Fried Green Tomatoes

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 72 degrees, high 83 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, scattered showers

Today, we drove down to Lakeland to visit my sister Janie and her husband Wayne. We make this trip every time we come to Florida. Obviously, we're going to see relatives down there, but we also lived there for about three years back in the 1980s. It was a great area to live in, and we always enjoy going back. Having relatives there make's the trip even more special.

Our trips in the past have always led to us eating a scrumptious meal prepared by Janie. She is a very good cook, and she just happens to like the fried chicken from Publix as much as we do. So the meat dish is usually fried chicken, with every thing else being prepared by Janie. Today was a departure from the past. All of us decided that we would like to go out for lunch, and we left it up to Janie and Wayne to pick a place since they know the area better than us. Well, folks, I am here to tell you that they picked a winner. We went to Fred's Buffet, located in Lakeland. They specialize in using locally grown fresh vegetables that are in season. Of course, they also have several choices of meat, a salad bar, and the dessert bar. There were several types of chicken, bar-b-que ribs (big and meaty), beef dishes, fish.....

As good as the different types of meat were, the vegetables stole the show. Everything is fresh and cooked as if it were in someone's kitchen. Squash, pole beans, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, greens..... The absolute winner to me was the fried green tomatoes. I don't think I have had them fixed any better than what we had today. The only problem was that every customer had the same opinion, and I never was able to get seconds. The restaurant couldn't keep them on the buffet. Darn it! I made up for it by having a piece of cheese cake for dessert.

From what I wrote above, it might seem that we spent all our time at the restaurant. Not really. We spent the rest of the time at Janie's house catching up with what's been happening. She and Wayne are going to North Carolina in July, and we may be able to hook up with them when we go up to Tennessee. We hope so.

As we were getting ready to leave, Janie and Wayne gave us a big bag of fresh, ripe tomatoes, along with some peas that she had frozen just recently. When we got home, we had one of the tomatoes sliced on ham sandwiches. It was outstanding!

The trip we made today is usually an all day affair that leaves us tired. However, it always leaves us with a good feeling and we look forward to the next time.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Lakeland, Florida: A True Sense of Place

Not all who wander are lost.