Fried Chicken

As I've said before, I don't fry chicken, therefore whenever my family wants to partake in the national southern food, we have two choices. Either we hope someone takes pity on us and invites us to Sunday dinner or we are forced to buy our fried chicken (God Forbid!) and hope no one sees us doing so. I have long since lost any humiliation about being the first generation in a long line of fine southern cooks who has failed to master frying the fowl. Life will go on and the sun will come up in the east - Every morning - Trust me!

After all, while most folks think that fried chicken comes in a bucket, only those of us  from this part of the country are born knowing that real fried chicken does not always come from a bucket, bag, or box. However, thanks to northern migration and the proliferation of southern cookbooks, more folks are beginning to realize that even  the Colonel had to learn to fry his chicken at home with his 11 secret herbs and spices. But I digress.

Any time we are going to the horse races, polo matches, family picnic, etc., unless we can find someone to invite who we can count on to bring fried chicken, we are forced to buy a bucket, bag, or box of chicken. One morning, my DH and daughter had stopped by a Bojangles Chicken establishment to purchase some chicken on their way to Camden for a day of polo. (No, we do not have ponies - we picnic on the sidelines and watch the well-to-do play.)

When my DH pulled up to the drive through the conversation went like this. "Canna help you?" "I'd like one large box of spicy crispy chicken." "Sorry sir, we don't have none." "Well, I'll take a large box of regular fried chicken." "Naw sir. We don't have no chicken." "You don't have any chicken?" "Naw, sir. He hasn't dropped it yet." My DH contained his laughter enough to thank her. They moved on to another deep frying establishment where they successfully  purchased the chicken.

Later that day, while enjoying the fried chicken, our daughter commented to me, "You know Grandmama and Clemmie told me all their secrets about frying chicken - how you flour it, use salt and pepper, and how you need to use the right pan, but no one ever told me I had to drop it."  That was a new one on me also.