Happy Tuesday, My Friend!
It’s November! It’s right smack dab in the middle of my favorite time of year—the months ending in “ber.” With November comes my favorite—Thanksgiving! And food—lots and lots of food!
I was reminiscing recently about my first experiences with “fast-food” restaurants. Nowadays, you can’t swing a french fry overhead in a circle without hitting some fast food joint. But it hasn’t been that way for my whole life. After a bit of Googling, I was pretty surprised to find out how long some of the most popular burger joints have been around!
Can you believe that White Castle burgers have been sliding down peoples’ gullets since 1916? And A & W started selling its delicious root beer in 1919. Dairy Queen came into existence in 1940. That was the same year that two brothers with the last name McDonald started a burger place. Many more have arrived on the scene since then. More than we can count! But I want to talk to you about my all-time favorite as a child. That place that made up heavenly meals and packaged them in perfect boxes with red stripes. I’m talking about the one and only . . .
Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Praise God from Whom all Blessings flow! That chicken! That delightfully “seasoned with 11 herbs and spices” chicken that left your fingers feeling like you’d dipped them in grease chicken! Remember? It was “finger lickin’ good!” I swear the KFC in Ashland, Wisconsin, dropped right down from heaven above when I was a kid. And for crying out loud, didn’t Colonel Sanders even look a little like God? This was the perfect fast-food restaurant ever.
I was trying to remember—Did I ever have fried chicken before I ate it at KFC?? My mom would have never fried chicken. She didn’t have time for that. Maybe I ate it at a friend’s house? I’m not sure. But when I bit into that perfect poultry for the first time, that was it, baby. I wasn’t going back.
And then there were the little Styrofoam containers of the “sides.” One side was very runny mashed potatoes. Very runny. But I loved them with an everlasting love. There were no lumps involved. And there was some great gravy on top, too. Towards the bottom of the container, you could mix the runny potatoes and gravy all together and make a bit of a “soup,” which now turns my stomach to think about. One ate this marvelous mix with a “spork.” (It was always challenging to get every last drop with a spork, though I indeed tried.)
Well, then there was the cole slaw, which I could take or leave. After all, it involved vegetables, and I was a kid, and vegetables were against my religion back then. But the roll! Oh, I ate every bit of that! I think that little desserts were added as the years went on because I’m picturing little pudding cups. I might be making that up, though. Little cups of pudding would be something my brain would totally make up.
The KFC in Ashland was situated in such a place that it was handy to stop there on the way home to Washburn if we’d been in Ashland for shopping or running other errands. I’m pretty sure God Himself placed that dear restaurant right where it sat.
Yes, I say “sat” and not “sits,” as it is no longer there. For years after it closed, my mom would still say, “Let’s pick up a bucket of chicken after the 4th of July parade!” How often did I have to tell her it “closed a while ago.” I guess not everyone has a palate for greasy chicken and runny potatoes. But a girl can dream.
All these fast food places can crank out food in record time, but—what are we eating? Should we be eating so fast? I’m not judging; Lord knows I can be spotted in a fast food line more often than I’d like to count, but is that really what’s best for me? For us?
Sometimes, the easiest, fastest thing isn’t what’s best. Sometimes, the slow, seems-to-take-forever way through some situations is the better way. We love quickness, ease, efficiency. But too much greasy chicken and runny potatoes will eventually make us sick.
I’m definitely preaching to myself right now as I look at my calendar. It’s November, which leads to December—and we all know how crazy we can get this time of year. Maybe as we turn the page to this month and see what’s ahead, it would do us all good to take our foot off the gas, take a deep breath, and ponder what this time of year really means. Gratefulness, giving more than we receive, family time together, and, for those who are Christians, the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I want to savor those things, not rush through them.
Some things take more time. Don’t give up on the hard stuff you’ve been dreaming about, praying about. A wise old man once said, “Just because you took longer than others doesn’t mean you failed. I started KFC at 65.” Yep, Colonel Sanders said that! (Was he one of the Wise Men??)
Wishing you more peaceful moments than “fast food” ones this week!
Written with love – – – Patti XOXO
PS – I could have easily been one of these happy kids twirling around with Col. Sanders and raising a bucket o’ chicken in the air! Watch this old ad here.