabama, it was filmed in little Juliette 25 years ago.  The café still stands and serves fried green tomatoes as an appetizer and as a sandwich.  Now if you now me you know I was not about to eat nasty tomatoes even if that’s what gave the diner its fame, but they also serve other down home southern cuisine.  The fried okra is AMAZING in case you need a side suggestion. 

As Amanda and I stepped out of the car and into the small street I suddenly understood the saying “The town time forgot.”   Though the store fronts now announce different gift shops, it looks essentially the same as the film, which may I remind you was shot 25 years ago.  The train tracks remain less than 10 yards from the front of the café.  The building is in dire need of a paint job and the porch steps creak as you ascend.  The porch welcoming party consists of two stray cats basking in the sunshine and hogging the rocking chair.  Just a word of friendly advice: Do NOT approach said cats, they are mean and still have their claws.  Just FYI.  Once you side step the evil cats, you step into a café that hasn’t changed from the set.  The entire restaurant has a total of ten tables and twelve bar seats.  If you look carefully you can see they are the same benches Ruth sits in while asking Idgie what happened to her husband.  Upon entering the café I suddenly had to fight (not well) the urge to go into Southern Belle extreme.  I desperately wanted to work “why, I declare” into a sentence.  I’m southern by birth but generally you wouldn’t know it by talking to me.  You would have today.  Suddenly, I felt for sure it was 1930 and I was missing my pearls. 

As if the actual café couldn’t get any more southern with their turnip greens, fried chicken, fried okra, and mashed potatoes, our Coke was served in mason jars.  Mason Jars!  The place really shouldn’t be real with its old school southern charm!  As we ate we listened to a rooster crowing and watched the train tracks.  The meal was concluded with the most amazing Hot Fudge cake ever. 

Several of the shops are closed now, whether because it’s February or times are tough I do not know, but the train station has locked its doors as did three other store fronts.  This may not seem like much, but that is half the town.  The three remaining shops were filled with antiques further leading to the feeling this town never crossed the century.  Perhaps the only reminder we were indeed still in 2015 was Luke Bryan crooning his latest hit over the small stereo. 

No town is exempt from crime and clearly neither is Juliette.  Their police station looks like something out of the Andy Griffith show and their car barely looks like is should still run let alone have accessible parts for repairs.  And the “lock up” is an outhouse.  I suppose this was small town Americas answer to the British Police Box.  Though the police Phone Box does make a more iconic TARDIS than an outhouse I believe.  And no town is complete without entertainment and they have an outdoor stage with a small grass audience.  Amanda and I decided the whole town could be present on the few stools allocated for the audience. 

I think the most beneficial aspect of this little adventure was we finally discovered why the Chicken crossed the road.  We watched several chicken and roosters daringly run across the empty streets.  Trust me, you don’t actually want to know why they crossed, just know you too can discover the truth if you visit the old town. 

There is something magical about Juliette.  Yes, Amanda and I had fun poking fun at its size and lack of amenities, but still you were transported back to a simpler time.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a history student I know the time had its fair share of troubles, but it was a time when community watched out for one another and didn’t just close the blinds.  It was a time when if you fell on hard times, folks tried their best to help you out.  A time when the lines between friends and family were blurred and fearing God wasn’t considered taboo.  The plot of Fried Green Tomatoes is simple enough. We are all handed our fair share of troubles, but with good friends you can accomplish anything.  Friends are Gods greatest gifts.  Idgie teaches you should always stand up for the people who can’t, whether it’s feeding one of the tent cities with stolen food, or helping out a homeless man who just needs a place to sleep, or giving your best friend a second chance with her new baby.  Always learn from your experiences and let them grow you into the person you want to be.

I know I take my movies too seriously and allow the lines of fiction and reality to blur and many think that foolish, but if you really pay attention, film can teach you a better way to look at the world.  If you ever have the chance to stop over at the Whistle Stop Café, take a friend, get you some fried green tomatoes and take a moment to soak up the simplicity of the adventure.  After all, the secret, dear reader, is in the sauce of life.