There is No Kentucky Fried Chicken (Really long read)

[Nevilledog]

https://medium.com/@mollyoshah/there-is-no-kentucky-fried-chicken-c18e4ff26693

If you say you’re from Kentucky and you’re anywhere but Kentucky, you’ll find three common responses.

The first response if you say you’re from Kentucky to a non-Kentuckian is a mention of the Kentucky Derby. Now it is not a wide assortment of people who have this response. Horse girls, sports enthusiasts, very dedicated vegans, milliners, British people (why the Brits seem to know so much about thoroughbred racing is somewhat of a mystery to me) and of course every member or former member of a sorority or fraternity that is within a day’s drive from Kentucky (1).

With this response I usually mention Hunter S. Thompson’s essay The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved. I tell them about the parties and Mint Juleps (2) and how all of Louisville shuts down for a week, the schools even closing on the Friday before Derby (Oaks Day). I tell the story about how when I was a lawyer I proved a landlord was lying on the stand because they claimed they dropped off a notice on the morning of Saturday, May 3rd. “I’m sorry, are you saying you worked on Derby morning?” I asked incredulously. The judge threw the case out, no one works on the first Saturday in May in Kentucky.

Now I sometimes falter when describing the revelry of my hometown during the first week of May, wanting to treat the listener to tales of the magical nature of the city in the Spring, but not wanting to give the tourism bureau’s perfect description of my hometown. Afterall, the Derby hides lots of secrets for Louisville that they do not want exposed during the Run for the Roses (3). So when it is brought up I’ll make small talk about horses, explain how I learned how to bet an exacta box from a “math” demonstration using M&Ms on a class field trip to the Derby Museum in the third grade and then let them draw their own conclusions about what that says about my home state.

*snip*

[Roland99]

1. And Louisville, my hometown, is pronounced with about two syllables

Looavul. The “uh” from the a there is barely audible

[Mr.Bill]

3. I heard a lady on House Hunters call it Loovl.

[Roland99]

14. There ya go!

[Mr.Bill]

2. Read some, skimmed some,

very good story. It was good to be remimded about Hunter S. Thompson's writing about the Kentucky Derby, which I read many years ago. The Paul Newman movie, The Hustler spends some time in the Kentucky Derby location and depicts the atmosphere very well in a plot detour outside the pool hall much of the movie takes place in.

[Renew Deal]

4. I happened to see a restaurant with the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken" yesterday.

It would be unusual to change the name and not the signage.

[ShazamIam]

5. You hooked me with the Hunter Thompson mention, now I have to go read all of it.

[Mr.Bill]

6. It's a great story.

Keep in mind he kind of started out as a sportswriter. Some of his stuff about Ali is good to.

[ShazamIam]

9. I agree, I am enjoying it very much I have ancestors from Kentucky my branch kept going

West, I live in California.

[chowder66]

10. Uh oh. We may be related! lol

[Initech]

7. I have a KFC and a Popeye's in very close proximity to where I live.

And I have to say I vastly prefer Popeyes!

[sakabatou]

11. I prefer it too.

Last time I had KFC, all I could taste was chicken, nothing else

[niyad]

12. I prefer Popeye's to kfc, although the spicy is not very. But I prefer my King

Soopers to both of them. And I miss El Pollo Loco in southern CA.

[Grasswire2]

8. I happen to have a copy of the original recipe for Knott's Berry Farm Chicken.

Have had it for decades now.

It really is good, although a little more trouble than most recipes.

[TygrBright]

13. Thanks for posting. Some good writing, worth reading! n/t

[kentuck]

15. Bookmarked!

Colonel Sanders had an interesting life.