Local is nie noodwendig lekker nie

Ek moes dit net met die wêreld deel...

My pa het my onlangs vertel van 'n Suid-Afrikaanse delicacy wat blykbaar partykeer by stalletjies langs die pad verkoop word: 'n Walkie-talkie. Nou, as kind wou ek altyd 'n walkie-talkie gehad het om mee te speel (die imaginary soort het gou sy splendor verloor), maar hierdie storie het dit bietjie te ver gevat. Sien, in gastronomiese geledere is 'n "walkie-talkie" 'n hoenderkop en hoenderpote combo.

Is it just me, or is this the stuff of nightmares!? :-)

Op soek na grafiese voorstellings van hierdie nagmerrie het ek eers op die prentjie uit Chicken Run besluit. Dis so half creepy om te dink dat die hoenders wat ons eet dalk so oulik soos sy kan wees (ons het haar dan sien praat, planne beraam en verlief raak op Mel Gibson...wag, sy's nes al die meisies in my koshuis!?)

Toe kry ek hierdie storie uit die Newport News (van Virginia in die VSA). So 'n moerse storie oor hoe hierdie vrou 'n hoenderkop in haar fast-food gekry het:

Chicken's head found in fast food order

December 01, 2000

A customer at a McDonald's restaurant in Newport News got more than she bargained for when she received her order. Katherine Ortega said she found a fried chicken's head in the box of chicken wings she ordered Tuesday night. She made the discovery at the McDonald's in the 15000 block of Warwick Boulevard.

Ortega said someone who wasn't looking closely could have easily mistaken the chicken's head for another piece of chicken, like the leg or a wing. The chicken's beak, the comb on top of its head and some feathers were visible.

Ortega said she wants to know how the chicken's head could have made it past inspectors and into the hands of a customer. "I usually look at my food, but I shouldn't have to look that closely to see that. My 5-year-old probably wouldn't have looked. He probably would have thought it was a chicken leg and eaten it," Ortega said. The manager at McDonald's offered Ortega another order of chicken and offered to return the chicken's head to the distribution company. Ortega declined. (why am I not surprised...)

The health department sent an inspector to the restaurant to look through the rest of the bag of chicken wings. Officials didn't find anything unusual (besides the fact that it was a big, gross bag of chicken wings!?). The incident was reported to the Department of Agriculture. The McDonald's Corporation said it would look into the alleged incident, stating that food safety is its top priority.

***

Hoe snaaks is dit nie? Hier eet mense dit elke dag en daar word dit skielik 'n 'food safety' issue. Ek het 'n foto van 'n hoenderpoot ook gekry...daar was baie meer gruesome (rou) voorbeelde en natuurlik die gewone (!?) mense in chicken suits wat Google Images search uitgespoeg het, maar hierdie een was spesiaal.

Dit lyk asof iemand dit as deel van 'n ransom note sou stuur, die een pootjie so alenig op die bordjie...

Sien?