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HARRIS'BUCKWOOD Community Editor Bom to be super-sized E There are a lot of things you can say about me, but being skinny is not one of them. I was born chunky and never looked back. Momma used to take me down to what was then known as Gallant- Belk. to buy a new supply of husky jeans. Often she would find a pair on sale that fit in the waist, but were way too long. She would cut them off and use the excess to make a tablecloth or a nice pup tent. We didn’t have a McDonald’s when I was growing up. We just had a bunch of neighbor ladies who liked to cook. By the time I made the rounds on a given afternoon, I would have con sumed two or three slices of home made cake (with ice cream if I was lucky), a couple of those little bottles of Coca-Cola, and maybe a serving of fresh out-of-the-oven peach cob bler. I've never thought of suing any of them because I'm chunky. I did think of suing their estates for cus tody of their cookbooks. My momma also helped con tribute to the problem. I would come in from an afternoon of paying visits to the neighbors. After pedaling up the driveway, momma would offer to make me a sandwich. About an hour or two later we would have supper. I'd leave a few green beans or some mashed potatoes on my plate and momma would say, “Now. honey, you eat all of that. There are children in India who are going to bed hungry' tonight.” I wasn't quite sure how being the president of our household chapter of the “Clean Your Plate” club was going to help a hungry Indian, but I did my part. Rep. Dußose Porter, who repre sents the good people of Dublin. Ga„ in the Legislature, has persuaded his colleagues to pass a bill that would prevent people from suing a restau rant because their food was fattening. Now. I eventually did find my way to McDonald’s, Burger King, and several others. It wasn't the clown or the king's fault that I got fat. it was Big Boy. Not the one that used to be outside of Shoney's, but the one that stares back at me in the mirror. I just couldn’t imagine somebody suing a restaurant because they got fat. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, look at my client. He had to squeeze into that chair just to sit before you today," my fine lawyer would say. “It all began with a dou ble-decker, all beef, char-broiled, cheese coated burger, with no pickle, provided by the defendants." Now that I won’t be able to sue them, the burger boys are taking, mat ters in their own hands. McDonald’s announced this week that they would no longer be serving the “Super Size" items. How am 1 going to survive with out that bushel-basket sized container of fries and the 64-ounce big drink? The more important question, is how are they going to reprogram all those people who work in the drive thru window. You can’t ask for a napkin or a straw without them asking. “Would you like to Super Size that?” The guy in the mirror sometimes looks at my girth and wants to ask me that ques tion. Unfortunately, I’m already there. Postscript: I have seen or have been told that several of you have now displayed my writing within the confines of your restroom, following last week’s column. I know of at least two restaurants, a law firm, and a dry cleaners that have done so. I don’t know if I should offer a tongue-in-cheek thank you or my sincere apology to your customers. Also, next week I plan to share some of your memories of Old Atlanta (the town not the road). Please keep them coming. Harris Blackwood's column appears Sundays in the Forsyth County News. Send comments to UfestylesGPforsythnews. com. F orsyth Life Turning dinner into a dream New firm prepares monthly fare for family By Adlen W. Robinson For the Forsyth County News Ask any mother what time of day she feels the most stressed out, and she will undoubtedly answer “dinner time.” As a working mother of three, Cumming resident Sue Mitchell cer tainly agrees. “Most mothers, whether they work outside the home or not, will tell you the dinner hour is crazy,” said Mitchell. Formally a mortgage officer, Mitchell said evenings for her family were chaotic at best. “You get home from work, you are tired every body has homework or activities and then everybody wants to know what is for dinner,” she said. About a year ago, Mitchell was doing what any typical working mother of three might be doing when she has a little spare time: she was in the dentist office waiting room with her 5-year-old. As she waited, she found herself thumbing through February 2003's issue of "Working Mother" Magazine. She flipped through the pages until she came to the magazine's cover story that pro filed two mothers who had started a business that seemed right up Mitchell's alley. The innovative Seattle moms had come up with away to take the hassle out of the dinner hour, and in addition to provide healthy, delicious, home cooked meals guaranteed to please the entire family. The concept behind Dream Dinners, like so many other innova tive ideas, was bom out of necessity. How exactly does Dream Dinners work? First, customers can log onto the Web site, www.dreamdinners.com Have guitar, will travel Chris Cauley launches career with U.S. tour By Harris Blackwood Community Editor At 12. Chris Cauley got his first guitar. At 20, he has just finished a tour of concert appearances which took him from California hack home to Cumming. Cauley isn't exactly packing out large arenas...not yet. His brand of acoustic pop-rock has taken him to small clubs to coffee houses and bookstores across the country. He has signed a contract with Red Drum Records, a small independent Jabel based in Augusta. The label paired him with fellow artist Scott Little for a tour that began in Los Angeles and went across the country over a three week period. For Cauley, it all began on a Christmas morning. “I had been asking for a guitar," said Cauley "My folks thought I would pick it up for a week and then put it back down. They got me a cheap electric guitar." Over the next few years his tal ents would progress. The young musician discovered the acoustic sound and now plays a Taylor acoustic guitar that he says will be Forsy th County News—Sunday, March 7,2004 SB I St i V * *** '"B V e Photo/Audra Perry Jan Leblanc prepares a Dream Dinners meal. The Cumming franchise, which is the first in the East, offers a monthly selection of meals for the entire family. or go by the shop for an updated list of menu choices. Each month there is a completely different list of choices. Acoustic guitar artist Chris Cauley, right, has recently com pleted a tour that took him from Los Angeles to Cumming. Within weeks, he will begin recording his first complete CD. His first recording, a five-song collection was entitled, “Wishing Well." Photos/Submitted the one he will have forever. “Somewhere in that first year, I fell in love with the acoustic side of things,” said Cauley. “I got an acoustic guitar the next Christmas and I’ve never put it down." While his early inspiration was the acoustic sounds of James Taylor, he now enjoys the music of John Mayer and Dave Matthews. For now, Chris has put his educa tion on hold to pursue his dream. He Customers choose 12 meals, and then register for a convenient time to go into the shop and put together their ■BQ. comes from a family where educa tion is the family business. His dad, Jerry, is the athletic director at Forsyth Central High School. His mom, Janet, is a substitute teacher at the school. His dad admires the son’s ambi tion but, being an educator, is cau tious about the future. “We’re very proud of him, he’s very talented," said Jerry Cauley. “Not all of us have an opportunity to meals. Though it may seem strange See DINNER, Page 8B chase our dream. His decision not tty continue in school was a concern, but if this doesn't work out there is time, to go back and take care of that." The singer's father admits that having a 20-year-old son touring' across the country can make his par-' ents worry. "We're glad when he calls home and we try to go and see him when he is performing nearby." »• See CAULEY, Page 2B □