In Georgia I entered a Chick-fil-A drive-thru line of forty cars.
I turned off my engine. I prepared to wait the way my ancestors waited out a siege.
Six minutes later I was holding chicken.
I do not know what happened to the other thirty-nine cars. The line moved like water that had somewhere to be.
A young woman walked between the cars taking orders on a small tablet, on foot, in the sun, smiling like the sun was her idea.
I said thank you.
She said, "My pleasure."
I did not think about it then. I should have.
At the window I thanked the young man for the food.
"My pleasure."
I thanked him for the sauce.
"My pleasure."
I thanked him for thanking me—
"My pleasure."
I want to be clear about what was happening.
This was a duel.
In Japan I trained in courtesy for forty years. Bowing angles. Seasonal greetings. The correct depth of apology for seventeen distinct situations.
I was a white belt in that drive-thru.
I escalated. I used my most formal English. I thanked him on behalf of my entire family line.
He said, "My pleasure," and gave me extra sauce.
Extra sauce. Unprovoked. A counterattack.
I returned the next day to reclaim my honor.
It was Sunday. The restaurant was closed.
All of them were closed. In the entire country. They close every Sunday, and they have closed every Sunday since the beginning, because the founder made a promise, and the promise did not expire when he did.
I stood in the empty parking lot and understood I had lost twice.
Once to a teenager with sauce.
Once to a man I will never meet, who kept his word so long it became a building.
In my country we say a samurai's word is his life.
I had never seen a restaurant say it back.
I returned Monday. I ordered. And this time I said it first, before she could.
"My pleasure."
She smiled and said, "It sure is."
America, I surrender.
It was my pleasure.
@Kelly_Quinlan lol classic ACC to just use yellow after Tech released a new gold. Maybe it’s the lighting or angle of the pic
All that fuss from our fans and the conference just doesn’t care 😂
Billy Strings
July 14th, 2026
Berglund Center, Roanoke, VA
1: Turmoil & Tinfoil, Ernest T. Grass > Ole Slew-Foot, Broken Doe, Long Forgotten Dream, White Dove, Nighthawk, Show Me the Door, The Likes of Me > Pyramid Country > Know It All
2: Fire Line > Running the Route > I'm Still Here > Running the Route > Reuben's Train, Just A Rambler, Think of What You've Done, Run Down, Ride Me High, Happy Hollow, This Old World, Burn The Other End, Our Last Goodbye
When you realize this photo is 30 years old this month and two of the three stadiums are entirely gone and the other is now a medium sized college football joint.
Good morning. You can continue working hard for your employer or you can hide in a closet and enjoy this Allman Brothers Band “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” jam. The choice is yours…
Also, GT continuing to dismiss navy is a head scratcher considering when all of your championships & major NY6 bowls occurred in them is pretty ridiculous