The Tennessee Liberal

It shouldn't have surprised me, seeing all that orange.

Yet, as my friend and I walked into the Cracker Barrel in Kokomo, Ind. this weekend, we were a bit taken aback to see an entire restaurant filled with people like us - wearing orange, looking downtrodden and seeking comfort in some biscuits and sawmill gravy.

I was once again in beautiful Indiana over the weekend, this time for the Tennessee-Notre Dame game. The game itself aside, It was a tremendous college football experience.

The welcoming spirit of the folks at Notre Dame is just as advertised. From the parking lot attendants and bus drivers to fans we met along the way, I don't think we met once person who didn't welcome us to the University and ask if we needed anything. I had always heard about how nice Notre Dame people were, but it was truly a unique experience.

Of course, the campus was gorgeous, and I was struck by the beauty of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. All the traditions were everything you'd expect. Once you've been, you can see why such a small stadium can still be so intimidating. If you haven't been, go.

But back to that comfort food. As my friend and I drove back from South Bend to Indy, it was late and we were hungry and bummed about the game. Each of us remembered the Cracker Barrel we had passed in scenic Kokomo on the way up Highway 31, and decided it'd be worth a stop. Seeing all of the Tennessee fans inside gave us a chuckle. Our waiter said he had never seen so many people wearing orange all at once.

It seemed appropriate, though, that Tennesseans would seek a little food from home that far away. I wonder if we all instinctively knew that the best place we could be after a day like ours was our hometown restaurant away from home. Regardless, the comfort food did its job, and we headed back to Indy high on pancakes and country ham.