What is it about the Atlanta-based Waffle House chain that makes many Chicagoland residents wish the 24-hour greasy spoons existed here?
But in a Parts Unknown segment, Anthony Bourdain eloquently nailed what makes Waffle House special. “Its warm, yellow glow a beacon of hope and salvation, inviting the hungry, the lost, the seriously hammered, all across the south to come inside. A place of safety and nourishment, it never closes. It is always, always faithful, always there, for you.”
Of course, I already knew the answer. And when a buddy invited me to his bachelor party this month at another friend’s summer house in the Indiana Dunes, roughly on the way, that sealed the deal.
At dusk in the South Deering community, I stop at Hiene’s Shrimp House, an iconic shack equally famous for its fried chicken, and pick up a delicious yard bird dinner.
Indiana is the less urban, more conservative mirror image of Illinois, and as I zigzag southeast on farm roads, the scenery soon resembles a typical Prairie State landscape. But Trump signs and “Don’t Tread on Me” banners are more prevalent, and in one careworn small town, a house on Main Street has a large Confederate flag in the window.
I roll across the Wabash River into Lafayette proper, featuring the stately Tippecanoe County Courthouse, and many other beautiful old buildings. The highlight of the rest of the ride is the lovely, lilac-lined Farm Heritage Trail, winding about 15 miles between Colfax and Lebanon.
