Saturday 12 April 2008

Waffle House – or how I made my brother sick


Torrential rain ruined our sun-and-sand plans for our first morning at Perdido Beach, so we did what any insane family would do – we went to Waffle House.

In my defense, I'd only been to Waffle House once before in my life – at 3am in Mississippi, with a worse-for-wear Justin and Nathan, and a fight had broken out the second we walked in the door. Glass bottles were thrown, fake maple syrup splashed everywhere, police were called.

Wait – that's not sounding much like a defense.

How's this: Shelley wanted to go. She wanted a "real Southern experience" and my word, if the sheer number of Waffle Houses in the South are any indication, it's an experience the Southerners really embrace. Seriously (and sadly) you can't go three blocks without running into one.


So in we went, brave and foolish. Shelley thought the thing to do at Waffle House would be to have waffles. Berry and I stuck with scrambled eggs and toast, while Jules (with my encouragement, I'm ashamed to say) had some version of the American Breakfast.

It was a bad idea. I'd completely overlooked the fact that Jules doesn't have an iron-clad stomach like our brother Aaron (who's been known to eat, among other things, whole prawns with their shells and heads still on – yes, my stomach just turned over too).

The American Breakfast did poor Jules in. He spent the rest of the day turning various shades of green and saying valiantly, "Well, I don't think I'm going to be sick right now." I felt terrible for not being a more cautious tour guide, but not everyone minded so much. The waffles – and the whole Waffle House misadvanture – sat well with Shelley. "Despite everything, I'm very pleased we went," she said cheerfully. "It really was an experience."

11 comments:

  1. Poor guy. But it's a funny story and very cool pic.

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  2. Was there a girls softball team there? That's really necessary to make the whole Waffle House experience complete...

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  3. While visiting my brother at boot camp (in GA) I insisted we go - I LOVE WAFFLES. He warned me and the sheer site of the staff frightened me enough to just get a cup of coffee. I didn't want to be rude and just turn around and walk out (I mean RUN).

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  4. Wow- now I know what I've been missing as we bypass all those Waffle Houses on the way to Florida! Feelin' bad for your poor brother...

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  5. Bummer for the tummy ache but it truly is like the train wreck - it is a "have to do it" situation. How did Jules get his breakfast, smothered, covered?

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  6. I have not laughed so much for ages. I have just found your blog and it is soooo funny! Your little girl is ADORABLE! And as the mother of a 2 y/o i sooooo understand! (wait, make that mother of a 2 y/o AND a 5y/o AND a 4 y/o AND a 1 1/2y/o!!)
    The photo of her at the hotel!!! PRICELESS!!! Good luck with Kickbaby! My SIL had a 10lb4oz baby last year (she normally only weighs 45kgs herself!!!)

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  7. hehe, maybe it was the grase? the only thing ive ever got at a waffle house was coffee.

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  8. oh my goodness, helen. i have actually probably been to that very waffle house, as my family vacationed to perdido in the summers. i gotta say, i miss it. we don't have those up north. i miss my eggs scattered, smothered, covered . . .
    poor jules, though!

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  9. and of course Shelley is genetically pre-disposed to a good waffle!

    ;-)

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  10. Cute story.

    Next time try Cracker Barrel...much nicer.

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