There's this chicken place on the corner of my street, right next to the subway entrance. It's one of hundreds of nondescript fast food places in the city, where they have pictures of everything they serve on the walls and getting something "deluxe" usually means that it comes with fries.
Their chicken is really good, the pizza is adequate, and it's really, really conveniently located to my apartment, and as a result I'm constantly wanting to stop in for some wings or something each time I pass. Although the food is relatively cheap, eating there every day would not be healthy for my body or my wallet. So about six weeks ago I made a deal with myself: if I could resist my cravings for a while, I would reward myself with one of their meal deals (20 bucks for a pizza, some chicken wings and a bottle of soda, I think) on the first day of the college basketball tournament, and revel in twelve straight hours of grease and hoops.
But then, about two weeks ago, I walked by and noticed the shop was all shuttered up. It remained that way for a few days. I figured there was a small chance it had been done in by the sluggish economy, but assumed it was something else. One day as I passed one of the shutters was open and my fears were confirmed: on the door was a notice from the health department.
My favorite violation is "evidence of mice or live mice." Is it really necessary to make a distinction?
Anyway, after being closed for about a week, Wonder Fried Chicken has been back in business for a few days. And March Madness begins tomorrow. I can't decide what to do. Part of my brain reasons that if it's ever safe to eat their food again, now is the time, since it should be as clean and vermin-free now as it ever has been, or they couldn't have reopened. And there are people in there every time I walk by, so apparently the rest of the neighborhood is ok with it.
But part of my brain says I must have a serious case of madness if I ever set foot in that place again. It will probably come down to how hungry I get. In the meantime, I'll fill out my bracket of potential food-borne illnesses I may soon contract. Dysentery and salmonella are top seeds, but I like Giardia and E. coli as Cinderella picks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Humans survived for eons around live mice and without health police to tell them what's safe and what's not. Except for all the humans that died during those eons. I guess they didn't survive.
I would totally grub there. Of course, sometimes I forget to wash my hands too. Maybe I'm not the best guy to take health advice from.
I grabbed a huge slice of pizza at that place the weekend I was interviewing when you were in the hospital. Maybe it was the mouse feces that made it taste so good.
Well, you ate there when it wasn't clean - you just didn't know. They say the unknown is what we are afraid of, but sounds like you are more afraid of the known. Be dangerous, Jeff! GO FOR IT!
I've had a slice of pizza and some wings from said previously-closed joint since posting this, and everything tasted good. Even better, I haven't lost my vision, contracted rabies, or had any other internal organs become gangrenous.
oh no. mice or live mice? this is all so very hilarious.
Post a Comment