Chopped

On the way home from gymnastics, I stopped at our local KFC and got a bucket of original recipe chicken for the girls. They’re always starving after gymnastics and we don’t get home until 8:15 most Thursday nights and no one wants me to cook at 8:15. They were very grateful for the fast food stop.

Alyssa immediately dug into the chicken, pulling a drum stick out for herself.

Olivia waited a few seconds and demanded, “What about me?”

I told Alyssa to take a piece out for Olivia so it could cool a bit for her.

Alyssa said around a mouthful of chicken, “It’s not really that hot.”

I rolled my eyes in the dark car and said, “Then give your sister a piece!”

She did and much enthusiastic eating ensued.

As she worked her way through her second drumstick, Olivia asked, “How do they make the bones in chicken?”

I pondered this question. Do I answer honestly about how she’s actually eating the flesh of a once living animal or do I make something up, hedging the whole carnivore thing.

I went with the first option. I told her, “Well, the bones grow inside the chicken while it’s still alive.”

“But how does KFC get the chicken like this?” she wanted to know.

In for a dime, in for a dollar, right? I’d started down this path, why not make the whole journey?

I went on, “The chickens were once on a farm and when it was time for them to go to KFC, they first got their heads cut off, then the chickens were chopped up and their feathers were plucked off them. Then they were went to KFC where they were covered in flour and spices and fried to yummy goodness.”

She thought about this for a few seconds, licking her fingers thoughtfully.

Finally she replied, “Chickens are delicious when they’re chopped up.”

Yes. Yes they are.

Looking back, I probably didn’t have to be quite so graphic but hey, it was dark, we were driving home, the scent of fried chicken filled the car and I was tired. It was the best I could do.

And yes, I’m so glad that what she got from the gory details of my rendition of how chickens end up at KFC is that those chickens are delicious when they’re chopped up.