Strange Fruit

Food writer Ashlee Clark Thompson's new book is all about Louisville Diners (the places, not the people). She joins us this week to dish about some of Louisville's most iconic eateries - trendy brunch places, soul food spots, and a certain streetcar-shaped establishment in Old Louisville, whose quirkiness is part of its charm. "It's almost like Halley's Comet to catch Ollie's Trolley open," she says (the walk-up-style lunch counter is open 11-5, only operates on weekdays, and only accepts cash). "It started out as a chain, and Ollie's was supposed to be the next KFC." Thompson says diners started out as, essentially, food trucks, where hungry third-shift workers could stop by and pick up a bite on the way home. They were seen as men's establishments, prone to trouble, either with no seating, or later, maybe a row of stools at a countertop. Eventually, proprietors realized they were missing out on revenue by only catering to men. "They tried to attract women by adding flower boxes outs