Trifter

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We were in Cartersville yesterday and on the way back stopped at Doug’s Place in Emerson for lunch. They serve the best country cooking in the state and people will go miles out of their way to eat there. You don’t find this kind of food at Steak and Shake or Hardy’s.

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Doug’s place is a former country store and gas station that closed down years ago. I believe it was open in the 40’s and 50’s. The entrance is the shelter where the gas pumps once stood. It is now enclosed and has several church benches for people to sit while they wait for a table or visit with their neighbors.

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You enter into the main dining area which is generally full and walk on to one of two side rooms which are tacked on to the main room. You will find out of towners, city and county workers on their lunch hour, farmers, families with kids in tow, a cross sections of the area. We love it and usually stop there anytime we are passing by. My partner is a great conversationalist (wish I were) and strikes up a conversation with the most interesting people.

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When we were there last we saw the waitress’s dad helping her bus tables so Lionel brought that up with her yesterday. The parents were eating lunch and before they left the dad gave daughter a helping hand. We were both impressed. All the waitresses are a lively, friendly bunch of ladies, Diners keep them hopping.

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Doug’s Place has the walls plastered with pictures from the turn of he century. The new store, and later gas pumps, farmers with their plows and mules, school kids and teachers, old vehicles, buggies, grist mills, sorghum mills. I enjoy looking at all the pictures. It’s an education in itself.

When we entered the main room was full so we walked to the attached room where we found an empty table. People were happily chattering away. The menu is printed up every day on sheets of paper. We are vegetarian. I choose fried squash, rutabagas and corn bread with peach cobbler for dessert. Lionel had a toasted cheese sandwich, sliced tomatoes, and potato salad. I never fry anything at home so my fried squash was a treat, and so delicious. You can see Lionel isn’t as fond of southern cooking as I am. He grew up in South Africa.

We enjoyed our lunch and lit a shuck for Marietta. We still had shopping to do at Aldi’s. After our enjoyable day, I came to the computer to comment on my friends work and was so frustrated. None of the new switch overs would let me make a comment. I kept trying 6 and 7 times and I couldn’t get one comment in. I hope it will work better today. I’m sure some of you had the same trouble because I only had three comments on my Wal-Mart article that had been published. I do hope they have the kinks worked out today.

If you guys ever pass through Emerson Ga. be sure to stop by Doug’s Place and find out for yourself how good the food is.

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Country-Folks-Had-a-Way-With-Words.592983

http://www.authspot.com/Biographies/Growing-up-in-the-Country.438877

http://www.gomestic.com/Cooking/Good-Mountain-Cooking.623447