Visiting Kennesaw Mountain Civil War Battlefield outside Atlanta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Visiting Kennesaw Mountain Civil War Battlefield outside Atlanta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

The Kennesaw Mountain Civil War Battlefield is located about half an hour north of Atlanta, Georgia off I-75. 

Kennesaw Mountain has become a “swords into ploughshares” recreation area in the modern day. If you do not arrive early on the weekend (around 7:30 am), you most probably will have to park ½ mile to a mile away from the base of the mountain to access the hiking and biking trail. The track team from nearby Kennesaw State University runs easily up and down the mountain, making you feel really old. 

Before Kennesaw Mountain became a favorite wooded refuge for Atlanta dwellers, it was the site of highly contested battle between the Confederacy’s General Joseph E. Johnson and the Union’s William Tecumseh Sherman on June 27, 1864. The Union suffered losses of 3,000 troops and the Confederacy suffered losses of 1,000 troops on that day. 

The decisive moment in the battle came when General George Stoneman’s cavalry division put Union troops close to the Chattahoochee River that protected the city of Atlanta. Breaching that river would make it easy to enter Atlanta. 

Kennesaw Mountain has become such a nice park that it is difficult to imagine war there, but it is worth noting that it is still one of Atlanta’s natural defenses to this day as one of several hills surrounding Atlanta along with the Chattahoochee River. 

Locals would also say that the kudzu plant, which can take over buildings in the South’s sweltering heat, is also a natural defense. Kudzu had not been introduced from Japan yet during the time of the Civil War. Today, this plant with its glossy leaves would be slick to deal with in the rain for hill and mountain fighting and might even change battle outcomes. 

This is speculation, of course, but it does explain why battle re-enactments are an educational exercise worth doing due to new environmental conditions and technological advances particularly in communication. 

The battle re-enactments need analysis and knowledge management to make sure war outcomes remain the same. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Greek Food in Marietta, Georgia by Ruth Paget

Greek Food in Marietta, Georgia by Ruth Paget 

When my husband Laurent and I visit Atlanta (Georgia), we always make at least one trip to Marietta Diner, located north of Atlanta by Kennesaw State University and Dobbins Air Force Base. Marietta Diner has an extensive all-American menu, which is popular with Atlanta Braves fans, military personnel, and students alike. 

However when I go to Marietta Diner, I study their menu and specials to look for Greek food, which hearkens back to my student days in Detroit and Chicago. 

I have been able to order delicious Greek meals like the following with the specials menu: 

For me – 

Greek pasta, which came with soup. The soup I ordered was naturally Greek, avgolemono, lemon-egg soup. Avgolemono soup is made with onions, rice, chicken stock, shredded chicken breast, eggs, and lemon juice. It is a sour cold fighter, which I like warm or room temperature. 

The Greek pasta was made with al dente penne pasta, melted feta cheese, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, small black olives, and bite-sized grilled chicken. The Greek pasta was salty and sour and perfect in Atlanta’s sweltering summer heat. 

For Laurent – 

A gyro (pronounced ‘yeer-o’) platter, which came with spanakopita (feta and spinach pie squares in buttered phyllo dough) and garlic fries. A gyro is shaved and roasted beef and pork served in pocket pita bread along with tomato, onion, and cucumber-yogurt (tzatziki) spread. The gyro disappeared. Laurent let Ruth, who likes vegetarian food, have the spanakopita. 

For dessert – 

A yummy baklava with rich lemon custard in the center of nutty layers of butter rich phyllo dough that were doused in honey. 

We ate this delicious meal for $44 and had leftovers to take home. We made 4 meals out of what we ordered, which averaged $11 each. I thought that was a pretty great price for Greek Isles food.

Marietta Diner 306 Cobb Parkway SE South 

Marietta, Georgia 

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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