Grits and Determination: A Recipe for Success

"God bless America." He says that a lot.

Another thing he likes to say: "I don't speak English, I speak American."

He is so fond of that phrase that he has plastered it on T-shirts and caps that have become popular with students from American University and nearby high schools.

A shirt hangs on the wall. So do posters -- of a mythical diner and a morning-coffee still life. There is a photo of the diner in 1931, and the counters and refrigerator look exactly the same. It has been called Steak 'n Egg Kitchen since the mid-'70s.

To lots of people, this timeless diner is an entryway into -- and a refuge from -- a complex and ever-morphing world.

Chris Ravenscroft, 24, is taking orders, fixing sodas and collecting money while Barrie dispatches with one meal after another like a triage nurse. Ravenscroft has been coming to the diner for years. He graduated from nearby Georgetown Day School and spent a couple of years at Ohio State University.

He came back to Washington to work in restaurants. Barrie hired him and Ravenscroft says he loves his job. "I spent more time here than I did at home and school combined," he says. "Oz even came to our high school graduation."

At the counter, Carmen Jones, 21, is chowing down on a massive, messy Smoky Mountain burger. A graphic designer who creates the signs that immigrants first see at border crossings, Jones says she usually comes in during the early morning hours. She likes it because she feels safe. "Everybody's pretty cool here," she says.

Francisco Debarros, who works at the Brazilian Embassy, stops by nearly every day. "For myself, I like steak very well," he says. "Osman -- he's number one."

At the Steak 'n Egg, you have front-row seats for the extravaganza that is existence. You can see up close the specialties and speciousness of the species. "You see prostitutes sitting next to Secret Service agents next to a 12-year-old kid who has run away from home for a while," Barrie says about his counter. "You have the whole United Nations sitting there."

There are sober and not-so-sober moments. Lots of late-night habitues have been drinking and "just want something to soak up the alcohol," Barrie says. "You'd be amazed at the number of people who just order toast!"

It's a Circus Maximus on a minimalist stage: stools, counter, food, Tabasco sauce.