TORNADOES AND FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

As the plane approached the run-way of the Birmingham airport in Alabama, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I got off. I couldn’t seem to shrug off my preconceptions of the south – farmers, scarecrows, acres and acres of farmland. Fortunately, on the drive to my aunt’s home, I saw many malls, factories, and a number of housing developments that proved Alabama was more industrial than I thought.

My aunt lived in a charming community built atop a small hill overlooking a rickety old railroad. Though she had only been living there for a few months, she had felt welcomed right away, as the residents were very warm and friendly. I noticed this too when a family sitting out on their porch waved hello as we drove by. According to Auntie Penny, on some mornings, her neighbors even went to the trouble of picking up the newspaper from her lawn to place it on her front porch! Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.

On my first day there, we visited one of the state’s oldest cities called Old Helena. Hailed as "Alabama’s Best Kept Secret," the place was unlike any I had seen before. The downtown area had been restored to its original appearance at the turn of the last century. An array of quaint shops sold everything from different kinds of antiques to fresh produce to steaming hot wassail – a popular Christmas drink in the south made out of apple juice, nutmeg and ginger.

While strolling down the short block, I chanced upon a unique children’s specialty shop called Denise’s Darlings. To my delight, Denise herself welcomed us into her tiny store. She proudly showed off some of the beautiful hand-made products for sale, most of which she made herself. Among the items were quilted diaper bags, delicately crocheted bibs, soft terry cloth robes, and the most adorable selection of booties I have ever seen.

The following day, I discovered Alabama is the home of the rustic Whistle Stop Cafe. Nestled in the little town of Irondale, just east of Birmingham, this enchanting cafe was made famous by one of my favorite movies, Fried Green Tomatoes. Although we originally had no plans of actually having lunch there, I just could not resist ordering a batch of their legendary fried green tomatoes!

As we entered the cafe (half expecting Idgie Threadgoode herself to welcome us), I quickly selected a seat near the window. I watched in awe as several giant freight trains not more than 60 feet away, rumbled past us. These steel monsters were so close, that the whole cafe shook each time one roared by.

I quickly finished the seven large pieces of scrumptious tomatoes on my plate. The waitress, seeing that I had thoroughly enjoyed my meal, informed me that the fried green tomato batter mix was already commercially available in local grocery stores!

At that point, I was ready for anything! But nothing could have prepared me for what happened two nights before I was scheduled to leave.

While having a late afternoon snack in a small diner, we suddenly overheard news of a tornado that had touched ground somewhere in a county near Birmingham. The mere mention of the word tornado brought me to an alarming state of sheer panic. Dropping my half-eaten burger on the table, I dashed to the door expecting my relatives to be right behind me. But when I turned around, they complacently remained in their seats sporting amused grins on their faces. What were they doing?! A tornado was coming! We had to run for cover! Seeing the genuine terror in my eyes, they immediately began reassuring me that there was nothing to worry about. The tornado was quite some distance away and the chances of it touching ground again were very slim. Tornadoes were practically a way of life here in the south, I was told. Still not convinced, I pleaded and begged until my aunt finally consented to take us home.

The drive back home felt like the longest car ride I had ever taken. Rain poured deafeningly outside. Every two minutes I would look back, almost positive that the tornado was right behind and ready to swallow us whole. Images of the tornado scene from the movie The Wizard of Oz plagued my mind. And my aunt’s relentless efforts to calm me down were to no avail.

After what seemed like days, we finally pulled into her driveway. I flew to my room and grabbed my passport, wallet and cell phone.

Suddenly, I heard a loud shrill noise. Auntie Penny did not have to say anything. Her face said it all. A tornado alert had been sounded throughout the area. It was coming for us.

Unfortunately, since my aunt was staying in a fairly new district, there were no basements in any of the houses in her neighborhood. Thus, Auntie Penny rushed us to the next best thing – the guest bathroom. Being situated between two rooms, it provided the most protection in the house.

We sat on the cold hard floor of our makeshift "tornado shelter" and began to pray. We waited and waited as the house quivered with the powerful winds and rain. We had no radio with us. Thus, we were forced to strain our ears to hear the news coming from the TV set in the living room. I was terrified.

And just when I thought things could only get much worse, there was suddenly an eerie silence. The rain had finally stopped. We carefully opened the door to see what was happening outside. According to news reports, the tornado had merely hovered above us and failed to touch down. It was a miracle. We survived the ordeal unscathed.

The next day, news of the immense destruction lit up the screen of the television set. There was debris everywhere. Houses had been uprooted from the ground and tossed over to the next block like discarded weeds. Grief-stricken families surveyed the ruins of their homes, hoping to recover whatever they could from the rubble. Many lives were lost, while others were scarred forever.

My trip to Alabama proved to be a truly unforgettable one. Despite everything that has happened, I can’t wait until my next visit to the south. So instead of aspiring to spend your vacation in San Francisco, New York, or Los Angeles, why not give Alabama a chance? After all, the heart of America is in its interior – in the small cities, in the countryside. So whether it’s to take a walk down Old Helena, to indulge in a serving of fried green tomatoes, or even to be caught in the middle of a deadly tornado, Alabama is definitely the place to be.