Diners (11/30/05)

"One nervous pudding, and make it walk!" the waitress hollers. "Drag one through Georgia and sweep the kitchen floor!" Don't know what that means? If not, you need to get out to your local diner more often. The diner concept took off when lunch wagon owners found that their customers were ravenous for "sinkers and suds," "city juice," and "graveyard stew." Patrons have been visiting greasy spoons ever since, in such far-flung locations as Moscow, Milan, and Maine. What brings folks back for "Bronx vanilla" and "Noah's boy"? The convenience, the atmosphere, and of course, the food. While some diners have gone missing in recent years, plenty of others remain to introduce new generations to such treats as "dough well done with cow to cover." So the next time you have a craving for a "bucket of cold mud" or "Eve with a lid on it," just drop in -- no reservations required!