Trying to avoid the crowds and traffic on the morning of July 4th, I stayed on the back roads through Peachtree City and away from the parade festivities. I stopped for breakfast at Mimi’s on Kelly Drive.
The place was packed as usual, but you never have to wait long. As I walked in, a couple leaving held the door for me, smiled and said, “Good morning.” I smiled, thanked them and said it back. Mimi’s always puts you in a “good morning” mood.
There was an empty table and I sat down, feeling as though I had just stopped by a friend’s house for coffee. The simple tablecloth with coffee cups printed on it carried along the down-home feel.
There are no warbles, raps, elevator music or wails piped in at Mimi’s. Instead you hear the murmurs of conversations from the tables wafting through the air.
I also noticed another remarkable difference. I did not see one person looking at their cell phone, which seems to be the norm everywhere else these days. In this place, you actually talk to each other.
The wait staff circles the room, chatting and sometimes cutting up with the customers, lending an easy, comfortable feeling to the air. The holiday tree on the far wall is decorated with red, white and blue just for the Fourth. I’m sure that at other times, eggs, shamrocks or pumpkins shine from that tree, as well as tinsel and blinking lights at another time.
In another corner there is a bookshelf filled with books brought in by customers and offered to other customers who might be interested in them. Browsing through the books, I find a complete set of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which I will take home and read again.
The walls swirl with handmade plaques and witty sayings. My personal challenge for the future is to “be the person your dog thinks you are.” Quite a daunting task.
When I ordered, I realized that breakfast always tastes better here. Maybe it’s because the eggs come from a shell and not a carton, or because the bacon always seems to be specially cooked just the way you like it. Or maybe it’s that you know that Mimi herself is stirring it up and flipping it over just for you, or so it seems.
The folks at Mimi’s never caught on to the conventional wisdom tactics of how to run a restaurant — professionally, elegantly, impersonally. They never learned the fast-food, “it’s my pleasure,” “no problem” tactics. These folks just welcome you in, treat you right and let you enjoy.
As the parade marches along across town, I think about the reason for all the fuss and celebrations. We honor freedom, independence, liberty, and justice. We also remember lovingly the warmth of a place to call home.
And I realize that right here in this down-home, simple, friendly, relaxingly good place, I am home. This is my America!
Ralph Ferguson
Peachtree City, Ga.
