$2 Thursdays at Luby's

If you read about me, you would know that I don't believe good eats always equate with expensive eats. This is why I'm not ashamed to put it out there that I love Luby's! I recall the days of girlhood when my immigrant parents, who had no idea how to roast a Thanksgiving turkey, would order our holiday meals from Luby's. And during the other times of the year, my mom would take me to the cafeteria after either my piano lesson or a long day of shopping. I would always get the Lu Ann Platter (a half portion entree served with two vegetables and a bread of choice) with fried chicken, corn, and either mashed potatoes or mac 'n cheese, the dinner roll with extra butter, an iced tea which I drowned with ten packs of sugar, and (if my tooth was feeling extra sweet) a serving of strawberry Jell-o. Back then, the Lu Ann Platter ran us only a few dollars, but prices have since gone up. That's why I appreciate the $2 Thursdays at Luby's where you can get a chicken fried steak or a fried fish for just two singles. You can bet I'm going to round up my fellow Luby's fan club friends one of these upcoming Thursdays and relive the magic of cafeteria childhood.

And here's an interesting tidbit: The Lu Ann Platter is the inspiration for the same named character on "King of the Hill," a redneck TV show created by Mike Judge which was based on real people he knew while he lived in Texas. Judge is also known for making "Beavis and Butt-Head" and the Office Space movie. On "King of the Hill," Lu Ann Platter is Hank and Peggy's niece who moved in with the family after her mother stabbed her father with a fork, and their trailer was capsized. The late Brittany Murphy played Lu Ann's voice for several seasons. At first, I couldn't stand the show because it stereotyped Texans--I've had more than one person ask me if Texans were like that--but after watching a few episodes, I found myself laughing aloud. Give it a try some time. They're syndicated on FOX; check out the showtimes here.