"What else do you have?"

LowTide Morning - October 6, 2018

"What else do you have?"

It's ultra-early morning. Our task-oriented grandmother is ready to get the show on the road — feed these granddaughters breakfast and clean the kitchen.

Grandmother, with a no-nonsense note in her voice: "What do you want for breakfast?"

Granddaughters: blank, sleep-deprived stares.

Grandmother: offers suggestions to which we unenthusiastically respond:

"Bacon and eggs?"

"Nah."

"Pancakes?"

"Nah."

"Oatmeal?"

"Nah."

"Cornflakes?"

"Nah."

She's had it. "Oh, for heaven's sake, make up your mind!" Grandma would have been a natural at The Varsity.

Chili dogs, onion rings, Frosty O's — "Whaddaya have?" Atlanta's age-old super fast-food "assembly line" just celebrated its 90th anniversary. My dad, one of many, loved The Varsity.

I appreciated eating at The Varsity in the same way that I enjoyed running the Peachtree Road Race — the one-and-only time I ran to say I participated in this renowned southern event. The Varsity is engraved in Atlanta history. If you've never downed a Varsity chili dog and chased it with their famous onion rings, you might not be from around here.

I recently read the late Charles Krauthammer's book, "Things That Matter," in which he shared that some folks from the far north speak disparagingly of others by calling them, "hot dog eaters." Not in Georgia.

Should fortune turn in your favor, and you have a chance to venture to The Varsity, a word of advice: know what you want to order before you amble through the line. When the cashier asks, "Whaddaya have?" he expects an answer, not a dozen wishy-washy questions.

During a recent visit to an assisted living facility, I watch as the cheerful staff prepare popcorn and serve iced "Pinacolda" drinks to the residents before starting the movie.

"Would you like an iced Pinacolda, Mr. James?"

Mr. James pauses and gives the offer consideration.

"What else do you have?"

I imagine Mr. James thinks they have a full bar. He is a distinguished, well-dressed gentleman. He wears a nice fedora hat. I'd bet money he has an acquired taste for fine red wine or might enjoy a Bloody Mary or Dirty Martini. To his disappointment, there isn't anything else on the drink list.

"Whaddaya have?" I can't imagine why it would take more than a minute to place an order at The Varsity. Perhaps like Mr. James, some of us are thinking, "What else do you have?" If you decide to venture to The Varsity, a second word of advise: don't ask, "What else do you have?"

Thankfully, life has more choices than The Varsity. Then again, elections are just around the corner. I know, I know ..., some of you are thinking, "What else do you have?"

~ LowTide explorer, Carolyn Fjeran

[LowTide is an eclectic collection of discoveries and reflective writings.]