Topic 2: Looking at the South Through its Food

The first Waffle House restaurant opened in 1955 in Avondale, Georgia and there are now 1,500 Waffle Houses. The first time that I came to Atlanta we drove by four Waffle Houses within a very short proximity of each other, and it seemed to me that they were just as common as Dunkin Donuts is where I am from (Massachusetts). All of my friends in Atlanta were extremely surprised that I have not heard of nor been to a Waffle house before and my sorority sisters decided that it would be a better experience for me to go to the Waffle House instead of a nice restaurant on my initiation night. When we were there, I heard many stories about experiences at the Waffle House and it seemed like it had become a place where people who live in the south go to for the experience and not for the mediocre food. Waffle House and the idea of eating breakfast all day from my experience seems very common. Even the Georgia Tech dining hall serves breakfast for lunch or dinner during the week. Why do you think that this has become so common in the South as opposed to any other place in America? Do you feel that this restaurant chain influences the Southern culture? How does food play a role in the culture and history of a place? Give examples of specific type of food in the south, its history, and its effect on the southern culture.