Julia:  Yes , you can give him a message . You do take shorthand , do n't you ? Good , we take it in the South too . Anyway , just tell him that I have been a Southerner all my life , and I can vouch for the fact the we do eat a lot of things down here ... and we 've certainly all had our share of grits and biscuits and gravy , and I myself have probably eaten enough fried chicken to feed a third world country - not to mention barbecue , cornbread , watermelon , fried pies , okra , and ... yes ... if I were being perfectly candid , I would have to admit we have also eaten our share of crow , and for all I know - during the darkest , leanest years of the Civil War , some of us may have had a Yankee or _ two _ for breakfast . But ... speaking for myself and hundreds of thousands of my Southern ancestors who have evolved through many decades of poverty , strife , and turmoil , I would like for Mr. Weaks to know that we have surely eaten many things in the past , and we will surely eat many things in the future , but - God as my witness - we have never , I repeat , never eaten dirt !