6 Things You Didn't Know about Waffle House

I used to go to Waffle House after school in high school and hang out with my two best friends. We would smoke cigarettes (don't tell my mom), eat waffles, and catch up on our day. As I grew older, Waffle House became the go-to late night spot after the bars closed. A belly full of Waffle House greatly decreased the chance of a hangover the next day. We even gave it a nickname, WaHo.

For many who live in the Southeast, Waffle House is a cultural icon that holds memories and instantly reminds them of home. Here are a few things you might not know about the popular restaurant chain.

1. Waffle House never closes. Ever. The 24-hour diner means you can have waffles or an All-Star Breakfast anytime. The diner is open on all holidays, 365 days a year if at all possible: even during rough storms like hurricanes when other eateries are all closed. Waffle House has specific disaster management policies to help them stay open including portable generators.

2. Waffle House is in cahoots with the government. Because of its commitment to staying open at all times, FEMA actually uses a Waffle House Index to rate storms:

Red = Waffle House is closed
Yellow = Limited menu
Green = Waffle House is open

In other words, if Waffle House is closed, you know it's bad.

3. The jukeboxes include original songs about ... waffles. Yep, check out the jukebox the next time you head for the yellow sign and some covered and smothered hash browns. Or you can stream the songs, which are unbelievably organized into not just one album, but Volume 1 and Volume 2. Volume 2 is even available on iTunes.

4. The Waffle House hash brown lingo is proprietary. I grew up ordering my hash browns double-covered, but I never knew the lingo originated at Waffle House. According to wikipedia, you can order your hash browns "'scattered' (spread on the grill), 'smothered' (with onions), 'covered' (with cheese), 'chunked' (with diced ham), 'diced' (with diced tomatoes), 'peppered' (with jalapeño peppers), 'capped' (with mushrooms), 'topped' (with chili) and 'all the way' (with all available toppings). Recently, the option of 'country' was added for hash browns with sausage gravy on them."

5. You can eat waffles by candlelight on Valentine's Day. Waffle House offers candlelit service on Valentine's Day at select restaurants--the list offered 145 locations in 2015. We can only hope this list continues to grow each year.

6. Waffle House was named after its most profitable item. If you've eaten at Waffle House, you know they serve much more than just waffles. But when it came time to name the restaurant, they went with the most expensive, and profitable, item on the menu. A good business decision to sell more of what made them the most money.

References:
1. http://firstwefeast.com/eat/waffle-house-trivia/s/fema-uses-a-waffle-house-index-to-size-up-natural-disasters/
2. http://www.allmusic.com/album/waffle-house-jukebox-favorites-vol-1-mw0001084437
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffle_House
4. http://www.cbs46.com/story/21202821/waffle-house-offers-candle-lit-valentines-day-dinners

A short eBook for those facing clinical depression in a loved one

I survived clinical depression and I've watched people close to me do the same. I know how difficult it can be to find yourself facing a loved one with clinical depression. I've watched friends of mine struggle with how to help me with an illness they'd never experienced and couldn't possibly understand. It's easy to feel lost and helpless. 

I wrote this book to help people like my best friend. It took us years before I learned to tell her what I needed and she learned how to give it to me. My hope is that this book can shorten that process and help those who feel completely lost when they look at their friend, sister, dad, partner and don't know how to help--and indirectly help those who actually find themselves in the deep, dark hole of clinical depression.

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Here is an excerpt on "what to say to a depressed person":

The short and unfortunate answer is that nothing you can say will help. Words of encouragement fall on deaf ears. Don’t misunderstand this to mean that we don’t need you—we do. We need you to listen without trying to fix things, to remind us that you aren’t going anywhere, to let us know that it’s okay that we’re depressed and that you don’t expect us to be happy or smile or pretend that everything is okay. We live in constant fear that our depressive behavior will push you away, that you will “get sick” of us and give up. When you remain present in our lives, we are reassured that you are still in our corner.

Try to avoid questions like “Did you have a good day?” The answer is “No”. We didn’t have a good day. This question makes us feel like you don’t understand that we are depressed, that you expect us to suddenly have a good day, or that you don’t take our depression seriously. You are just being conversational, but once through the depression filter, this innocuous question can be hurtful. A better question might be, “How was your day?” This question gives us a chance to open up and share with you.

We also like to hear about your day. Tell us what you did, who you talked to, or what you’re going through. Telling us about your struggles can be particularly helpful, as they feel less foreign than your happy stories (although, you should share those too!). Avoid trying to commiserate or empathize if you haven’t been through clinical depression. We are happy that you haven’t been in this dark place, trust me, but it’s frustrating when people assume that they know what it’s like if they don’t.

Please consider purchasing this eBook. It's a quick read and I believe the information is invaluable.