On the curious and enduring appeal of Waffle House
The diners rarely close. For many in the South, they feel like home
Pull off an interstate before dawn in the American South and, outside city centres, you enter a shuttered, ghostly world: darkened businesses, petrol stations devoid of cars, traffic lights flashing red and yellow over empty junctions. But if you are lucky, you may spot a beacon: “WAFFLE HOUSE” spelled out on giant yellow tiles that tower above the restaurant of that name. It will be warmly lit and, more important, open.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “South to a very old place”
Culture October 1st 2022
- An art festival reflects the threat to free expression in Japan
- In “Shrines of Gaiety”, girls vanish in the London of the 1920s
- On the curious and enduring appeal of Waffle House
- “Iron and Blood” questions the story of German militarism
- “Life is Hard” is a consoling guide to this vale of tears
- Will anyone ever again be as famous as Marilyn and Elvis?
From the October 1st 2022 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Culture
Ovation inflation has spread from Broadway to London’s West End
Why do dud plays get standing ovations?
Are mystics kooks or valuable disrupters?
A realist’s refreshing take on mysticism
Sex and Snow White: how Grimm should children’s books be?
The German authors suggest very, but today trends run the opposite way
Jimmy Lai’s trial is a headline-worthy example of injustice
A new biography aims to keep the public’s attention on the pro-democracy tycoon
Millennials and Gen Z are falling hard for stuffed animals
Plushies are cute, cuddly and costly
Ten years after the Charlie Hebdo attack, satire is under siege
Public support is waning for the right to offend