Speaking of oil….
Every since I started this series on fried chicken, seems like everybody’s got a chicken story. In fact, we now have a new saying…”3 chicken bones of separation.” Or “Chicken Bones for the Finger Lickin’ Soul,” the potential title of an upcoming anthology. I’m almost serious. And I’m almost up to my 5 servings per year quota. If I make it myself, I’m sure I can stick to the plan.
This morning my sister tipped me off to a Williamsburg Brooklyn joint, Pies ‘n’ Thighs. The restaurant was featured in today’s New York Times. Here’s a slide show.
First of all, part of the reason for the “defense” series is the association of chicken with a specific racial or ethnic group, namely African Americans. This is not to say that the racist angle doesn’t exist. It did. It does. I happened upon a blog post by Farooq A. Kperogi, a Nigerian born journalist based in Atlanta, GA. According to his description, his blog postings for “Notes From Atlanta” are printed in the Abuja-based Weekly Trust.
When I first came to this country, I had been blissfully ignorant of this stereotype. So I would often order fried chickens from restaurants without the slightest consciousness that I was feeding a racial stereotype. One day an African American friend of mine joked that my love for fried chicken probably shows that the black American love for the same meat has roots in their African origins. That was the first time I became aware of this stereotype.
But what’s wrong with this picture? Not only does Pies ‘n’ Thighs feature lip smacking pies, but also crispy fried chicken.
Would Pies and Thighs be “Sex and the City” all grown up and settled in with hipsters on the side? I’d be curious to know if Sarah Buck, Carolyn Bane and Erika Geldzahler are North Carolina bred since the pulled pork sandwich is on the menu. Apparently, it was a Georgia guy named Stephen Tanner (a co-founder) who brought the Southern flavor to the Pies ‘n’ Thighs mix from the chicken to the pulled pork. He’s no longer with the operation.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a food fight over whether soul or southern makes the best fried chicken.
In the meantime, why get defensive about it?