Fried Green Tomatoes with Curie, at the Whistle Stop Cafe!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This is Brendan Stacy with Let's Wine with Brendan Stacy. And this is kind of a little review episode. My daughter and I took a little trip last week and got to do a couple little things and see and eat at the Whistle Stop Cafe from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, which was a movie off of the book that was actually called Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

So that's what it was called, the title of the book, and then they just shortened it to Tomatoes. Yes. I don't think they extended it for the movie. So you've read the book and seen the movie? Yes. Fanny Flagg wrote the book. Do you love the book more than the movie, or do you feel like, oh, they're both so good that they're good in their own rights?

SPEAKER_01 0:37

I think they're good in their own rights, and I think part of it is the cast that they picked to play in the movie. They had Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy and um Cicely. Oh, Cicely Tyson, yes, and Mary Stuart Masterson. I mean, so there's a big group. All right. I guess I'll just start for the first night. We stayed at the Clarion Point in Forsyth, and um Lynn was a big help. She was there every day, and she is one of those people maybe a little bit older than I am. You met Lynn at the hotel, yes. She's the one that checked us in. She was there doing the breakfast every morning. She is one of those people that I think knows everything about everybody because she was raised in that area. Oh, yeah. And would sit there while I was having breakfast and tell me stories about different people. And when I'd tell her what stores I went into, she knew who owned it and who used to own it and who had kids and who had problems. And I know to meet somebody like that that just kind of like that town gossip.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Yeah. She just needed a big ear to listen and she was gonna rattle it off. And I didn't know those people. She disabilitates.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

She did. So got to meet her, got checked in. Curry and I went to a Shoney's. And I didn't even know there were any left, and there happened to be one standing in the parking lot. That's crazy. I know. Of course, we started looking it up, and there are only two left in Georgia, according to the internet. Yes. One being there and the other in um God, I can't remember now.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

There used to be one. It's probably gone now. In Riverdale, Georgia. If there's only two, one's not in Riverdale. But anyway, it had the big boy, the big Shoney's boy that were the overalls and had the tray up in his hand, and those are the days. And I I miss that. It's like one of those things from your childhood you took for granted like it'd always be there. I know. Well now I wish I had a photo or a picture with it, or but it you just assumed it wasn't special to take a picture with because it was there every day. I may have a picture of me with a big boy.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

You know, kids want to climb on it. Oh yeah. Let's get on him. Climb on it. I know. Well, you can go on to YouTube and I was watching the um 20 weird facts about shoney's big boy that you didn't know. I bet I don't. I know. But um Curry was looking it up while we were sitting there because oh, the other city too. This is throwing it in reverse is Vidalia. Am I saying it right? Vidalia, Georgia. Vidal. Okay. Vidalia. But the big boy actually refers to the hamburger. It was a double decker hamburger that used to sell at a hamburger stand for like 10 cents. And then different franchises picked up the big boy because she was on Reddit and other people remember it being called something different. Well, I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and wherever we traveled to, like Greensburg and the little surrounding cities, it was Shoney's Big Boy.

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:12

That's what I was raised with. And I know you were concerned about the salad bar. And they do still have it. They do, but I had an omelet. Oh, of course you would. And I did tell Curry that we were gonna do an episode about our little trip. She's already asked if this is to call her out about stealing a spoon from Shoney's because it said Shoney's on it. She might get it from me. Probably. I've taken a thing or two from a restaurant once or twice in my life. You probably have a whole set of Pizza Hut glasses in there.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

I've got stuff you wouldn't know. But it's not about me.

unknown 3:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 3:45

She probably got the borrowing the spoon from me.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

All right. Well, we had our shonies and then we went on to um we started looking up because the reason we went on the weird days that we did was the restaurants only open Thursday through Monday. And we wanted these fried green tomatoes. And so we thought, well, let's go ahead and drive over there and see if any of the shops are open. And it's just one little street. I mean, that is all it is, but it's packed with uh a store that sells honey, and evidently there's a winery close by and they have a little shop there that sells the wine, but the antique store was open, and we got to chat with a woman named Reva, and Riva told us that most of the people that work there are or she is one of 17 volunteers. Oh, wow. Yes, there are people that actually volunteer, and everybody was telling us you have to get there early, get there early because it could be hours of waiting time to get in. I thought, oh, here we go. There's like a theme park when it shouldn't be. So the next morning we got up and um had breakfast at the hotel, talked to Lynn some more, and then drove over to McCracken, which was the street in Juliet, and that is that's it. That's all that's there are are these little shops. But we um got there a little before eleven, and there's a podium that stands outside of the door, and there's a sign-up sheet, and you can pick booth or table. So somebody had beat us and signed in at 1018, and I think we signed in at like 1038. So we went ahead and walked down and bought honey that I didn't bring you any, and you know, did our thing you're welcome. And went in all the little shops and stores and did that. So that was fun to actually see that where the movie was filmed, and they'd have, of course, the movie posters and pictures and things on the wall. Yeah, it sounds fascinating. It sounds like a place I want to go. It so it seems like someplace you'd want to live. Yeah, I probably would. I could volunteer there. But there's nothing there. I mean, I as far as no hotel, and that's the only restaurant. Mm-hmm. I mean, you have to stay in a hotel. They have hotels within ten miles of there, and we were at one, I think, like eight miles from there, so it wasn't bad. Very cool. And there was like no traffic. And plenty of parking and w well, we got there early enough. It filled up. It filled up. And I had watched a YouTube video before we went. And they said it's funny that like literally at eleven o'clock, cars come in from nowhere. You don't know where they're coming from because there's nothing there. They just show up.

SPEAKER_00 5:53

That's crazy. So, well, let's talk a minute about the fried green tomatoes. Were they heavenly?

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Yes. Okay, good. They were. I have a quote from Curry. She told me last night that she could eat them every day and not get tired of them.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

Oh, that's amazing. I'm so glad that it worked out like that because sometimes you know how you build things up in your head so big, and then when you get to it, it's like, woman. I know. And then you're kind of like, Well, that was good. We did it. But I'm so glad that it was the experience you expected.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

It was. It wasn't so cute in there. It's just got that old Georgia feel to it, I guess. And I had the catfish and she had pulled pork, and we were both happy with our meals. And that sounds awesome. And had our fried green tomatoes.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Yeah, fried catfish.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Grilled. Grilled catfish was it good? Yeah. It was. Even curry, I I don't know. A lot of people don't like catfish. And she was leaning over and she even said there was no smell to it or anything. You didn't give her a bite?

SPEAKER_00 6:49

No. You didn't offer you a big one. She didn't ask for she didn't ask for it. Oh my god. You know I don't share food. Crazy. But I'm so happy. If I just went there and had five green tomatoes, I'd be over the moon. I love them anyway. I'm holding out on y'all's next trip. I'm not sure. I don't think they serve alcohol in there. Um it's okay. Um well, we're gonna go early, early in the morning. Okay. So I have uh invited myself on the next trip. Yes. So I'm coming. And I know y'all had so much fun there. Is there anything else about that spot that we're leaving out? The honey bees.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Oh, I mean, there's evidently beehives close by because they make their own honey. And when we're they're slow moving, they're those great big juicy looking chubby ones. And they're cute. It's like you want to grab one, put a leash on it. Oh no. Can't take it home. But when we're sitting in the anirondack chairs, you know, waiting to get called to eat, they're just kind of like floating around you.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Kind of like a tame dan like a tame bee. Like a tame bee, yes. Yeah, like, oh, there's our people. Like they've been trained, they're southern bees, so they're extra hospitable. That's what it is.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

And they see people all the time, I'm sure. Yes, it was really fun. I mean, we had a nice time. It was neat being there. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

I know y'all celebrated halfway to Halloween. Yes, yes, oh, had to go see the mummy. Uh-huh. Was it everything you expected? Oh, yes, and more. And more. We gotta talk about the N more, because I know that I know one N more. If you don't mention it, I'm gonna bring up. What? The frozen coach Jackson Cokes.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

Yes. We got in there and it didn't look I mean, they had a big snack bar, but it didn't look like they have in Lakeland. My daughter and I always did horror movie month. And we'd go to, you know, to Lakeland where they have full bar and you know, eat lunch in there and everything. And so this place, I'm like, I don't think they serve alcohol, not a big deal. But then we we were looking at the icy machines, and I'm like, what's that flavor over there? And we got to looking up there and I'm thinking, oh my gosh, it's Jack and Coke. They have frozen Jack and Cokes. I don't think I've ever had one. Is that crazy? Did you love it? I was like, we'll take two. It was good. So it was fun sitting in there in the dark, you know. That was the first movie I'd been to since I moved to Georgia. It it is expensive. I mean, once you start, you know, drinking and eating, once you're in there, you can really rack it up. But the movie's good. Oh, it's so good. People who watch horror movies, I know it got mixed reviews, and a lot of people compared it with Evil Dead. And so when Curry and I got back out to the car, I'm sitting there, who is this Lee Cronin? You know, they keep talking Lee Cronin's mummy. And one thing I told her, I said it reminds me of Evil Dead Rise, which I loved. And she goes, He did Evil Dead Rise. I'm like, You're kidding me. Oh my gosh. So it I mean, it could stand as like it has people who go in there thinking it's like a remake of the universal mummy, that's not what they're gonna get. That's what I picture when you talk about it. Yeah, it's nothing like that. It is nothing like that. It ranks up there with like the Exorcist. Really? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

Like you want to see it again and again. I would watch it again.

SPEAKER_01 9:45

Oh, I'll definitely watch it again. If you go to the theater with me today, I'd go watch it again right now.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

Well, we're busy. And I don't like horror.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

So we got to see our movie. That's something I thought about doing if you'd let me. Um, like doing a little side podcast. If anybody is interested, you know, let me know. Email us at BS Studios for Brenda's movie reviews. Oh, that'd be good. I know.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

And TV shows. I know why you would be so good at that because you have the attention span. Like you know, you can quote movies. Jeff and I talk about it all the time. Remember back in 1942 and we watched Little House on the Prairie, and Laura said so and so and so to her pa. You know, you know the so-and-so's. Like nobody else does. You have that kind of when you watch something, you retain it, and you can speak about it.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

That definitely tells you if I'm not paying attention to something. I would listen. I would listen.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Would you? Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

I I don't feel I was listening to. I don't know. Record. Record. Yeah. And plus we get what, five podcasts? Yeah, yeah. It's already paid for. Whatever we want. Well, you know what? I um I'm big on environment. That's my thing. And I feel like I might focus on something that nobody cares about. And I feel like some people give such really in-depth, intelligent reviews where I'd be I would just be like, oh, that guy was ugly. Yeah. I can't imagine how intelligent it would sound.

SPEAKER_00 11:13

But I like excited. I like when you you know, pick something for me to watch. A lot of times I'll say, Well, what are we gonna watch next? And it's like you've already kind of researched what what it's about. If you think it sounds like our vibe or oh, that sounds stupid. I don't know. You know, I mean you already do that for me. To me. Try to. Well, I don't want you to be scared. I know you don't like scary. I know I don't like scary. So we don't talk a lot about scary, but I'm one person out of that's why I thought it could be a little side venture.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Yeah, do your thing. Maybe you did watch a scary movie with us with Scotty, whistle.

SPEAKER_00 11:51

Oh my god, yes, that was so scary. I didn't know I liked that. It was gory and gross. Have y'all seen that before? Had you asked that?

SPEAKER_01 12:00

No, that it was just out. I paid for that. Oh, that was did you know that? I told him to hit the button, I paid for it because it wasn't out yet. It'll be on shutter.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

I was overserved that day. But now that you mentioned it, I remember yeah, the movie.

SPEAKER_01 12:13

I know. Wouldn't it be wild to see your 80-year-old self come and get you? Uh that was a crazy movie. You should review that one. But we got our prowls again. I know. I know. We just wanted to talk about this little trip. And Lynn, I know I'm gonna I hope you listen to this because you are amazing. You know what you're doing. Oh, and she gave me a little bit of a credit too on the room because they had changed owners, I guess, and I had reserved it so long ago that prices went down, so they made sure I got a little refund, and I got that day before yesterday. Sweet. I know. That was very nice. We were there two nights. The only complaint I had had nothing to do with the hotel. It was, I have to admit, it's a little outdated, but it was probably one of the cleanest hotels I'd been in. So they care. They care about that. But on the second night, someplace close, they were burning something. Burning something. And Lynn even said the next morning it smelled like um tires. And so every time the air conditioner would kick on, we'd smell it. But that's not the hotel's fault. They had no control over that. We just wrong place, wrong time.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

So this was where you were in Forsyth and Juliet, Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 13:18

Yes, we stayed in Forsyth. The whistle stop is in Juliet. We had to go to Macon for the movie. Oh, okay. Mm-hmm. So I kept passing little signs that say you're entering such and such county. Yeah, I don't know, Georgia. I just And that was another thing, just the drive there, you know, because Curry and I met there. So she was coming from one direction, I was coming from the other, and I avoided highways, which was kind of neat because I saw all these homes with wraparound porches, and it had the steel magnolious feel to it. I just picture old women drinking sweet tea on the porch in a rocking chair. Absolutely. And all the churches were adorable. You know, they're definitely older churches with little cemeteries in front of them. Mm-hmm. Very cute.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

I know. I love those old the churches that just look like all the heart and the soul and all the things that have happened in that church is probably outstanding. And probably if it was one of those from back in the day, they had school there when it wasn't being used as church. There's your little house on the prairie. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

There's my little house on prairie. I literally passed at least 30 churches. I mean, that's no exaggeration. You're in the south. Okay. They're like on every corner. You're in the south. I still don't comprehend that. Well, this is the thing. I'm an Indiana girl. I'm a city girl. Yeah, they have churches. Well, we had churches. Just not every five minutes. I don't I want to say there were even churches across the street from each other. Like there were little com competition going on. And then you could leave church and go eat fried chicken on the other corner.

SPEAKER_00 14:48

Yeah, I mean, because we gotta eat. After you praise the Lord, you gotta eat. So let's go back to them fried green tomatoes because you know I want. I know we're going. We talked about it. I want those fried green tomatoes. I will get off. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

The only thing is they're only open Thursday through Monday from 11 to 4. We can't. And they do not take reservations. So if anybody out there plans on going, they don't take reservations. You just gotta show up and show up before 11 o'clock. You know, don't eat breakfast, be ready to eat lunch. I could do that. I know, me too. Yeah, I could eat breakfast and be there at 11 for lunch. So no problem.

SPEAKER_00 15:25

Well, I want to go so bad. It does sound like so much fun. Y'all went at a good time of the year too, because I know it obviously wasn't too hot. It was just probably just right. Otherwise, you've been saying, I was hot the whole time. So y'all went just right.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

It got a little bit hot walking back and forth from store to store, but like I said, it's one street, so it wasn't like a theme park. Oh, I could I can guarantee if I'd have been out there walking for an hour I'd have been bitching by noon. That's a given.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

So it was a perfect size getaway. It was. It's close enough you could you could probably do it in a day trip if you wanted to. Oh, yeah. From central I mean, from Atlanta area from central Georgia. Right, but I knew I wanted to see that movie with Curry. Yeah. And they had early releases. Yeah. I think that's so cool that y'all got to do that. I think it's cool there's a halfway to Halloween. It's like my half birthday.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

They exist. I know. Well, the good thing is, and they've done it in the past, and hopefully they'll do it again. Dragula does a halfway to Halloween show. I love my halfway to Halloween. Well, I'm excited.

SPEAKER_00 16:23

I know we're gonna go on.

SPEAKER_01 16:24

We are gonna go. Let's do it. I know. I want to start talking about the things we do.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

I want to go to I want to have a fried cream tomato. Now you're craving it. I know, now I want some.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

All right. I think you'd like the stores there, the little antique stores. I bet if you had your mom there, she'd go nuts. There are cute things in there. Oh. There are very cute things in those stores.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

I bought a magnet.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

A magnet and some honey.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

I didn't bring you shit, and the bottle of wine I brought home is gone already. Oh my god. Well, now we know. Well, I d I did look up. There are tons of wineries in Georgia. Close by? Yeah, there's there's one in Buford. I could go right now. We're getting a car. Cloudland Vineyards and Winery in Beauford is only 12.3 miles from here. Well, we'd probably be there in about half an hour, 45 minutes if there's no traffic. Yeah, if there's no traffic. There's one in Sugar Hill, Wine and Wander, 6.7 miles away. How come we've never been to any of these yet?

SPEAKER_00 17:25

How come they're not like advertising or how do I not know? Oh, because I don't watch TV or listen to real radio. You didn't even know Georgia was on fire.

unknown 17:32

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

I didn't know. I thought it was a little wildfire. I mean a little baby. It's gotten bad.

SPEAKER_01 17:38

We better keep an eye on it for real. Alright, well, what scary movie do you want to watch?

SPEAKER_00 17:42

None. None of them. That movie was so good. Oh my I might watch it when it comes out like for free on one of the ways that we stream stuff. Yeah. And just to see if I can handle it. It's good. Good story, good plot, or just a lot of gore and it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 18:00

You know what we can do here? I think it's on HBO Max. We go out there and watch Evil Dead Rise. And if you could handle that, you could handle this one. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Because it's got the same kind of Well, now after watching Fried Green Tomatoes, isn't it fresh in my mind? Now I'm kind of feeling like a Still Magnolia night. I need to watch that. After Evil Dead Rise. After okay. I gotta watch Evil Dead Rise and then we can watch Still Magnolias. That'll be my reward. Because so many of our shows are season endings. Right. Like they're coming up and they're gonna end, and then what the fuck are we gonna do?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

I know. Speaking of Kathy Bates, I noticed the last two episodes of Matlock are up. What am I gonna do after Matlock? I love that one.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

She's addicting.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

She is. Love her. I could watch her do anything.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

I know, I know.

SPEAKER_01 18:43

Of course, my favorite's watching her hobble. People. People. I know. Quack whack.

SPEAKER_00 18:49

To wanda forever. That's right. Speaking of call-outs, how about our newest legal all-by-ther-self driver on the road?

SPEAKER_01 18:59

Oh, how could I not say that first thing? Look out, Billy Idol, because we don't want him hurt. But my granddaughter is on the road now. She got her license. Yes, that's so exciting. Yes, Camille texted me um earlier and said she's out with the instructor right now. I was like, oh boy.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Oh my goodness. I know it's exciting. Congratulations, Lily. You did it. Can't believe you haven't had baby little we we beat Mushy in her hands to uh be sixteen. To driving all by yourself. Congratulations. I know it's a big milestone. And I'm proud of her. So many kids her age are not don't want to drive. Which which I can't fathom. I can't fathom either.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

I don't understand that. Hell, when I was 16, it's like I better get my license. My mom was on it because I had to take myself to the obstetrician.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah. I know. I just couldn't wait to be able to take a vehicle into Zim. I know. There's a sense of freedom.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

Good job, Lily. I know. I'm so excited. She she admitted to me she was scared to drive on like the highways. Like I-4 down there in Orlando is horrible. Oh, I know. It's scary here. Merging. But I told her, I said, stay in Winterhaven in the beginning. Go to the movies. Go to the restaurants. You don't have to go on a highway. Highway 27's not bad. No. She's gonna be fine. I'm just so proud of her. I am too. That's awesome. I am too. I'm glad she didn't pull that. I don't want to drive. Yeah. I'd want to wring her neck.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

I don't understand that. They would have to really explain that to me. What's wrong with you?

SPEAKER_01 20:29

You know what I mean, Dad? I'm I'm bad like that too. I pop off at the mouth. I'd be like, what's wrong with you? Unless you're having seizures or there's you're f narcoleptic or there's some reason, medical reason for it, you need to get a license. Yeah. It's right a pass. It's a thing you do. Even if she doesn't have her own car yet. She will. But I mean, even then, it's like this is off subject, but it just made me think of it. You know, at lunchtime at work, I'm one of those to watch all the people get taken down at Walmart for shoplifting. I'm just amazed at how many people leave their house with no identification. Oh. I mean, that's a whole nother episode, I'm sure. But none of them have ID on them. Or else they don't want to show it.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Insane. I know. Yeah. We have lots of topics. We should be writing down. We have lots of things to talk about. I know. Lily, don't you ever leave that house without your license. Yes. Always have your ID on you. No matter what. Can't buy alcohol without it. She better not be doing that. No, no, no, no. That'll be another show when she's 21. Yeah, yeah. Oh, we can't wait for that one too. I'm sure we'll still be here kicking it old school. I know. We'll still be here. All right. That's a wrap. And that was fun. Now I want some fried cream tomatoes. That's all I gotta say. I know. It'll be time. On Let's Wine with Brennan Stacey. Bye.