Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

NOVEMBER 1, 1924

It was the morning of Ruth’s wedding; Idgie had borrowed Julian’s car and had been parked across the street from the Morning Dove Baptist Church since seven o’clock. Four hours later, she saw Ruth and her mother go into the side door of the church. Ruth looked as beautiful in her wedding gown as Idgie thought she would.

Later, she saw Frank Bennett and his brother arrive. She sat there watching the guests go in, one by one, until the church was full. When the usher, in his white gloves, closed the doors, her heart sank, but she could still hear the organ from inside the church when the “Wedding March” started, and she felt sick.

Idgie had been drinking a bottle of rotgut rye since six o’clock that morning, and just before the bride said “I do,” everyone in the church was wondering who was outside in the car blowing their horn like that.

After a minute, Idgie heard the organ start up again, and all of a sudden, the church doors burst open and Ruth and Frank came running down the steps, laughing, with people cheering and throwing rice. They jumped into the back of the waiting car and drove off.

Idgie blew her horn once more. Ruth looked around just as they turned the corner, a second too late to see who it was.

Idgie threw up on the side of Julian’s car, all the way home to Alabama.