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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Why did the chicken biscuit cross the Mason-Dixon line?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A bit of news hidden under an interesting headline— Hey! Free food! — caught my eye.
McDonald’s “Southern Style” chicken biscuits, available locally for two years, are rolling out nationwide. If a fast food giant is taking this Southern staple outside the region, they’re certainly expecting them to sell, no matter the geography of tastebuds.
So what does it mean when a regional delicacy becomes popular elsewhere? Is it sharing the wealth — you can take the food out of the South, but can’t take the South out of the food?
Or is a supply-and-demand issue — does a local favorite become less special when it leaves home?
Or maybe I’m asking the wrong question.
Understand, I’m a vegetarian, but even before I gave up meat, I never ate chicken on a biscuit. Meat obviously wasn’t a diet priority, and I’ve never before lived some place where biscuits are a menu standard. Remember, before my internship here five years ago, I’d never even seen a Chik-fil-A. In fact, I think I pronounced it “chick fill uh?” on first glance.
So while I loooove my veggies and tempeh, I value life experience more. That’s why I ate mazgouf in Iraq and burgoo in Kentucky.
If I thought I was eating the quintessential Southern chicken biscuit, I’d chow down. So what do you say? What’s the most authentic, best chicken biscuit to taste around here?
— Don’t forget: You’ve got questions, Newcomer will find answers.
Leave your question in the comments section, or e-mail me at jgumbrecht@ajc.com. Newcomer offers answers for newbies and long-timers alike every Friday.
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