Hash House a Go Go ~ Orlando Florida

  With an four hour tour ahead of us on a Sunday at Full Sail University, we needed a full breakfast. I will admit that we were warned. Large portions were noted by other bloggers as the norm at Hash House A Go Go. However, the "twisted farm food" theme enticed me. 

  My keen eye noticed that the building was a refurbished Ryan's Family Steakhouse (I am good like that). They have done a mighty fine job, I might add. Anytime someone remodels a Ryan's and adds a full alcohol bar (to replace the food bars) they get extra brownie points. 

Farmers and such are the theme here , you know... "Americana". 

  There are images everywhere reminding  us, and all of the international visitors, what Americana is all about.

  Well, nice try. I do love what they have done to the building, but what I found out while dining here was what Americana used to be, and what it has become.

  There is a big difference between a old fashion country breakfast and a calorie and carbohydrate overload. I was looking for the nurse's station with the defibrillator, but unfortunately I did not find it . They really should have one. I am being dead serious - no pun intended.

  Check out my pancake. 

No, I do not have midget circus hands.

  The above is biscuits and gravy. I also was looking for the calorie chart for this food. I did not find that either.

  The pancake was loaded with blueberries and pecans which in and of themselves are healthy. It was served with butter (real I believe) and a disappointing syrup. Why destroy a pancake with a HFCS bombshell? I have a $5.00 bill on the bet that the pancake was made with a mix. 

  I did not taste, nor did I have a desire to taste the biscuits and hash/gravy/egg plate.

  So, on International Drive the internationals (and Americans) can see the morphing of Americans. On the walls they can see the pictures of our hard working ancestors. But what is truly disturbing is the Americans that are actually devouring whole plates of this fat fare. These are today's real Americans. 

There is no glory in gluttony. gf

  What a waste. It is such a nice building. If they would cut the portion sizes in half they would have a real nice place. I know that breakfast fare has a low food cost, but this was just ridiculous.

  Our server was off point and infrequent with his service. The food came out sporadically, but, hey, those things happen from time to time. Overall, for me, it is "Hash House a No No".

That is all I have to say about that.

Thanks for reading,

gf  

  

Lifestyle Change 86 Poison ~ Year One

  Have you ever wondered how to un-fat yourself? The scientists at According to gf have been busy working on the system for your healthy future.

  "Fit at fifty" was a common dream of mine; therefore, in earnest I started to investigate how to accomplish that goal. I tried counting calories for the previous two years, and the result was a total loss of ten pounds and hunger for two years. However, I did learn several things during those years. First of all, when I ate more fiber I was less hungry. Secondly, the more sugar I ate, the less I could actually eat on my allotted one thousand calorie a day goal. High fiber, low sugar was the ticket. This translated into high vegetable, low processed foods and breads. However, this type of "diet" was unsustainable. As soon as the counting stopped, weight came back. One thousand calories a day for my 6 '2" 275+ pound frame was not an easy task. I needed fuel to function. I needed a sustainable long-term lifestyle change, not just a diet.

  A visit with the family resulted in a discussion about how to combat and/or control diabetes. Juvenile diabetes is debilitating and life changing. Researching lead to the conclusion that carbohydrate control was the key to success. The carbohydrate management research lead to the Atkins Diet. The Atkins diet that I had known seemed to have changed since I had last heard of it. I was not overly excited about the plan, as I had heard that the founder dropped dead of a heart attack. Upon further investigation, I discovered that he actually died of a severe head trauma after slipping on some ice. Click here to read a USA Today article written by his widow.

  The information that my wife and I found in the program lead to our researching glucose or sugar control. This is right up the alley where we needed to go to find out about controlling diabetes.

 " Eating the right foods can improve your body’s metabolism, particularly how it handles fat. When you eat fewer carb foods—relying mostly on vegetables rich in fiber—your body switches to burning fat (including your own body fat) instead of carbs as its primary fuel source."

  This is the golden information. Sugar is the poison. Food high in carbohydrates (which are converted easily to glucose in your body) is the enemy. Upon researching sugar, several other enemies of the body came to light. The next evil poison to come to light from this research was High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Inexpensive, and two to three times more sweet than sugar, this poison is in everything processed these days. Cheap non-food is what I call it. It is processed in your body similarly to alcohol and or other poisons. It robs your body of the ability to feel satisfied from eating. Listen to this video to hear more about HFCS. While researching HFCS and the body's trouble processing/digesting that substance, another poison reared its ugly head. Hydrogenated oil is the reason that more than half of America has a fat belly. It is processed oil that was designed not to separate, and to be "shelf stable". It is "shelf stable" in our bodies as well!

  Having armed myself with this information, I set some new lifestyle change goals. Having my lovely wife jump right in and research, cook, and read a thousand labels and articles helped us get healthy this past year. "Net Carbs" is a catch phrase used by Atkins that started to make more sense as we moved down this path. Not digesting poison in any form is our lifestyle change. In our "eat-on-the-run" society, this can be a challenge.

  From the 275 pounds that I weighed last year, I have lost close to fifty pounds in one year. I am not ever allowed to speak of my wife's weight, but she has had to change her entire wardrobe. Not bad for a lifestyle change. We just changed the way we ate with out trying exceptionally hard at all. We have done so without any pills, gadgets, or anything sold on the TV. We did not purchase an expensive gym membership or even workout very much, other than walking on occasion.

Preparing your mind is a vital part of a lifestyle change. If you do not diligently prepare your mind for success in this endeavor, you will most likely fail. A lifestyle change is needed. The loss of weight and a slimmer, more toned body are the mere results of the changes that you make in your everyday routine. I think that people focus too much on the results and not enough on the lifestyle change. This issue causes a short-sighted focus on the lifestyle change. Dieters get discouraged because they do not see immediate and fantastic results. Then they quit trying. Focus on a life style change, and there should be no disappointment. Set goals for yourself. A goal for me was not to eat sugar for a day, then a week, and then a month. Another was not to purchase or eat anything made with hydrogenated oil. Once I did those, I moved to High Fructose Corn Syrup elimination from my diet. A goal of walking two to three times a week was reasonable. Be realistic. Losing the weight slowly and the right way will be the result of a lifestyle change and not a quickie diet. If you were to lose two pounds a month, that would be twenty four pounds a year. I think three to four pounds a month would be a fantastic result. That is thirty six to forty eight pounds in a year. A better goal may be to follow this BMI chart provided by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Make a plan for success. Our plan is simple:

• Stop eating poison (hydrogenated oils, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and sugar/high carb low fiber food). I simply started off with not eating sugar. I copied my son's girlfriend Katelyn's idea of not eating sugar for a week. I did not realize how challenging that was going to be, or how much it would change my life. Poisons also include diet soda and fruit juice. Yes, fruit juice.
• Always eat breakfast (I also eliminated milk from my diet as it hurts my stomach. I believe I am lactose intolerant). Dairy is not your friend. By the way, 99.4% of all "breakfast food" is poison. Please be careful. I recommend two eggs.
• Eat until full. Eat often. Prepare healthy snacks (apple, veggies) for when you get hungry between meals. Full equals fiber. Fiber is the antidote for sugar in the body. 
• Treat yourself. Drink a glass of wine on occasion (Jesus made wine, it's OK.). Drink a beer on occasion, as long as it is a light beer like Michelob Ultra. Eat a treat on occasion. When I first started eliminating sugar from my diet, the treat eating was particularly important. Make sure that you have plenty of Atkins Bars or similar health bars on hand when you have a treat attack. Make sure that they are low in Net Carbs. I don't need those treat bars anymore, since I have beaten my sugar addiction. 
• Eat organic as often as possible. Another reason that we steered away from the Atkins bars for treats was their long ingredient list. That teamed up with long words on an ingredient list is not a good thing. An ingredient list for an apple bar should read apples, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, organic flax seed. 
• Purchase the tools. Tools for losing weight? I am not talking about some junk you buy on that info channel on TV. The tools of losing weight are: 
• A scale that you will put your chunky butt on every day when you wake up. 
• Food. Real food. No processed food. Food that is God-made, not man-made. Food free of hydrogenated oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, and sugar. Yes, 86 sugar. Purchase food with fiber; white flour is junk.
• Shoes. Walking shoes and appropriate work out wear. Don't go crazy on this one. You are not on TV.
• Get a Posse. Help and encouragement are essential when making a lifestyle change. If you have a partner eating the same way that you do, it makes life easier. You will have less desire to eat junk if there is none of that junk to eat. Shopping with your partner and making wise purchases will keep you from "slipping". Talking about how you ate during the day will help you through the ups and downs.

Year one, check.

gf

Big City Bread Cafe, Athens GA

  I got on the road about 6:30 to make the breakfast date with my daughter Ashley at 9:00 sharp. She was not pleased about the early start, but rising early is good for her I think. I plodded though the Atlanta traffic driving west on I-20 into the brake lit early dawn. It actually was a pleasant drive with very few issues. To those not from Atlanta that last sentence is a rarity. I turned left at Conyers and passed about twenty country stores, some offering "homemade biscuits", and soon passed through Monroe, and then onto Hwy 78, and then Atlanta Hwy.

   My heater, which was recently fixed by the experts at Firestone, was not working at maximum efficiency; this will require taking it back to have them fix it again. New should work better than that. This coolness would linger with me though out most of the day unfortunately. Finding a warm place to hang out was an issue all morning. The Big City Bread Cafe was not our first choice for dining as Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods Automatic For The People was unfortunately closed. Yeah, I don't know what the hell is up with that name either, but we will just have to find out that information later. My feet were now at the lowest temperature all morning; I needed coffee ASAP.

  Ashley had an excellent Plan B. I was amazed that a Plan B could be as good as a Plan A, but euphoria soon dimmed as her lack of specific directions about the locations of these restaurants enveloped the breakfast event. Thank goodness for Google Latitude. Love you Ashley, mean it. She redeemed herself from Plan A by directing me (generally) to the Big City Bread Cafe. Parking was almost an issue but we squeezed in behind another SUV, and I pretended not to see the faded stripped lines that seemed to call out "No Parking Here". That was going to be my defense for a obvious parking violation, and I was going to stick with it.

  This was an odd red bricked square building with multiple doors and a cool ramp thing toward the back of the building. I felt as though there were secret doors leading into a mysterious inner realm of food production. When we were leaving, a nice smiling lady disappeared into one of these doors that was covered with hand cut out arrows, that was draped with burlap, and looked real artsy. She smiled at us with a "I know something you don't know" smile as she scuttled into the back of the building. We walked onto the patio that had Rosemary bushes surrounding odd birch looking trees that had Christmas lights on them. Nice patio furniture was placed throughout the patio. As we passed by yet another door which had "use other door" sign on it we saw the chalk boards.

  Chalk boards are an important sign of goodness. I think that if there are chalk boards being used in a restaurant or cafe everything is right as rain. I really did not read the chalk board, but that is besides the point. Chalk boards mean fresh food, usually. Sometimes it means food that is about to go out of date, but it mostly means that whoever is in charge is involved with the food and menu on a daily basis. It also means that someone is really good at writing on a chalk board, which is an art.

We entered, and I smelled the coffee. I was instantly happier. Somewhat distracted by the blue and white Christmas tree ornaments hanging from the ceiling, I smiled as I looked over this cafe. This was not somewhere where I had been before, and it did not remind me of anywhere I had been before. What a great feeling of originality, well, more or less. There was a red espresso machine which was nice as I don't really think I have seen such a bright red espresso machine before. The young lady that was running the counter was not annoyed by my overall annoying personality. She was very nice answering and smiling to all my questions. There was a helper running food who reminded me of a kind elf. Not the Santa type but rather the Lord of the Rings type. She was also smiling and obviously enjoying her job.

Being located in Athens GA there were the poster things posted everywhere under the counter. This is a standard operating procedure here. If you eat in Athens or in any college town and to not see these poster things, leave immediately. We were greeted by two nasty calorie filled display cases. I was going into a sugar high already. Cakes, cookies, and chocolate covered mice, and coconut polar bear cup cakes. We grabbed up a menu and started looking for breakfast. We both ordered french toast which was going to be allegedly dredged in a batter and grilled. Then we went about drooling over the goodies in the display cases. I bought a mouse and took him to our table which was marked with a tall skinny chrome marker with a number 7 attached to the top.

We settled into a booth and started enjoying our hot beverages. I glanced at the thermostat; it was set at a disappointing 65 degrees. Still trying to get warm I sipped my coffee and took great pleasure in the black painted heat and air ducts (not so much heat, mostly air), and the black burlap squares dotting the ceiling to reduce the noise echo in this old building. Simple light fixtures and simple tables made this dining room actually pleasurable. I ate my mouse.

Soon our breakfast arrived delivered by the Elvin Princess. We were both shocked at the French Toast as it did not seem as dredged as the description. I was pleased that it looked so simple. It came with two ounces of Maple syrup which was portioned out into a souffle cup. Decorated with one lone strawberry this was a perfect breakfast. The bread was cut on a long bias, and stacked on top of each other, with a slight dusting of powdered sugar. Not too sweet, not over sugared. That in and of it self was amazing to me. There are a lot  places that muck up French Toast. These folks have it figured out. Even though it was a bit pricey ($7), I did not care one iota.

Well, I was nosy and snapped a few pictures of my neighbors breakfast when it was delivered. They were quite pleased that I took a picture of their eggs and biscuits. It looked delicious as well. I did think about asking for a bite, but I restrained myself. On the way out I had to purchase another mouse, a mini cheese cake, and a coconut Polar Bear for my wife. The mouse was the best.






You should check out this place when in Athens.  gf

Reunion Results with Video Documentation

Well, we made it to the Thirtieth High School Reunion, or some such number. Not everyone was able, or wanted to come, and they missed out on a good time of catching up. Our high school reunions are different than most. We all lived together on a mountain in Western North Carolina, in a strict environment, but with people who really did care about you (no matter how annoying you were). It was like going to church every day of your life. I like church for the most part, but sometimes it gives me a headache.

I tried to lay down the rules of a reunion in my previous blog. These rules fell on deaf ears obviously. The roadmap to success is to follow directions. Speaking of directions, I needed directions in a bad way. No, I did not have a GPS, I had a Rand McNally. Let me show you how that worked out for me.

Yes, so we did finally make it. It only took twenty five years to go to another reunion, but it was worth it. We had really small classes in high school, and we lived together, ate together, showered together, played sports together, and dated the same forty or so girls. It was very cool how we all jumped right back into the melting pot and became Ben Lippen Stew again. I, of course, am not so much substance in that stew, just mostly bits of salt and pepper. I was disturbed by the violations that I encountered right off the bat. Here we have documentation of dancing, touching, and crazy laughter.

I know, scary right? This is why we have rules. You break the rules and you must pay the consequences. Welcome to gf D-Hall. No writing of words or restrictions, no, just Worldwide You Tube.

Got that?

OK, on to the reunion the next afternoon. This was a lot of fun, mostly.

I was impressed beyond my expectations with the photography of this event by several classmates. I will have to collect some of these and share them with the blog world. I am sure I will have to pay a fee as some are professional photographers. Very nice job Ricky, Ben, and Beth as well as others. I on the other hand do not claim to be any thing by amateurish with my newly acquired photo hobby. So then, here are my pictures during picture time.

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with my family at this reunion. My son Alex and his girlfriend Katelyn came for a day visit. This was a well received surprise and we took advantage of it with some time in Charleston with them.



After some shopping we ate at Hyman's Seafood Restaurant, and then took a "Ghost Walk" through downtown.....spooky. Yea.

While on the Isle of Palms we checked out Fort Moultrie and also discovered a "Fort Church".

Finis

It was a good weekend that I really needed. The weather was perfect so that I did not need all of the sweaters and long sleeves that I had packed. Thank for all of you for inviting me, and putting up with my new video toy. A special shout out goes to Dawn Garlow who is our undecorated "Secretary of Alumni Affairs". This is her new title. She keeps up with everyone's email addresses, sends out myriads of birthday reminders, and overall keeps us all in the loop when the rest of us are "too busy" to communicate with each other. Thank you Dawn, great job.

P.S.

As I started to write this blog, which was to be a funny documentation in a gf way, I felt as though someone has kicked me in the stomach, and I had the feeling of disappointment, as though someone had tossed my ice cream cone into the dirt. One of our classmates Tom Scott has passed away. Tom was a real good guy. He was smart, funny, and a great athlete. Even though I had not kept up with Scott (like many others) I thought of him often, and I missed him at this reunion.

I will continue on, and I will do what I do in this blog, and that is be a distraction, an annoyance, and sometimes if I try real hard, I can make someone laugh. That is what I need right now. We will miss you Tom.

Campers

I have been thinking of purchasing a camper. There are several levels of camping I have discovered. Generally, I am a city boy, but I am sure I can at least pose a s a good camper.

Outdoor Camping

There is tent camping which I have done; check. Then there is RV camping. Before you go RV camping you must have an RV. Now you must own a small bank to be able to purchase one, therefore smallish RV's appeal to me more than the XXXL type. At some point you are not camping anymore with RV's. There is a threshold that is broken as the size of the RV used increases. I am not quite sure where this threshold is, but I do know that using the XXXL RV to go camping should just be called "Mobile Homing". Camping requires some sacrifice that is rewarded with the connection with nature. A sixty foot RV with a pop out and an awning does not seem like camping to me. I may start with a tent. I have pretty much decided on a Tee Pee type tent. I think I will feel like a Native American in some small way, and therefore, be even closer to nature. Indians had the camping thing figured out. They actually had almost everything figured out except for the deception of the white man. Hats off to the Indians who did not play nice. Had they known how we were to foul things up after moving in, they would have killed more of  our ancestors. There are tents that fit onto the back of a truck or a SUV. These are for quick get-a-ways, and or so that you do not have to sleep on the ground, or for those of us who cannot quite decide to camp in a tent or an RV. They are on the fence. One would not want to get too close to nature; the effects may be detrimental. If you go camping in a half tent half truck contraption you may just be showing the world that you are truly a Milquetoast. Definitely not an Indian, I am sure of it.

Indoor Camping
I realize that this sounds like an oxymoron, but it does occur. Nothing is more annoying than indoor camping. I am not referring to kids sleeping under blankets propped up in the living room, or sleep overs with pillow fights. No, I refer to the camping that goes on inside restaurants or a small diners. Now, where some folks go wrong is the simple confusion between a bar or pub and a restaurant. I think that one of the things that promote this activity is TVs placed all over the restaurants these days. 86 TVs in all restaurants. This will stop most of the confusion; customers mindlessly watching TV during and after eating must be stopped. Drinkers, however, sitting at a bar or in a pub watching TV is completely different. We want these folks to continue to sit and drink; the longer the better. Drinkers watching TV is safer than them driving ~ A. Drinkers talking about the TV is better than them talking about what is pissing them off ~2. And C ~ Watching TV makes drinkers thirsty.


Face it, Sunday diners are the worst. I am not sure what must be talked about after church, and then lunch at the local restaurant, but it must be awful important. How much freakin' "fellowship" must these people participate in? This is not all that irritates the average bear. Wipe that snide "I went to church and you didn't" look off of your face. What the hell! There are also the completely pissed off "I just went to church and the preacher said I was a sinner, and told me that I did not put enough money in the offering plate" diners. God help you if you are the server to this group. I am sure you may get the "I'm sorry I gave all my money to Jesus" excuse for not tipping. Wow, I guess that did stick in my craw over the years. These Sunday people need to understand that fellowship must be done on a front porch.

Morning breakfast camping can disrupt the flow of the life cycle in mankind. Breakfast is meant for eating, thus the name break-fast. Eat and get up, especially if it is Saturday. Everyone and their brother is eating breakfast on Saturday. Read the paper on the front porch; other people are starving from their own personal fast. No breakfast camping allowed moving forward. There is no excuse for this table hogging at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant as they have a flipping front porch. Read your paper there please.

No matter if you are an outdoor camper, or an indoor camper, the biggest thing that I think that you must focus on is not to be a showboat. If you just went to church and really enjoyed yourself, and feel full of the Spirit, there is really no need to rub it in to the rest of us that are not so fortunate. The same goes for outdoor camping. Just because you can afford Graceland, there is no need to drive that obnoxiously large mislabeled "camper" that is large enough to house the average American family. Live like an Indian.


gf

Five Star Day Cafe

Athens Georgia can be an odd place to visit. There is obvious creativity abounding around every corner; however you can also see that there is also plenty of failure as well. This town is littered with the remnants of creative entrepreneurism. "Throw enough "crap" against the wall to find out what will stick." is the quote that comes to mind. But, that is what makes this town successful. As I walked around downtown geocaching, after eating breakfast with my kids at the Five Star Day Café, I found haunting examples of this, in the empty buildings that we passed. Some were empty because they were closed, and some were empty because they were open. Some of the coolest looking spots were closed, along with two corner spots, which were perfect for making money. I think that some of the issues have been either over thinking, or under thinking the business. I think that the problem most of the time is not the ideas, but rather the execution. It is not enough to envision what the end product should be like. Looking around I am sure that some of these businesses had a good idea what they were going to do, but then just forgot what they were doing. The journey on how to get there is the real test of intellect, perseverance, and patience. But hey, that is just my opinion. This is why college towns are intriguing though. 

Let me get back to our breakfast. You know that it is the most important meal of the day, right? Who came up with that nonsense? Why is it more important that lunch, dinner, or snacks even? How do think that makes those other meals feel? It is important, I agree, but more…not so sure about that. So, anyway, we all hooked up at the Five Star Day Café for the most important meal of our day. Most of the stores in downtown Athens are narrow shotgun style buildings. Most have big picture windows perfect for stray rocks or bb's to lodge themselves into. Five Star was no exception to this general rule. The four of us piled into the store all at once. This action was not too well prepared for by the owners. People entering your establishment should not be this challenging. There was not much room to stand and we were all close together like cows in a feedlot. I was handed a menu, which was a challenge, as I was trying to negotiate between my reading glasses and my to-go cup of coffee that I was still working on from the ride over from Atlanta. Reading the menu while fumbling around was not working out so well for me, even with assistance from my daughter. I went to plan "B" which was reading the chalk board with the Specials. Done. This should have been the deal from the beginning. Scrap the menu, write it on the board. The cashier was friendly and helpful, she took our order and then morphed into our waitress moments later. This may have been intentional, or it may have been a staffing issue. I never did figure that out. She kept my coffee cup full so we got along just fine.

The food came along rather quickly, which was a surprise. I don't know, I figured the dish boy and the cook were sharing jobs just like the cashier and waitress were. Big portions, with little star shaped biscuits as a garnish. Very nice touch. I saw a spark of intellect in that move. My thoughts were that they had found a star shaped biscuit cutter, and then named the place. Not sure about that. Anyway, I ordered the special scramble plate that had veggies tossed into the eggs. This was very good and filling. I donated my star biscuit to my son as I did not want to eat any poison on this fine morning. The general consensus was that the five star biscuits were tough and rather hard, but cute. The larger biscuits that came with the meals were lighter and were perfect. The signature dishes at our table and at other tables (yes, I went around and bugged other people while they were eating) were the biscuits and sausage gravy and the potato cakes. The sausage gravy was reported as a bit on the thin and runny side, but made up for that weakness with exceptional flavor. The potato cakes were described like unto a salmon patty texture with plenty of texture and flavor. I believe this was a potato and bread blend with seasonings most likely prepared just like a salmon patty. The eggs were light and fluffy, not overcooked like I cook them. The coffee was average, which was disappointing I admit. I always feel that if you call yourself a café you need to have exceptional beverages.

 
What makes visiting a place like Five Star Day Café fun is the small details that no one really pays attention to. There are so many quirky cool things that happen in places like these. I think it is the fact that they are not a cookie cutter operation, and that free thinking still has the upper hand. This can be a negative as well, but I think as long as owners to not have too many sacred cows themselves they will be just fine. Advertisements and stickers on the door is a key ingredient to any real establishment. Lots of beggars and promoters sticking crap on your door may indicate that you are a place where people will frequent often. Really cool signs and logos are a key ingredient as well. Five Star Day Café with those five star biscuits is real unique. Or maybe the goal is to get five stars on a review? Chalk boards are a another sign that point to creativity and uniqueness. I think that Five Star needs to go straight to a chalk board set up as they have limited foyer space. They could also hire servers and take the orders at the tables. This would solve the foyer issues as well. The cashier could be the host as well, but they would have to change the configuration of the cashier stand. This may not be a bad change for this store as they entry is somewhat of a cluster anyway. I was curious about the drink/tea bucket cooler in the foyer as well. It was sucking up space, and it was not really adding to the experience save some cool Nehi drinks that no one was really paying any attention to. There was art work for sale on the walls; this is always a clever way to decorate cheaply, especially in a college town. Five Star sported a semi open kitchen, where you could see flipping and stirring going on. I like an open kitchen view to a degree, and they did it very well. Cooks with crazy bandana hats and mix matched uniforms were featured.

The real star of the show was the food. Great food at the Five Star Day Café. They have not forgotten why they are there, or why you came there. People go out to eat to eat. Great job. Over all score ~ Four and a Half Stars. The Four and a Half Star Day Café. Athens Georgia. Go there when you are in town and you should not be disappointed.




 
gf

The Deep South Part 1.4 ~ Waffle House

This is a big subject I know. I am sure there are volumes written about Waffle House. I just cannot help myself sometimes.

I have eaten at some horrible Waffle houses and I have eaten in some great ones; that is, if there are great ones. I think that greatness as it relates to WH is relative to how hungry you are. Face it, when you are real hungry WH rocks.

WH is relatively consistent with their food. It would be easy to say that it is hard to mess up eggs and bacon, but there are plenty who cannot seem to pull that off. WH food reviews are very similar to McDonald's food reviews…exactly…what reviews! This blog is not about WH food, it is about the WH people; and that includes you, if you have ever eaten there. Yes, we will talk about the food, eventually.

The staff can make a huge difference at the WH. I used to eat at a WH in Augusta Georgia near my work with a regularity. They had a great staff, specifically the two lead servers who worked the day shift. Other servers would rotate shifts, but those two had solid regular shifts that one could depend on. The amazing part of their service was that they could carry on a continual conversation, which was about whatever was going on in their lives. They would be able to do so, while not only incorporating you into said conversation, but in addition to remembering your order, filling up coffee, shouting out orders, and saying "Hey Y'all" to whomever walked through the door. If you were looking for a deep conversation you may need to go elsewhere as these were mostly puerile jabbering.

Whether or not a WH is successful depends on a staff like the two servers mentioned. There are plenty that are lacking a great staff. The staff is usually shuffling around unfriendly, and uninspired. That is a shame too, because they are letting a large sum of money escape their grasp. With a little friendliness they would be able to grow the business and potentially fatten the pockets! So on that note; I think I should categorize the WH service staff.

High Energy Beehive Hair Service

The two ladies I spoke of above are in this group. They do not care what you think of them so much. They know their job well, and they are focused in a clever way to remove an extra dollar from your pockets. They are the Mayors of their own world. Knowing people by name, face, or food order is what they are good at. Multi-tasking, jabbering, joking, coffee pouring machines is what they are. You will know them when you walk in the store. Sit back and enjoy the ride, it will be a good breakfast and you will leave with a smile on your face.

"Tattoos 'R' Us

I am not sure what it is with WH and Tattoos. I think that it must be a requirement listed on the application sometimes. It is absurd how many tattoos one WH can house. I am not against tattoos in any way, but I just think some people get carried away; maybe they need another hobby like geocaching. A grill cook with a few tattoos actually makes me feel safe in a strange way. However, those WH servers and workers with tattoos all over their neck, fingers, eyebrows, and ears are really distracting me from choosing between scrambled or fried eggs, smothered or topped hash browns. Do excessive tattoos generate more tipped income? Not sure about that; maybe it is a peacock syndrome of sorts. Sporting tattoos attract the opposite sex so that the mating is more clearly defined. Whoever has the best tattoos gets the better mate; sounds about right to me.

Shufflers

You have been there maybe, starving at WH and watching a shuffler shuffle. "Take your sweet ass time" you think as you watch them shuffle about, halfway paying attention to everything around them. Not in a hurry for anything or anybody these employees cause people to lose their minds. My father would not tolerate shufflers. He would be clearing his throat, and if that did not work he would toss in an "excuse me"! As a child this is when I wanted to die, crawl under the table, or run out the door. Mortified, I would have to watch this battle of grunts, huffs, and half comments, as he waged war with the shuffler. If the shuffler was too awful slow we would have to abruptly leave; this would result in another forty five minute search for food. The real good shufflers have the frowsy hair and uniform to match. Their speech is slow and drawn out like they just took four tablespoons of cold sorghum syrup and then tried to recite the Gettysburg Address. Everything about them is slow.

The American Idol

It never fails; every time I go into a WH on a Sunday morning an American Idol is there to greet me. In my local WH some DreadHead Jason Castro look alike is belting out a jukebox hit; similar to Eddie Murphy shouting out Roxanne in a jail cell. Are they entertaining me? I just woke up! I have not had coffee yet. Shut the hell up please. American idol is coming to a city near you. Go audition please, and let me eat in peace. I don't mind the cooks humming or whistling while they work. But for the love of everything that is pure and clean; you are not on stage. If it is not a full blown production I really have no issues. No, the American idols type catches you looking, and that is all that is needed for them to go into Eddie Murphy mode. Do not look at them or acknowledge the singing at all costs or you will be in American Idol hell.

Grumpy Pants

This is the worst. I do not think that anyone really wants to hear anyone else's problems when they go to the WH. Some conversation about how is your day, or the weather is just dandy. I can even go for sports or local news. Heck, I can even go for the Beehive Lady's random conversations about which hair curlers work the best. But when you get a Grumpy telling you how horrible their life is, and how broke they are….. No. Stop it. Shush. Bzzssspt. Zip. Zipit. We did not come to WH to hear your sad story. This is not the Human Affairs department. I came here for breakfast.

Muggles

I think that WH has been misnamed. I hereby call it "Muggle House" Face it, everyone in a WH is a Muggle, including you when you go. Non-Muggles do not go to WH. They have magic powers (money) that make it so they do not have to go to WH. When you go to WH next time you will think of this and you will agree. You will look around and recognize that everyone there is a Muggle. I embrace being a Muggle. I roll around in the glory of it. I care not to have the magic powers most of the time. Now some magic is necessary for survival, but excessive amounts of magic can make your life complicated. Some folks acquire mass quantities of magic, just to lose it quickly, drifting right back into Muggleness snuggly. This place called Waffle House is for us Muggles. We will not write food reviews for WH, because that would just be silly. If you are not a Muggle, and you would like to dine in this wonderful establishment, I would recommend that you dress down, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Now, about the food, get the special. You do not want to order salad at a WH. Do not try to be too fancy or specific with your order, i.e. pick off what you do not want. Order the waffle slightly crunchy. The onions will make you burp them all day. Do not attempt to order a steak anything but well done.


  gf