Babette’s Fancy Diner

Babette’s is a quaint roadside diner located somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains by day, and deep in the liminal realm by night. Are you a daytime customer, just here for coffee and Crêpes Babette? Or are you a night shift regular, unperturbed by the lost souls and strange beings who frequent the diner after dark? Either way, you’re welcome, and the lunch special is always free.

The free twice-monthly issue of Babette’s Fancy Diner is about a 5 minute read, and includes one piece of short fiction, plus one lunch special (original recipes + photograph + lavish sensory description of what the food is like to eat). Paid subscribers will get other stuff too, eventually, but the main newsletter will remain free.

About the author/cook

I’m Brittany. You might have read my essay about Shakespeare’s Ophelia on The Toast, or my one viral Twitter story from 2017 about saving $500 on bread. You might even have read my terrible, best-selling biography of Alexander Hamilton, or some of the 900k of fanfic I’ve published at AO3. I am not a food professional in any sense of the word, but I cook an awful lot. I have a 1300 day Duolingo streak

As a queer ex-vangelical southerner, the world has always been spooky for me. And when you walk with a foot in two worlds, it’s comforting to image a place where others like you can meet and be normal about how abnormal everything is.

Eventually, I want Babette’s to function as a digital thirdspace where people in my communities can find each other and interact in the comments, and in a dedicated Discord server. Because it’s scary out there, and we need each other. In the mean time, enjoy the ambience, try out a recipe, and stay safe out there on the Great Highway.