As the Great Chicken Debate rages in Yellowknife, I feel I should state my bias before flocking in. I like KFC and always have. Also, I have a lot of memories of the old KFC and Lenny’s, before they even got the franchise. In fact, the first meal I had in Yellowknife back in 1969, was a Lenny burger and fries.
I was part of an exploration grew that had come up from Saskatchewan for the uranium rush in the Keewatin. Three of us flew into Yellowknife from the bush to pick up prospecting licenses, some claim maps and tags. It was a Sunday night, and we did not want to go to any place fancy, so we got a cab and ended up at Lenny’s house, which had a sort of drive through, via his kitchen window. Once we got the food, we had the cab drive us to Long Lake for a picnic.
Someone mentioned beer and it turned out the cab driver was also a bootlegger, with a trunk conveniently full of his wares. I later discovered; he was also a town councilor. After spending three months in the bush, the beer and burgers tasted mighty good.
When the chicken franchise open it was a very popular place and soon became a northern institution. And that is a good thing. It was sent out to bush camps and communities far and wide. Used at parties and get-togethers.
If I had a bush job to do and had to camp out for a while, I would often get a Family Feast to take with me. The first day or two are often hectic, because you had fly out to the bush get there in the afternoon, then unload the plane and set up your camp. If it was winter or cold out, you had to set up your wood stove and get some firewood. Then get things sorted out and organized for the job you had to do. It might take a day or two, to do.
Not having to cook the first night, was a nice break. A meal of cold fried chicken and coleslaw tasted mighty good. The next night, you could through the fries into a cast iron frying pan, add the gravy and if you happened to have any, a little cheese. A nice feed of poutine. Between the fresh air, the weather and the work, one needs more food than you do in town where you are sit around most of the time.
It is interesting how KFC worked its way into the fabric of the north. A lot of bush jobs started with a meal or three from KFC. Also, lot of celebration and community events all across the north, had KFC brought in. It is not surprising that having it appear back in town is a big event for a lot of people.
So, I understand people being excited. Sitting in line for two hours to get some? Well, if you got the time, why not?
I sort of ran a little urban geology study on the opening. How long it would take from when the store opened to when KFC litter started to appear. It was only a matter of hours. I will be watching its spread as time goes on. Whenever a new brand of litter comes along, I like to plot is spread and frequency. The study is part science and part traditional knowledge.
It will also be interesting to see what uses those buckets will be put to. Who will have the first bucket flowerpot? Or what about a wastepaper bucket? As one fellow said, ”If Andy Warhol can decorate houses with pictures of soup cans, I can decorate my garage with chicken buckets. Besides, they are good for holding oily rags.” Those buckets could and will have a lot of good uses. Someone could run a contest for ideas.
The whole story of the reopening of KFC was a ray of sunshine in these isolating times. In my opinion we need more of them. So here is a little salute to all the businesses in town. Live long and prosper.