The Gentrification of Fried Chicken

“My Dad hates fried chicken, he hates it!” (Shake n Bake (1998) "It's Chicken" Commercial)

“Shake ‘n Bake” is one of the early attempts of gentrifying fried chicken, by baking the chicken instead of frying it, one can enjoy the “deliciousness” (yeah right) without “suffering” the health consequences, suggesting that the experience of eating actual fried chicken is painful: it’s not.

The current fried chicken gentrification trend is the increasing number of restaurants in affluent NYC neighborhoods that serve fried chicken.

Despite the numerous attempts of restaurants to create the best fried chicken in NYC, my taste buds are happiest when sitting in a KFC, Popeyes or Crown etc. I had to “confess” this to a foodie friend of mine, to which he responded in disgust and simply did not believe that this could be true.

There seems to be mission to “save” fried chicken from the hood and bourgeois-ize the eating experience of it, which in some respects is fine: (it can be slightly embarrassing and awkward to see super rich white people attempting to order ten piece meal for their family at KFC, let alone sitting down and eating it), but in other respects it’s rather annoying that the recipes are not as delicious as fast food recipes but frustratingly acquire instant credit by virtue of the fact that they’re not situated in the hood.

I have met so many people who have tried fried chicken at various restaurants in affluent neighborhoods in NYC but have never had Popeyes. However i would argue that the reluctance to eat at these chains is less about thinking chicken is better in these affluent neighborhoods but more about the relief of not having to visit “unsafe” places to indulge in something that is universally enjoyed.

The gentrification of fried chicken means that one can enjoy fried chicken with less shame because now it has been affirmed by Zagat, Time Out and other prolific food critics that one is now allowed to carnivorously gnaw on a bone like all those black people do in the hood.

The common narrative of only eating fried chicken (among other racialized foods) when you are drunk, is rendered obsolete in light of all these new restaurants popping up in affluent areas. You can now spend twice as much on something that is half as good. There is no need for this as far as my taste buds are concerned they have not been impressed thus far, but I am interested in tasting all the contenders.

Finally, if your anxiety about fried chicken is health related then it’s simple: don’t eat it. Fried chicken ain’t getting any healthier. However “Shake ‘n Bake” may be able to offer you a unsatisfying alternative.