Strange lunch

Friday I had to run up to Athens (that's AL not Greece, Mel) for some lunchtime errands. Since I was already there, I decided I'd eat lunch while I was out. Now Athens is growing, but it's still not overflowing with eating choices. I settled on the Southern Buffet and I must say it is an interesting place to eat lunch.

The first thing I saw upon entering was a HUGE Craftsman riding lawn mower sitting right in the entryway. I thought that was a tad odd, but I've seen stranger things. It turns out that the folks at Southern Buffet are giving away the mower and every customer gets a ticket they can drop in the box and a winner will be drawn later this summer. I just know I'll win.

So after I got over the "mower shock" I checked out the food offerings. Hands down, this was the strangest buffet offering I'd ever seen. Imagine your typical Barnhill's or Ryan's type buffet, but this one was stocked with 3 distinct food groups -- well 4 if you count salad, but I don't. Anyway, they had one big section of Southern food -- fried chicken, fried okra, fried squash (you getting the picture?); a section of Mexican food -- burritos, taco fixings, rice & beans, etc.; and finally an area devoted to Chinese food! I can honestly say I've never had fried chicken, a burrito, and lo mein at one meal. I did on Friday though. I mean, how could I pass up the opportunity? Hmm, I wonder how many stars Michelin will give them?

Final verdict: strange, but the food wasn't bad. So if you ever find yourself stuck in Athens at mealtime, see what combinations you can come up with.