Back to the topic: Although I no longer have so much fried stuff anymore, when I have some, among the first thing that comes to my mind is fried chicken. There are a couple of reasons why I think fried chicken is the ultimate fried food and one of them is the fact it is good either hot or cold. And, among my favourite places for fried chicken was Popeye's. See, I have a really funny story with this chain...
The first time I had Popeye's chicken was in my days of University (back in the mid 90s). The campuses were located inside US military bases and, although that was way before 9/11, security was tight. Sometimes, the passes were issued to specific locations and some guards were more lenient than others. Anyway, one day, in a break, somebody shows up with their fried chicken and we could smell from far that distinct fried smell, yet it was not KFC (which was, to an extent, abundant). I knew I had to have some. So, we check who had a pass to that specific base and had him/her go there and buy us some chicken. Of course, he/she would get his/her share for free. When I had my first bite, I was in heaven. Chicken juices flowing mixed with the Cajun mix (again, distinct of KFC which I had already way too many times), the Cajun seasoning for the fries (this was before fries were seasoned with anything else other than salt), the warm, moist biscuit with honey on top. Ah, it was Nirvana... To not spoil those memories, I had them only once a moment but, alas, once I graduated, I could not go to the bases again and that mean the end of Popeye's...
Fast forward 10+ years. When Ben of Chow Times wrote about Popeye's I knew I had to go there on my way back from a day-trip to Seattle. (Before anybody mentions it, yes, there used to be one in Coquitlam but I never managed to go there). That was even when I knew there were some risks at the border crossing.
Anyway, here is the bounty:
I asked just for chicken as I am not sure how sides would end up after being sitting there for over an hour. Anyway, back home, the chicken was room temperature and was starting to get hungry. Couldn't wait anymore and had a bite (I started with a wing). Suddenly, I felt... Emptiness. Memories could not be recreated... No, despite it was not hot, I could not taste those flavours I so fondly remember. It was almost... Bland... What happened? Was it because Popeye's back in Panama was almost a forbidden fruit, my perception of it was so different? Or my expectations were way too high and this is the result of those expectations? Could it be this was a fluke and something specific to that particular location?! Regardless, this has set me up into a quest. The quest for the ultimate fried chicken. Here are the guidelines:
1) I must be able to purchase it and take it home (remember, eaten hot or cold).
2) Must be able to get white meat and dark meat (although, in practical terms I prefer thighs, wings, drumstick and breast in that order). Come to think about it, I could be a bit flexible on this one.
3) Must be able to purchase whole pieces. Yes, this means no mechanically separated meat created so-called morsels like chicken nuggets.
4) No "oven fried chicken". I am not looking for "healthy" eating here. Fried chicken means deep fried or pan fried.
Other criterias will be added as it arises but, I think the four above should provide a good guideline.
In my current list are:
KFC
Church's
A&W
Any other suggestions?
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