# Would you like to try a KFC Double Down

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 5, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589 "2010-11-05T16:21:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/61 "2010-11-06T16:29:59Z")

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I tried it a month or two ago. I was underwhelmed. It was kind of bland, greasy, and messy to eat. I doubt I will eat it again. My objection to it was that that the chicken was kind of dry and the whole thing felt way too bland for something that was promoted as being decadent.

I would try the chicken sandwich in a donut bun although I would have to eat very healthy for the next week to make up for it.

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**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/62 "2010-11-06T18:24:51Z")

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> [@Giraffe](#):
>
> I don’t care if other people eat it, it just grosses me out.

What if we dropped that in the toilet for you, sir?

Yeah, a cheap, easy joke, and illogical because the Double Down wouldn’t be waterproofed in plastic… but still relevant because it deals with disgust trumping logic.

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**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_Doubt)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/63 "2010-11-07T00:31:45Z")

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> [@aruvqan](#):
>
> I eat 6 roughly 300 cal meals throughout my day, I am on an 1800 cal a day nutritional profile by my diabetic nutritionist.
> 
> There is no way in fucking hell I would touch a doubledown unless the plane crashed in the andes and they were the only food left in the galley. At that I would probably rather eat a stewardess, less fat and sodium.

According to KFC’s nutrition website ([http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc\_nutrition.pdf](http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_nutrition.pdf)) the grilled Double Down has 4 grams of carbs. If I were diabetic I would certainly hope the galley was stuffed with these sandwiches, given a plane crash in the Andes. Probably less blood-sugar raising than a human corpse 🙂 and certainly much less so than the typical diabetic nutritionists’ high-carb plan, unless you have a particularly exceptional and well-informed nutritionist.

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/64 "2010-11-07T00:52:47Z")

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> [@Larry\_Mudd](#):
>
> For me, the repulsion has absolutely nothing to do with the individual components or the calorie count - it’s the assembly. Two breaded, deep-fried chicken patties with bacon, cheese and condiments between them, meant to be eaten with your hands?

It comes in a square paper sleeve, closed on two sides. That holds the thing quite nicely. It’s no more messy than eating any other fried chicken, or taco or hamburger for that matter.

This seems to be the one food item that exemplifies “recreational outrage”.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/65 "2010-11-07T01:29:15Z")

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> [@gaffa](#):
>
> It comes in a square paper sleeve, closed on two sides. That holds the thing quite nicely.

It has been described in thread by people with the stomach to try it as “messy to eat,” and it defies common sense to say that [this mess](http://www.inquisitr.com/34594/kentucky-fried-health-food-kfcs-double-down/) is no messier than your standard bucket chicken.

I can admit that I might be a bit prissier than your average fast food consumer; I have to be drunk to consider buffalo wings finger food, and I avoid KFC in general because chicken is not really something I want to eat with my hands at all, at all. But the entire concept of a sandwich is based around the idea of keeping your fingers clean, and substituting fried chicken for bread is a massive fail in this department and an obscene parody of the concept of “sandwich.”

Quite apart from that, [really, _look at this fucking mess_](http://www.inquisitr.com/34594/kentucky-fried-health-food-kfcs-double-down/). Even if I was equipped with surgical gloves, where am I supposed to bite into this without ending up with a mouthful of self-loathing? If you just nibble at one patty at a time, why is it presented as a sandwich? If you take a bite that includes top to bottom, how do you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning? That’s just gross.

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/66 "2010-11-07T02:33:38Z")

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> [@Larry\_Mudd](#):
>
> It has been described in thread by people with the stomach to try it as “messy to eat,” and it defies common sense to say that [this mess](http://www.inquisitr.com/34594/kentucky-fried-health-food-kfcs-double-down/) is no messier than your standard bucket chicken.
> 
> I can admit that I might be a bit prissier than your average fast food consumer; I have to be drunk to consider buffalo wings finger food, and I avoid KFC in general because chicken is not really something I want to eat with my hands at all, at all. But the entire concept of a sandwich is based around the idea of keeping your fingers clean, and substituting fried chicken for bread is a massive fail in this department and an obscene parody of the concept of “sandwich.”

I don’t know about you, but I eat the bread in a regular sandwich as well. The paper sleeve protects your fingers from mess far better than the bread of a sandwich.

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**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/67 "2010-11-07T02:41:24Z")

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I saw a KFC ad this morning for this thing, only now it’s enclosed in a bun made from Hawaiian sweet bread. That should make it easier to hold.

Would I eat it? Yes! I’ve only got so many more meals ahead of me before I kick the bucket. I’m a gonna go for it.

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**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/68 "2010-11-07T02:53:43Z")

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> [@gaffa](#):
>
> I don’t know about you, but I eat the bread in a regular sandwich as well. The paper sleeve protects your fingers from mess far better than the bread of a sandwich.

I’m not sure what your point is about eating the bread. If you need to wrap it in paper, it’s not really a functional sandwich.

I think “messy to eat” extends beyond getting grease on your fingers. I have a hard time imagining biting into that thing without ending up with a substantial amount of food on my face. If I’m going to risk something ending up on my face, for damned sure it better look more appetizing than that. (Fatburger meets that requirement, from time to time. Sorry, Colonel, not interested.)

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**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/69 "2010-11-07T05:52:46Z")

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> [@Larry\_Mudd](#):
>
> I think “messy to eat” extends beyond getting grease on your fingers. I have a hard time imagining biting into that thing without ending up with a substantial amount of food on my face. If I’m going to risk something ending up on my face, for damned sure it better look more appetizing than that. (Fatburger meets that requirement, from time to time. Sorry, Colonel, not interested.)

Jesus, then don’t eat one! Did a Double Down kill your brother or something? I’m sure there are lots of foods that look unappetizing to you that other people love with abandon, or at least like. Do you go on rampages about them all?

If nothing else, please respect the fact that the grilled version is a good alternative once in a while for those who don’t or can’t eat carbs.

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**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/70 "2010-11-07T08:07:10Z")

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> [@Larry\_Mudd](#):
>
> But the entire concept of a sandwich is based around the idea of keeping your fingers clean, and substituting fried chicken for bread is a massive fail in this department and an obscene parody of the concept of “sandwich.”

Haven’t heard this line of thinking in ages… I thought the whole “an aristocrat invented sandwiches to keep hands clean for card-playing” theory had been soundly debunked. The appeal of sandwiches might be due to their portability, utensil-free eating method, or even their taste… but keeping the hands clean is hardly a big selling point. Even if the theory was initially true, though, it’s pretty obvious that cleanliness stopped being the motivator for sandwich creation ages ago. Sloppy joes? Loose meat sandwiches? Garbage burgers? Anything with barbecue sauce, mustard, catsup, or jelly? White Castles? Burritos? Hot Pockets?

Anyway. I’m vegetarian and won’t eat one, but I find the Double Down concept to be pretty mundane. Lots of good points made in this thread; how is it worse than a double cheeseburger, chicken cordon bleu, a small meal of fried chicken, etc.? A blooming onion, perfectly vegetarian, is higher calorie and packing far more fat than this thing. When I make veggie burgers, I typically make two as a full meal. The veggie patties combined are ~the calorie count of the Double Down, and I’m adding high-calorie bread to the meal! I’m going to die of a heart attack! Hell, even my peanut butter sandwiches probably outdo this thing in calories and fat content.

No one would blink if the Double Down had been sold as a low-carb/Atkins-friendly product when the Atkins craze was going strong. No one would blink if the Double Down was artfully skewed on a plate, drizzled with a sauce, and served as an entree. Not seeing the problem here.

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/71 "2010-11-07T13:11:55Z")

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> [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](#):
>
> According to KFC’s nutrition website ([http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc\_nutrition.pdf](http://www.kfc.com/nutrition/pdf/kfc_nutrition.pdf)) the grilled Double Down has 4 grams of carbs. If I were diabetic I would certainly hope the galley was stuffed with these sandwiches, given a plane crash in the Andes. Probably less blood-sugar raising than a human corpse 🙂 and certainly much less so than the typical diabetic nutritionists’ high-carb plan, unless you have a particularly exceptional and well-informed nutritionist.

Just the outright amount of fat in it raises my gorge … and I have a fairly low carb nutrition outline, almost nothing in the way of potato, rice, non whole grains. My main carb load of the day is breakfast at oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon. Everything else is 2 vegetables and a protein, or one vegetable, berries and a protein. We found a way to make my comfort food work for me [oatmeal. What can I say, it is my absolute favorite breakfast.]

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**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/72 "2010-11-07T16:42:03Z")

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It’s far from the worst thing to eat, but it just doesn’t sound appealing to me. Early reviews I read indicated that they’re very salty; probably more salty than I’d like.

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**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/73 "2010-11-07T18:15:22Z")

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> [@Student\_Driver](#):
>
> No one would blink if the Double Down was artfully skewed on a plate, drizzled with a sauce, and served as an entree. Not seeing the problem here.

I agree, and it’s not all that different from, say, chicken parmigiana. But something about the Double Down just screams “This isn’t finger food!” even though regular fried chicken is. Holding a bone is one thing, but holding an actual chicken patty? The paper covering doesn’t enter into it.

It’s more than a little irrational, but the vast majority of food preferences are, quite frankly.

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**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/74 "2010-11-07T20:36:26Z")

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> [@Bosstone](#):
>
> I agree, and it’s not all that different from, say, chicken parmigiana. But something about the Double Down just screams “This isn’t finger food!” even though regular fried chicken is. Holding a bone is one thing, but holding an actual chicken patty? The paper covering doesn’t enter into it.

KFC thoughtfully provides a plastic knife and fork with all their meals, and if they don’t, I ask for them. I cut up the DD with the knife, and eat it with the fork. The 3 times I’ve had Double Downs, I’ve never eaten them as finger foods.

It is fairly salty, but so is a bag of potato chips, and popcorn, and many other foods. I’d rather eat a more substantial Double Down.

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**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\
**Post date:** [November 8, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-try-a-kfc-double-down/559589/75 "2010-11-08T13:28:24Z")

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> [@Kyla](#):
>
> I’m vegetarian, so it’s a moot point, but the concept grosses me out. I am pretty sure my reaction would be the same if I were an omnivore.

I’ve made a vegetarian equivalent (the Double Negative) using Quorn “chicken” cutlets, Morningstar Farms “bacon” strips, low-fat pepperjack, and either Guapo or Sriracha sauce. It was delicious, but a non-vegetarian friend has told me that it doesn’t taste a damned thing like a Double Down.

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/megabee/4924571659/](http://www.flickr.com/photos/megabee/4924571659/)

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