“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.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Women Hating Pests, Men Hating Women.
Even though women being afraid of pests is considered more than pathetic, men do profit off our fear. There are many benefits for men when women are afraid, not least in the joy of them being able to call us pathetic, but also in them becoming heroes: the ones who rescue us from the mice. Because of this heroism women are forced to beg for these services and be ever so thankful when serviced. It is clearly shameful, stressful, and exhausting enough for women to be afraid of things smaller than them, but then to have to plead for help too is quite depressing. And if that wasn't bad enough, men draw inspiration for their insults off of your distressed state ("stop being a girl"), and therefore the likelihood of it ever being taken seriously is slim.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Facilitators of White Nuclear Families.
It seems that women's progress is marked as white mothers being able to leave their homes and pursue their ambitions.
Walking around New York City you see an overwhelming amount of women of color tending to white children and babies. As much as there is white women tending to more privileged white women's kids, there is the racist assumption that women of color are breeders and mothers. There is a meta-narrative that women of color are genetically predisposed to do this. When you see a white woman with a child of color you don't think she is employed to look after the child, you think she has philanthropically adopted it.
Historically African American women slaves were constantly geared to "breed" more slaves and simultaneously to tend to the slave master's children. There was high value placed on African American women's reproductivity, not because anyone cared about African American women but because it enabled white ambitions.
However a woman of color having "too many" kids is a common racist topic of conversation. Recently I was looking through the sex work section of the Village Voice and came across a job advertisement which was looking for Latina women escorts. In the advertisement it clearly stated that it did not want Latina women with lots of kids, it did not want that "type" of Latina woman because this has the potential to affect white men's profits.
Regardless of whether being stereotyped for having kids or not having kids is better or worse, the point stands that being of color is intrinsically tied to being to a mother, whilst white women do not have to be mothers anymore.
There is something unsaid, but completely readable when it comes to a woman of color mothering white kids: these kids are more important than these women's dreams and goals. It reads: "I'm hiring you so my kids will be better than you". Women of color's brilliance is sacrificied in the preservation of white kids and their white privilege.
My Grandma has mothered white kids for many years. There is not much of a reward. She is still doing it and she is almost 80 years old. She has spent her life having to have her own kids, mothering those kids, then being hired to mother white kids, being hated by her own kids because she ran away from her abusive husband, and facilitating the growth of white privileged kids.
The work that women of color do to facilitate white nuclear families is never given any credit, rather it is just expected: they were made to do this. The dreams and ambitions of women of color are rendered obsolete in respect of the growth of new white people.
Walking around New York City you see an overwhelming amount of women of color tending to white children and babies. As much as there is white women tending to more privileged white women's kids, there is the racist assumption that women of color are breeders and mothers. There is a meta-narrative that women of color are genetically predisposed to do this. When you see a white woman with a child of color you don't think she is employed to look after the child, you think she has philanthropically adopted it.
Historically African American women slaves were constantly geared to "breed" more slaves and simultaneously to tend to the slave master's children. There was high value placed on African American women's reproductivity, not because anyone cared about African American women but because it enabled white ambitions.
However a woman of color having "too many" kids is a common racist topic of conversation. Recently I was looking through the sex work section of the Village Voice and came across a job advertisement which was looking for Latina women escorts. In the advertisement it clearly stated that it did not want Latina women with lots of kids, it did not want that "type" of Latina woman because this has the potential to affect white men's profits.
Regardless of whether being stereotyped for having kids or not having kids is better or worse, the point stands that being of color is intrinsically tied to being to a mother, whilst white women do not have to be mothers anymore.
There is something unsaid, but completely readable when it comes to a woman of color mothering white kids: these kids are more important than these women's dreams and goals. It reads: "I'm hiring you so my kids will be better than you". Women of color's brilliance is sacrificied in the preservation of white kids and their white privilege.
My Grandma has mothered white kids for many years. There is not much of a reward. She is still doing it and she is almost 80 years old. She has spent her life having to have her own kids, mothering those kids, then being hired to mother white kids, being hated by her own kids because she ran away from her abusive husband, and facilitating the growth of white privileged kids.
The work that women of color do to facilitate white nuclear families is never given any credit, rather it is just expected: they were made to do this. The dreams and ambitions of women of color are rendered obsolete in respect of the growth of new white people.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Giuseppe Zanotti's Architecture
Shoe designer Giueseppe Zanotti's spectacular creations. I would love to have a fight in a pair of these shoes.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Judith Leiber's Novelty Handbags, sorry i mean "Minaudière"
These my friends are brilliant. I waltzed myself into Bergdof and Goodman on 5th Avenue today and discovered Judith Leiber. The security guards were looking at me quite skeptically seeing as i was the only (black) person wearing fur that was not real in the entire store, despite the "prejudice" the guy working for Judith Leiber was great and told me i could treat this like a museum. These are the handbags (sorry I mean "Minaudière") that I saw, quite marvelous actually. She also designs "pill boxes", clearly geared towards our requirements when raving.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Custom made name rings for fights.
So when you punch a pervert they will be labeled with your name, oh the shame, oh the glory. Must have, but can't have, so pricey. Find here.
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