An aside on Kentucky Fried Chicken. Back in the early 90s I worked my way through law school by substitute teaching in the SF School District. One of the more troubled schools was actually located in an affluent part of the city just to the south of Mount Davidson north of Ocean Street. Aptos Middle School gave me some of my worst memories (ironically, the schools in more troubled neighborhoods like Woodrow Wilson High and Horace Man Middle were very well run and presented very easy and enjoyable sub experiences).
Anyway, this kid in the sixth grade named Rashad was one of those very bright students who could do much better, but clearly undermotivated. When engaged he produced very good work, but if there were problems in the classroom he was often right in the thick of it. But we actually had a pretty good relationship and he genuinely seemed happy whenever he walked into the classroom to find me there in place of his teacher.
On this particular morning he wasn’t actually in any of my classes, but just before lunch he paid me a visit. After the preliminary greetings he puffed up his chest and said, “you know Kirk, I’m going to leave the school grounds.”
“Is that so?” I responded without looking up from my papers, trying to avoid whatever bait he was setting up for me. I think he just wanted to tell me that he was going to break rules by leaving campus and daring me to do something about it.
“Yep. He said. I’m going over to KFC and I’m gonna get me some hot wings.”
Now, at the time I didn’t know what hot wings were and I had no idea that Kentucky Fried Chicken had gone to the trendy initials to de-emphasize the word “fried” during the oat bran wave of health trends. So I responded, “Rashad, that’s nice. But what is KFC, and what are hot wings?”
It was probably only five seconds, but it seemed like about 30 seconds of an extremely demonstrative expression of incredulity. Sort of like people around here get when a tourist from the midwest tells them that the best stuff isn’t really grown here, but can be found in the fields of Indiana. And then he came out with the kicker.
“Man, you’re so caught up in the sixties, you don’t know what’s happening around you!”
Of course, I completely missed the sixties. When some of you reading were attending Woodstock and the various marches on Washington, I was pretty much in class reading Janet and Mark, There and Back Again, and watching Paddle to the Sea or The Red Balloon on a shaky old projector just blocks away from our conversation at what was then West Portal Elementary School. And my hair was short. Had more of it then I have now. But it’s been short since high school. Still, the comment reflected a unique perceptiveness on the part of the kid. Never figured out exactly where the comment came from.
….
The memory was triggered by a story on the latest offering from KFC, and if they want to de-emphasized “fried” in their marketing, they’re sure not doing it for the food no matter how many roasted alternatives they offer. The last time I think I ate at KFC was about a decade ago right in Eureka on Broadway. I bit into a thigh and the grease squirted across the table. Killed the mood even for the perpetually melted butter with biscuit and cole slaw. I’ve many weaknesses for food, but that just doesn’t appeal to me. Neither does the latest offering – the Double Down sandwich which puts bacon, cheese, and some kind of sauce in between two fried chicken breasts as in the promotional photo to your right. I’m often tempted by food which is horrible for me, and I even have a weakness for fried foods. But this photo grosses me out.
Nate Silver says that the sandwich might not be as bad for you as it looks. It only has the amount of calories of a Big Mac, which is like a celery stick on today’s scale apparently. Silver explains that by some measures it may be one of the worst sandwiches (sodium, every kind of bad fat, and cholesterol). At least it wouldn’t be too high in carbs.
Has anybody with an iron stomach reading this tried it?
Rashad would be about 30 now, and probably has to start thinking about what he’s eating. I wonder how many of these things he’s already downed.
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April 19, 2010 at 8:17 am
Fred Mangels
Has anybody with an iron stomach reading this tried it?
I have no desire to, if only because the last 2 or 3 times I tried KFC (probably over 10 years ago) I threw it up. Not sure why as I’d eaten KFC off and on before with no problems. Must be too much grease for me in my older age.
I did see an ad where they said they have a line of baked chicken items now. I am curious if I could handle that.
As an aside, I hardly ever see anyone at the KFC in Burre Center, Eureka. I can’t believe that place is still in business.
April 19, 2010 at 8:32 am
Anonymous
Grease-what lawyers(pronounced lie-er in Canada) do/are(greasy).
Greasy-Hank Sims,Bob McKee,Carol Bruno,Steve Dazey,Eric KirK, the list goes on,
April 19, 2010 at 9:23 am
ED Denson
OMG grease, salt, crunch. Forgotten pleasures from long ago.
April 19, 2010 at 10:32 am
suzy blah blah
i’d like to try it but i don’t get out of town much. I wish KFC would open a soHum franchize. Eclectic fast food dinning is where it’s at. Suzy’s gettin’ tired of living on corn dogs from the Shell station in Redway.
April 19, 2010 at 12:42 pm
anon
GIMME A DOUBLE DOSE OF GREASE,WITH A LARD SANDWICH,FATBACK SOUP..AND A TRUCKLOAD OF THUNDERBIRD WINE TO WASH IT ALL DOWN…..
April 19, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Not A Native
I ate at the Eureka KFC about 10 years ago and got really really sick. That sure “cured” my jones for greasy chicken thats I’d had for years.
BTW, the Hometown Buffet now has pretty good fried chicken. They didn’t used to. I expressed my satisfaction to the manager, he said they’d changed their recipe.
April 19, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Joel Mielke
“…the last 2 or 3 times I tried KFC… I threw it up.”
We’re happy that it only took two or three times to learn the lesson, Fred. And thanks for not going into further detail.
April 19, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Jim
off topic, I know, but related to food:
They are marketing “Ell River Valley” beef down here in SoCal (monrovia to be specific, but probably all over the valleys).
They have these whole displays about it adn a video of the wonderful grassy hills they feed on.
Anyone know the ranch they are exporting from?
April 19, 2010 at 7:05 pm
Ben
On really good days at he local supermarket delis, they now have bacon. Combine that with two chicken strips and you have the SoHum version. Yummers.
April 19, 2010 at 8:07 pm
Tapperass
Speaking as a fan of experimental foods, I commend KFC. I mean, have you tried their Grilled Chicken? I hate fried, and now I can eat at KFC because of the Grilled option.
This reminds me of the documentary Who killed the Electric Car
There was a segment where the movie maker was discussing the drawback of the EV1, and how consumers would be turned off by the car’s lack of “sexy” power. So GM decides to roll out the Hummer.
So was KFC going soft with the addition of Grilled Chicken? I mean FRIED is in the freakin’ name! So, along comes the Double Down. Of course it is absolutely bad for you, but people are going to eat it. Thus, KFC regains some of that Fast Food swagger.
In the race to make food healthier, some of these fast food chains are actually making food that is worse for you. Especially if you eat it everyday. McGriddles, Six Dollar Burgers, Ultimate Cheeseburgers, and Quad stacked patties wedged between a bun are all recent creations designed to make us fatter.
I say “way to go KFC!”
I am not going to eat a Double Down, but one person does not make a consumer market.
April 19, 2010 at 8:15 pm
suzy blah blah
…baked chicken items now. I am curious if I could handle that.
hey Col. Fred, Suzy is totally baked all day and all night long, wink wink
April 20, 2010 at 5:41 am
Fred Mangels
NAN wrote, …the Hometown Buffet now has pretty good fried chicken..
Winco, in Eureka, has some pretty decent chicken in their deli- both baked and fried. Last time I bought some it seemed a bit overcooked, but it’s usually pretty decent.
April 20, 2010 at 7:47 am
Anonymous
Fred, how hard is it to roast your own chicken? It was overdone because it had been sitting under a hot lamp all day.
April 20, 2010 at 8:23 am
Fred Mangels
It was overdone because it had been sitting under a hot lamp all day.
Maybe. It’s usually pretty good, at least for my tastes and I see quite a few people buying it, especially around lunchtime.
And, hey, if everyone cooked their own chicken, think of how many people would be out of jobs.
Did you know that fried chicken is the most popular take out food in the country? Hard for me to believe. I would think it would be pizza or hamburgers, but I guess it’s chicken.
April 20, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Gordon Inkeles
How bad can it get?
http://consumerist.com/2010/04/10-fast-food-items-worse-for-you-than-the-kfc-double-down.html
Today I heard an NPR discussion on whether or not it makes sense to use stents for heart disease patients. Some Cardiologists insist that it’s more effective–and MUCH less expensive–to make serious lifestyle and diet changes. But with Burger King “Triple Whoppers” waiting in the wings, you could blow a week of virtuous dieting with one meal.
April 21, 2010 at 7:29 am
Eric Kirk
Gordon, can you tell me which NPR show it was? My mother is considering such a surgery, and I’d like all the facts I can find.
April 21, 2010 at 9:16 am
Gordon Inkeles
Eric,
The NPR show on stents was on THE STORY. “Gathering Courage,” is archived as a podcast here:
http://thestory.org/archive/
My best wishes to your Mom. This would be a tough call, as both the pro and anti stent Cardiologists make good cases for their arguments. Let me know what your research turns up.