Since When Are Pickles Southern?
I know it’s the weekend and you people don’t read blogs much on the weekend. So usually, bloggers don’t write on weekends or they write fluff pieces or stuff about bathroom light fixtures and so on.
Not me.
I ask the hard questions. Like McDonalds, what is up with this ridiculous Southern Style Chicken sandwich? But first, a little back story. Last week, for whatever reason, it was just me and the boys and I figured I’d grab some McDonalds for dinner. Unlike Jessica, I kinda enjoy the processed animal products and fried foods the clown makes.
So I see an item I haven’t seen before: the Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. Now when I think southern, immediately I go to spicy. Whether it be because of the Cajuns in Louisiana or what, southern (to me) equals spicy.
AND I LOVE SPICY.
So, I order the food, we get home, kids start eating and I unwrap my sandwich. For starters, it’s about the size of a regular McDonalds cheeseburger, which is not good for a so-called premium sandwich. Secondly, it is the blandest chicken I’ve ever eaten. I don’t even think it had pepper on it. Really.
WTF, McDonalds?
Southern Pickles
The only distinction I could make between it and a regular chicken sandwich was that it had pickles. I’m not making this up. Pickles.
Now the last time I checked, they had pickles in the north. Somebody back me up. EDW? Paperback Writer? You guys know what pickles look like, right? They’re pictured here to the right. You have these? They taste good on sandwiches. If you don’t have them, let me know. I’ll get you some.
Anyway, McDonalds, Southern Style Sandwich: FAIL.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Definitely have pickles up here in Chicago.
They don’t slice them that way up in these parts, though – and they put them on hot dogs of all things….can you see it? Hot dog in a bun with a spear of pickle and diced onions? And you should see the look you get if you ask for ketchup!
December 9th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
We have pickles, but those kind? On sandwiches…not so common. McDonald’s sure, but not on your classic sub sandwich.
Our pickles are more likely to be those crisp ones served with coleslaw on a nice cheeseburger platter. Mmmm yum.
December 9th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
@EDW: But you are familiar with what a slice pickles looks like, right?
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pm
First, a fried chicken-breast sandwich is southern … invented by Truitt Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-a in Hapeville, GA (Atlanta metro) about 1947. Others had been slicing baked chicken for years and putting it on traditional bread for sandwiches but it was Cathy who first put a whole fried-chicken breast on a buttered bun with slices of dill pickle, and no … he didn’t put too much pepper in his flour-coating (intent on satisfying the largest number of people), reasoning you can salt and pepper anything but you can’t undo it if the spices don’t fit an individuals tastes.
The McDonald’s sandwich is meant to come as close to a Chick-Fil-a original sandwich as possible, and it does a good job, though McDonald’s breast’s are processed from smaller birds, I’d guess 3 oz. v. 4 oz. breasts (but they are whole breasts, all white-meat … it’s not a formed chicken patty made from a combination of white and dark meat and there are no fillers.
Too bad you didn’t like it but somebody does, Chick-fil-a sells several hundred million ‘original’ sandwiches annually … not too shabby considering Mr. Cathy refuses to permit any store, either company-owned of franchised to open on Sunday. I have a friend that owns seven McDonald franchises, when I asked him about it he said sales for their version of the sandwich have been excellent.
But perhaps you’d like Bojangle’s version better … it’s flavored with cajun spices.
December 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Interesting comment. Very unexpected, but I welcome the discussion.
Firstly, I fancy myself a humor blogger (debatable) so my post was written mostly in fun.
Secondly, McDonalds actually has some good chicken sandwiches. The Club sandwich is really good and a standard for me normally. I understand that restaurants have to avoid heavy spicing because of mass appeal, but I would love to see a spicy sandwich with a warning label. I would absolutely love that.
Lastly, I am familiar with Chick-Fil-A. I can’t say I patronize them, but that’s mostly due to proximity to me. I don’t know that much about their products.
Now, what is this Bojangle’s you speak of? Where do I get that?
December 23rd, 2008 at 1:18 am
It might have been meant to resemble the Chick-fil-A sandwich, but to me, it’s better. I actually highly dislike Chick-fil-A’s sandwiches.
However, the point of the post had been the PICKLES not the fact that it was a fried-chicken sandwich. LOL At least that was the point of the post I’d gotten.