Fried Green Tomatoes

A movie starring Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Kathy Bates, and Jessica Tandy, in the story of the friendships between two sets of women, one in the 1930s and one in the 1990s. A blatant tear-jerker about friendship, death and marriage. Anyone who knows of this film will, upon recognization of the name, immediately say "ohhhh, that's such a sad movie!"

Based on the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg (who has a cameo in the movie, and cowrote the script). Interestingly, the movie leads us to infer that Mary Stuart Masterson grows up to be Jessica Tandy (sorry to give away the ending, but I'm making a point). The book offers us two distinct characters with two distinct fates.

The book is fun.

In addition to the narrative, there are newspaper clippings and recipes, and the peripheral characters are given more life.

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
ground red pepper to taste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 green tomatoes, cut in 1/2 inch slices
vegetable oil

1. in one dish, combine cornmeal, flour, ground red pepper (optional), salt and pepper.
   
2. in another dish, combine lightly beaten egg and milk.
   
3. dip sliced tomatoes in egg/milk mixture, then coat in cornmeal mixture.
   
4. pan fry until golden brown in about 1 inch of hot vegetable oil.