Some final words on road food

Heading for New Orleans, we stopped for gas and coffee on July 6 at a filling station off I-10, near Chattahoochee, Ala. On the counter, near the register, were large jars of pickled pigs' feet, eggs, sausage, kosher dills and shredded pork ears.

I saw fried green tomatoes on a menu only once, at Buck's Diner in Loxley, Ala., part of the Lucky 7 Truck Stop. They were expertly fried, with crackling exteriors and steaming interiors, and served with a nice dipping sauce.

We bought ice for our cooler at supermarkets -- Gooding's, Winn-Dixie and Publix. We also got dinner at the Publix, on the outskirts of Atlanta, eating it in our hotel room. The Mediterranean rotisserie chicken was one of the best I have ever had, with moist breast meat, a rarity. (The package showed the time it was prepared and the time it was to be taken off the shelf if unsold.) A pasta salad of bow ties with feta cheese, tomato and black olives was the perfect side dish.

We stumbled upon the K&W Cafeteria in Roanoke, Va., while searching for another supermarket and decided to eat breakfast there, on our final leg of the trip July 12. This is one of those classic steam-table restaurants with made-to-order eggs, pancakes and other items. The three of us ate for $21.40, compared with our usual breakfast tab of $30 to $40.