welcome to atlanta.
whenever i go back home, i always look forward to the food. specifically, in buford highway and atlanta proper. the suburbs are mad lacking with good food, so going to eat out is always gonna be a trek of sorts.
fuck, if only i had a car.
on god.
buford highway
Atlanta doesn't have a Chinatown, but the closest thing we've got is Buford Highway (and more recently, Duluth). When I was little, I only really knew of two distinct cuisines: the nearby, suburban oasis' of buttery and oily and fried and processed Golden Corral, Olive Garden, Arby's, what have you, and Buford Highway's chicken feet, noodles, and roast duck.
When your age is under double-digits, time moves so fucking slowly. Buford Highway was only around a 20-minute drive from us, but it still felt like such a trek to get to. I also used to get carsick really easily on highways, so by the time we'd arrived, I needed a few moments before I could start eating.
For some reason, I could eat a stupid amount when I was little. So, eat, I did. And eat, I continue to do (god bless my metabolism).
"okay, so what's so special about buford highway?"
I'll let you look through the map to see for yourself.
Buford Highway is an Asian cultural hub just outside of Atlanta, lined with mom-and-pop markets and restaurants that proudly boast no franchises.
When I was younger, I dreaded going to Buford Highway, because I thought it to be a burdensome chore. Why did we have to drive 20 minutes away to go grocery shopping? What really made up for the long car ride was the food that was waiting for me. Where else could I get a plate of chicken fried rice bigger than my face for less than ten bucks? Is there anywhere else within a 20 minute radius that unapologetically devotes an entire aisle to instant noodles and another for rice?
atlanta itp
i'm so glad to call this home. this quirky, brilliant, tough, inexplicable, gorgeous place of a city. yes, i can call it home because i'm a grady baby.
miller union.
atlanta otp
born in the city but unfortunately raised in the suburbs. everyone knows how much i HATE (capital H and A and T and E) the suburbs. fucking vapid and cookie cutter and stupid and nothing ever happens and everything just looks the same. grow up in a silly little suburb only to return there and stay there for-fucking-ever. absolutely the fuck not.
obviously, i put this section last, but i still included it anyways because Love Thy Neighbor.
