A Bowl of Red Beans & Rice...Por Favor

A Bowl of Red Beans & Rice… Por favor!

Atlanta, Jason’s Deli. Things have gone sideways on me in Atlanta. They’re not the same as I left them in ’04 ~ too much change to suit me.

“Hola, Amigo – que pasa,” someone shouts from across the room. “De nada,” I holler back to nobody in particular ~ it just felt good to holler inside a restaurant!. “Que tu quiera?” What do I want? I want English, Dude, I thought, but I belted out in my best Spanish (they all seem to holler in that joint!), “ me guesteria Frejoles roja y arroz y vino tinto, hombre,” smugly contemptible with my reply.

But why was I upset? The new majority in Atlanta was very nice, if somewhat lacking in cleanliness ~ but hey, cleanliness is a relative term, right? Even my wife and I can’t agree on it! Besides, it’s not my city anymore; and I was taught to “get along.” Heck, I’ve been to worse joints, and cities for that matter!

It made me think of how much has changed up here, so it’s best that one not try to remember the past, the “old days” as we like to say, because it just makes you cry to see what it’s becoming ~ yes, a city of transients ~ the “them” versus “us,” and “us” is fast getting in the minority.

In the “old days,” when we were “The We”, we ran things our way. Ok, so we had do our own yards, but a little raking and mowing never hurt anybody and builds a lot of character. Now crews of strangers show up mowing and blowing, like a noisy storm of locusts, while we try to escape the noise of the screaming little engines. Just one example, of course.

But it’s changed on the island, too ~ just ask a stranger where they’re from, or listen carefully to their pronunciation of “you all,” and “would not” or “was.” See what I mean?

Oh yes, I’m a transient, too, as are most of you ~ how soon we forget. I guess there are still a few of the island “locals” who look at us and shake their heads and say, “I preferred the old days before this crowd showed up.” What goes around comes around, you know!

But here we are, run out of one place and making our new place like we want ~ Starbucks, for example, and even The Roundabout, built for convenience but enjoyed for comedy. Yeah, change is coming, so embrace it!

“Hey, Pedro, mas frijoles y arroz por me, y una botella grande de vino …pronto,” I scream out, even as I smile to myself and do a mental high-five. I’m already beginning to like being in the Minority! So take it from me, folks ~ Live it up, time is short…ain’t America great!

Bud
June 5, 2008