Automatic for the People, Indeed

Weaver D's is an Athens, Ga., legend, made famous by the local band REM. In dozens of trips, I've never made the stop.

That won't be the case again.

The man himself manned the counter, handing out the end-of-the-day specials I'd read about. Since I wanted the white meat, I'll not get the discount; but my radio partner Kyle Kellams opts for the dark meat.

The atmosphere was exactly what we expected, and Weaver was a hoot. There was only one couple in the joint when we walked in.

I worried about the veg, only because I'm not much of a veg person. Kellams, however, I sensed was in hog heaven. Lacking many options, I go for double rice and gravy -- a very thin, turkey and gibblets looking gravy. Well, at least the chicken looks nice.

Oh, I was wrong. Oh so very wrong. The gravy was tasty, and gave the rice a gumbo-esque flavor. The chicken was unlike anything I'd had since my childhood.

My grandmother always encouraged me to "polish the bones," and her fried chicken made that easy. Let's just say there wasn't a lot of debris left on the plate as I gleefully sucked the bones clean.

And when Weaver drifted by our table to ask how the meal was, I started to say "fanta --", but before I could get out the "tic", he shouted out "AUTOMATIC!".

Automatic, Indeed.