# Eating chicken with a fork. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274 "2010-10-15T18:36:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/21 "2010-10-16T01:30:05Z")
I’m a leg man myself, and I eat either the thigh or drumstick with my hands. I don’t care for breasts (;)), and wings just aren’t worth it. Half the fun of eating fried chicken is allowing yourself to get a little messy. With both hands. And who in hell would eat a wing with a fork & knife? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/22 "2010-10-16T01:33:18Z")
I like chicken with rice. I never tried chicken with a fork. It is not on my list of things to do. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/23 "2010-10-16T02:19:27Z")
I hate greasy fingers so I pick up fried chicken with a napkin or I use a fork. I suppose latex gloves would work too. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/24 "2010-10-16T02:42:18Z")
I’ve known people, quite a few actually, who put a (whole) piece of fried chicken between slices of bread.The breasts are boneless, but the legs and the rest are bones in. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/25 "2010-10-16T06:09:16Z")
I’ll sometimes use a fork for a big hot piece, but never a knife. I will hold the piece with the tips of my fingers on one hand and tear up the piece with the fork in the other hand to make it easier to eat. I do the same with a big smoked turkey leg. ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/26 "2010-10-16T07:54:45Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > There was a commercial when I was a kid, I forget what it was for, but the lady said something like > > _Chicken with your fingers? OK at picnics but never at a formal dinner_ I feel like I remember this too, but I might be conflating the memory with that time in Girl Scouts we learned about table manners and were told to fold our pizza. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/27 "2010-10-16T10:19:07Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > > [@mangeorge](#): > > > > Yes, I assumed people would assume I was talking about fried chicken. > > Why would you assume that? The only fried chicken I _ever_ have is from KFC, about 3 or 4 times a year. Hell, we don’t even have KFC here in Sweden. I don’t think I have ever seen a friend chicken place here. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/28 "2010-10-16T10:23:27Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I > I have had Europeans visit me here in the US and they will eat a hamburger with a knife and fork. To shed some light on this. We don’t use a knife and fork in the UK, but they do here in Sweden. I found it really, really weird until I actually tried to eat a Swedish hamburger using my hands. It generally doesn’t work. There is often so much stuff inside them that you just can’t get your mouth around it and the sauces (especially some pink thing that they “American Sauce” that I can only imagine is an attempt to do Mac sauce) ensure that the bread just does not hold together when you pick them up. So I went all “when in Rome” and I now eat my Swedish hamburgers with a knife and fork. I felt stupid at first, but not anymore and if I am outside Sweden I go straight back to picking the things up. Oh and don’t worry, they don’t use a knife and fork on the likes of McDonalds here. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/29 "2010-10-16T10:25:36Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > Why would you assume that? The only fried chicken I _ever_ have is from KFC, about 3 or 4 times a year. > > Hell, we don’t even have KFC here in Sweden. I don’t think I have ever seen a friend chicken place here. Or indeed a fried chicken place. ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/30 "2010-10-16T12:34:23Z")
I was taught to use a knife and fork for chicken when I was growing up, but we were allowed to pick it up with our fingers when most of the meat was gone. The only time we could eat the whole thing with our hands was when we got KFC. Home-cooked fried chicken was eaten with a knife and fork, and that’s the way I still do it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/31 "2010-10-16T14:47:47Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > Why would you assume that? The only fried chicken I _ever_ have is from KFC, about 3 or 4 times a year. > > Hell, we don’t even have KFC here in Sweden. I don’t think I have ever seen a friend chicken place here. I’ve always assuned that fried chichen originated in France (Brussels), just like french fries. ;);)😉 (those are winkies) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/32 "2010-10-16T14:50:17Z")
This might not apply to Mangeorge, but I’ve lived in places where fried chicken is pretty much the only way chicken is eaten, so people there will assume that “chicken” implies “fried chicken.” ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/33 "2010-10-16T15:15:12Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > This might not apply to Mangeorge, but I’ve lived in places where fried chicken is pretty much the only way chicken is eaten, so people there will assume that “chicken” implies “fried chicken.” That’s what I said. The big old cast iron chicken fryer was the ultimate destiny of hens once they slowed down on their egg production. We ate young fryers also, especially if we had company. This was when I was growing up. A confession; I, my wife and kids, and pretty much everybody we associated with really KFC over most home=cooked chicken. The ultimate was to get the chicken at KFC and make the sides at home. We didn’t really care for their mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/34 "2010-10-16T15:47:34Z")
KFC? Bleah… Popeye’s Chicken is my all-time favorite fast food and I eat it with a fork so my fingers don’t get all dirty and greasy. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/35 "2010-10-16T16:18:54Z")
I also prefers Popeyes to K.F.C. I’d also prefer Lee’s Famous Recipe, but it’s no longer accessible to me. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/36 "2010-10-16T16:20:04Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > KFC? Bleah… Popeye’s Chicken is my all-time favorite fast food and I eat it with a fork so my fingers don’t get all dirty and greasy. Popeye’s is pretty new around here. They’re okay. They do have a spicy choice if you’re in the mood. But I prefer the taste of KFC’s regular over Popeye’s. I order only legs with no sides from either store. BTW; if I’m hungry for beans and rice, I’ll get [Zatarain’s](http://www.zatarains.com/Recipes/Red-Beans-and-Rice.aspx) at the store and prepare it at home. It’s even better if you cook it the day before, then pick up your chicken the next day and re-heat the B&R when you get home. Eat the chicken with your fingers and the beans and rice with a fork (or spoon, if you want to go native. ;)) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/37 "2010-10-16T16:31:31Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > KFC? Bleah… Popeye’s Chicken is my all-time favorite fast food and I eat it with a fork so my fingers don’t get all dirty and greasy. Bleah? Actually, there’s not enough difference between the two to make one great and the other “bleah”. 😛 It’s been a while since I had one or rh other. I think I’ll do an impartial taste test (with my fingers). Both are a short drive away, on the same street. See yuh. ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/38 "2010-10-17T00:13:32Z")
I don’t know where you live, but I live in New Orleans. And people who are from here and moved away say that the Popeye’s in their new home is never as good as the Popeye’s from New Orleans’ stores. That being said, KFC chicken is TOTALLY different from Popeye’s. The crust is always soggy and soft on KFC chicken as if it’s been boiled in a moist pressure cooker. It’s mostly salty than flavored. If they sold just the crust of Popeye’s chicken, I would eat it by the bagful! It’s always crispy and flavored perfectly, other than that soggy mess that is KFC chicken. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/39 "2010-10-17T02:05:29Z")
> [@Shawn1767](#): > > I don’t know where you live, but I live in New Orleans. And people who are from here and moved away say that the Popeye’s in their new home is never as good as the Popeye’s from New Orleans’ stores. > > That being said, KFC chicken is TOTALLY different from Popeye’s. The crust is always soggy and soft on KFC chicken as if it’s been boiled in a moist pressure cooker. It’s mostly salty than flavored. If they sold just the crust of Popeye’s chicken, I would eat it by the bagful! It’s always crispy and flavored perfectly, other than that soggy mess that is KFC chicken. #1 I believe, the kids are never as good once they get away from Mom and Dad. Popeye’s here, both of them, are pretty good but not great. #2 Well, you must be exaggerating or you’ve found the worst KFC there is. Soggy mess, indeed. How do they stay in business, fer crissakes? ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274/40 "2010-10-17T02:10:18Z")
BTW; where I live is clearly stated at every post I make, including this one. We got the best mud bugs and gumbo in the world. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-chicken-with-a-fork/557274.md?page=3)