Last semester I worked at Atlanta Legal Aid. My boss, an amicable sort, had many convictions, the most prevalent one being: “There is no onion ring better than the onion rings they make at The Varisty.”
Now I’m a reasonable man. I believe that reasonable convictions maintained by reasonable people should be viewed reasonably. However, something here seemed awry.
“You mean to tell me,” I said, “in all the world, there are no onion rings better than the ones at The Varsity?”
“No sir,” he said. “Definitely not.”
Tonight, I had to grab a quick dinner between class and rehearsal for The VD Show; a Valentine’s Day show I’m doing with Out of Hand Theater featuring a musical I wrote called “The Boy Who Went Blind” and a musical piece I wrote called “Women Outside The Bakery” to be performed at CJ’s Landing in Buckhead February 12th to the 14th; live music, prizes, and I’m playing with the band (I hope they let me sing “Hey Ya!”). I decided The Varisty would do the trick.
The Varisty is an Atlanta staple. You just see it and think “Atlanta” in all its good and bad connotations. I walked in and saw three white men eating alone in trucker hats. The counter was dead; sleepy black women in visors stood sullenly on the other side.
“A #1 please,” I said.
“You want onions?” asked the woman.
“OK,” I said.
I paid and received my tray.
The chili dogs? Well they were good. I really like chili dogs. It’s my vice. Some people smoke cigarettes; some people do drugs. I eat chili dogs. Though, it should be noted, the chili is rather–umm–well it kind of tastes like cloth ground up and soaked in beef juice. I mean that in a good way.
The onion rings? They were the best part. The best in Atlanta? Surely. The best in the world?
Well, boss, maybe. Just maybe.
3 comments
Next time, get yerself an F.O. to go with that Yankee dog.
-or- try a slaw dog. nothing says good eatin’ like a hot dog covered in cole slaw.
You spelled “The Varsity” wrong.