i was really hungry.

ok so me and chris just got back from tennessee last weekend. while we were in nashville, we went to arnold’s country kitchen and ate the BEST FOOD EVER. like it was seriously the best food we’ve ever eaten.

seriously.

you can’t tell by the looks of it.

arnold’s is cafeteria style, and the line moves quick, but not quick enough so that it wasn’t backed up to the door. we grabbed trays and waited. a lady with a southern accent plopped collard greens, creamy amazing delicious mashed potatoes, and southern-style green beans onto my plate, then handed me a dish with two fried green tomatoes. chris got MMMMMac and cheese, and country fried steak. a man set plates of cornbread in front of us so we grabbed some. at the end of the line near the register, there were giant styrofoam cups full of sweet tea. we grabbed those too. AND we got the most amazing chess pie with meringue ever. actually, it was the only chess pie i’ve ever had, and especially the only chess pie with meringue i’ve ever had. i didn’t even know what chess pie was til i got there. chess pie is:

“A dessert characteristic of Southern U.S. cuisine. Recipes vary, but are generally similar in that they call for the preparation of a single crust and a filling composed of eggs, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. What sets chess pie apart from many other custard pies is the substitution of corn meal for flour. “

ok? but it is SO GOOD that you almost feel like you don’t deserve to eat it. and it looks like this:

chess pie y’all

and this is what everything else looked like:

fooooooood

country fried steak and such

cornbread muffins, fried green tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, greeeeeens greens, chess pie

despite all the delicious food we crammed onto our trays, it was nearly impossible to spend more than ten dollars a piece. we had trouble finding a table, but finally managed. supposedly strangers often sit at the same table together since space is limited. a guy came around with a pitcher of sweet tea for refills but it was so sweet that i couldn’t even down a first glass. the walls were covered in autographed photos of local and not-so-local celebrities who love arnold’s (and are very justified in doing so!) i love arnold’s. i hope one day i can go back to nashville and eat more pie.