You Must Be Clucking Kidding Me

I can't believe I'm back here a second day in a row. After the duck incident yesterday, I hoped that I might have at least one day off from customer inability to distinguish one common food from another. Before I begin, I'll share the special of the day as described on our menu: pan fried pecan chicken, served with candied carrots, creole rice, and praline sauce.

Lunch service was moving at a quick pace, a welcome change after several days of rain-dampened sales, quick enough that I removed the lids covering each of my entrée components. A woman peered at each component, pointed at the candied carrots and asked:

"Is this the chicken?"

All I could do for those first moments was stare, speechless. My thought bubble: "What hole did you just crawl out of?" Offering another helping hand to alleviate any confusion that might linger:

Chicken - may or may not have come before the egg. But poultry nonetheless

Carrot - great for eyesight, which could come in handy looking at cafe food

I don't know what else I could say. I don't know how to interpret this problem. I just don't know.

On a more serious note, the chef shared with me his motivation for serving this dish... a tribute to his childhood friend who lived and recently passed away in New Orleans (RIP). I didn't know his friend but I do know the passion and love that cooks and chefs put into their food. Out of respect for this entrée and his memorial, I offer this post in dedication to his memory.