“Fried Green Tomatoes:” Towanda!

What Does “Towanda” Mean?

“Towanda” is a reference to the alter-ego of Idgie, a character in “Fried Green Tomatoes.” Idgie refers to Towanda as an “Amazon woman” and introduces herself at least once as “Towanda.” It is also a word you say when you want to be empowered, such as when Evelyn runs her car into the snobby ladies who take her parking spot.

“Fried Green Tomatoes” is a 1991 film based on the 1987 book by Fannie Flagg. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the word “Towanda” plays an integral part in the flashback and current day scenes.

Towanda in the Flashback Scenes

There are several instances of Towanda in the flashback scenes. When Idgie first meets Frank he asks for her name, she says “Towanda to you.” She also yells “Towanda!” when jumping from a train with Ruth.

Later, after rescuing Ruth from Frank, who is now Ruth’s (abusive) husband Idgie shouts “Towanda, the amazing Amazon woman” as they drive away.

Towanda in Current Day Scenes

There is a Towanda scene when Evelyn is driving around a crowded Winn Dixie parking lot. While she is waiting for a parking space, two young women zip in and steal the spot. Evelyn tells them out the window that she was waiting for the space, the two women laugh at her and one says “we’re younger and faster” and they walk towards the store.

(In a previous parking lot scene a young guy was rude to Evelyn, but she doesn’t do anything about it).

Evelyn thinks for a few seconds, says “Towanda,” backs the car up and repeatedly hits the other car while laughing. When the young women come out and see what Evelyn is doing, Evelyn says the famous line “I’m older and I have more insurance.”

Check out the clip below.

The next time Evelyn visits Ninny she is all charged up, saying what she, Towanda, is going to do: ban fashion models who weigh under 130 lbs and make wrinkles sexually appealing. “Towanda, righter of wrongs, queen beyond compare,” she says.

Another “Towanda!” moment is when Evelyn takes a hammer to a wall in her house much to the surprise of her husband Ed. He wants to know why dinner isn’t on the table.

Later, while negotiating with Ed about letting Ninny stay with them, she says “and if you won’t listen to reason, there’s always Towanda.”

Towanda is an empowering word that invokes a badass woman, inspiring Idgie and later Evelyn.

More “Fried Green Tomatoes:” Are Idgie and Ninny the Same Person?