Fried Chicken

Years ago I was working on a post op cardiac unit in Columbia, SC. All of the patients on the unit were automatically put on a cardiac diet. For those who are fortunate enough to have never experienced such questionable delights allow me to enlighten you. A cardiac diet is low fat, low cholesterol, low salt, short on flavor and just generally unappetizing, especially if you are accustomed to fresh, home cooked meals. A fellow nurse took a lunch tray in to a sweet old woman who had been with us for several days.

Here’s how the conversation started –

“Miss Belle, I have your lunch tray.” “What’d those people send up here now?” (Clearly she had already experienced the horror of institutional culinary fare). “You’ve got Fried Chicken for lunch!” Failing utterly in a vague attempt to make it sound like a treat instead of a travesty. “Fried Chicken! Hmph! Those people down there don’t know nuthin’ about making fried chicken!” I will add she was 85 if she was a day and spoke with the heavy regional drawl common to the low country of South Carolina.
It never hurts to try making a personal connection with your patients so the conversation continued…” Miss Belle do you know how to make good fried chicken?”
“Lawd, I can make you some fried chicken, I’ve been making fried chicken my whole life!” “ “Do you think you could teach me how to make good fried chicken?” Miss Belle got a glint in her eye and thought on it a bit before she responded, “Sugar, do you know how to kill a chicken?” “No ma’am I’m afraid I don’t.” Miss Belle looked dead on at the nurse and said, “ well then, I reckon I can’t teach you how to make good fried chicken!”
The lessons here are many –
1-Start with the basics
2-Learn how to kill a chicken
3-Never ask a question you don’t want answered
4-Last but not least, home fried chicken is an art, learn from that sweet old woman who has a glint in her eye and a cast iron skillet

That’s how I learned to make fried chicken and just about anything else you could imagine so here’s a nod and an eternal thank you to all of the women who taught me their craft – and I still know how to kill and fry a mean chicken.