Ruth: I love your stories. Tell me a story, Idgie. Go on, you old bee charmer. Tell me a good tall tale. Tell me the one about the lake.
Idgie: What lake?
Ruth: The one that use to be here.
Idgie: Well, that was just a lie.
Ruth: I know that, fool. Tell me anyway. Tell me a story.
Idgie: Uh, one time... there was this lake... And it was right outside of town. We used to go fishing and swimming and canoeing' in it. And, uh, see, one November, this big flock of ducks came in...and landed on that lake. And then the temperature dropped so fast that the lake just froze right there. And they... er... the ducks... they... flew off, you see, and they took that lake right with them. Now they say that lake is somewhere over in Georgia. Can you imagine that? [Walks over to Ruth, who has just passed away, and begins sobbing]
Sipsey: [holding Idgie] It's okay, honey. Let her go...let her go. You know, Ruth was a lady, and a lady always knows when to leave.
I have been trying to grow tomatoes ever since I moved to my new property. I check on the plants daily expecting to reap a bountiful harvest of plump tomatoes. However, these tomatoes are growing at the speed of slugs! I mean, how long does it take for tomatoes to ripen? Three months? Longer? Well, I’m not a farmer, and obviously not very patient either. I was having a conversation with a neighbor about my abundance of green tomatoes and not knowing what to do with so many that had fallen from the vine.
My neighbor said, “Just wait for them to ripen, but the ones that had fallen and were still green; make fried green tomatoes.” Eh? I had no idea how to make those, although I am a big fan of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. However, that seemed like a good idea to me, so I quickly went to Pinterest (of course), and found a recipe on how to make them. Luckly, I had the ingredients needed and got to work. An hour later, I was taking dishes with fried green tomatoes to my neighbors. They were the easiest to make and delicious!
The experience took me years back to when I first watched the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. If you have never seen it, Fried Green Tomatoes is a motion picture released in 1991, directed and co-produced by Jon Avnet with an ensemble cast of stars, including Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, and Chris O'Donnell. It tells the story of Evelyn Couch, a bored, timid housewife in Alabama who finds inspiration in the tales of local nursing home resident Ninny Threadgoode (Wikipedia). The movie is about friendship, resilience, love, and courage. One of its strongest undertones is finding courage to face our fears and then to let go. Sometimes in life, we become accustomed to do things a certain way and we are unwilling to change. Or perhaps we live holding on to past experiences (whether good or bad), resolved to never take a step in a different direction for fear of the unknown, or simply for fear of letting go of what is familiar and comfortable.
In my own journey through life, I have learned several valuable lessons, and most came at a high price. The thing that has kept me afloat in the hard times, has always been my strong faith, but also my willingness to let go when needed and people that came to me at the right time. Seeing myself muster the courage to get up and move forward has been empowering in this life race and having the right hands to hold in the difficult times, has proven to be priceless. I recognize there is still a lot of road ahead that I must traverse, but that’s ok. I have a sneaky suspicion that I will find good friends along the way to help me carry on.
How about you? Can you recall special friends you have met along the way who have left an imprint in your life journey?
Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe:
2-3 Large green tomatoes sliced in rounds (these will serve about 4 people)
2-3 Eggs (beaten)
Half a canister of Breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoning breadcrumbs but you can add spices to plain bread crumbs)
½ cup sunflower oil (or any other frying oil)
Instructions:
Fry until golden brown and enjoy!
