Q: Is it true that Georgia has a law on the books mandating restaurants serve sweet tea made with sugar?
--Karen Walsh, Lawrenceville
A:There's no way to sugarcoat this: There is no law that says Georgia restaurants must serve sweet tea, which surely disappoints a lot of folks, including John Noel. Noel was serving in the Georgia Legislature in 2003 and introduced a bill that "would make it a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature" for a restaurant in Georgia not to serve tea sweetened with sugar when it is brewed. "It had been a particularly rough session and I tried to inject a little levity because having tea sweetened with anything but sugar is a source of irritation for a lot of Southerners," Noel said in a recent phone call. "I don't like it when 'fake tea' is pushed on people." Much to Noel's chagrin, House Bill 819 didn't make it to committee, but generated plenty of media coverage and its own Facebook page. Noel, who is the founder and president of Energy & Environment LLC in Atlanta, isn't bitter that his sweet proposition didn't gain steam at the Capitol. "My friends still chide me about it, and it's brought me a lot of great joy over the years," he said. "It was fun. I thought it was a humorous way to poke fun at a problem."
Q: What is the oldest restaurant in Atlanta?
A: If The Colonnade immediately came to mind, think some more. If you answered The Varsity, what'll ya have is another guess. If the words Majestic Diner popped out of your mouth, try again. The answer: Virginia-Highland's Atkins Park Tavern Restaurant, which opened as a deli in 1922, and became a restaurant and bar a few years later. By the way, The Colonnade opened in 1927, followed by The Varsity in 1928 and the Majestic Diner, which has been serving "Food That Pleases" since 1929.
Q: Was the Confederacy’s Gen. James Longstreet from Georgia?
A:Robert E. Lee's "Old War Horse" was born just over the state line in Edgefield, S.C., moved to Augusta when he was 9 and spent much of his youth on a cotton plantation near the Gainesville area. Longstreet moved to Louisiana after the Civil War, but returned to Gainesville in 1875. He held several jobs, and was 82 when he died in his adopted hometown on Jan. 2, 1904. He's buried in the city's Alta Vista Cemetery.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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