Live data from Hacker News

For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

kottke.org

171–177 of 177 posts

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people still hang on to the flawed science and xenophobic belief that MSG is bad.

Yeah it is a hard one to shake. My mom was not the least bit xenophobic but she did get serious headaches from MSG. But only when she knew she was eating it. And she loved tomatoes too! I miss her dearly, and she was actually quite sharp, but she would not let go of the MSG thing despite ample evidence to contradict her belief.

The headaches are real, but it's a similar pipeline/effect to caffeine/theobromine. Your brain wants at least a little MSG in your diet because it does exciting things with it. Your brain is also easily over-saturated with it and gets "hungover" if you eat/drink too much in too short an amount of time, and different people can be differently sensitive (just as with coffee/tea/chocolate/etc).

Certainly there were restaurants trying to sell you the "5-Hour Energy" equivalent of MSG and some cuisines tend to get closer to doing that naturally. But also you shouldn't directly or indirectly blame the people that make that food for you, just as it is silly to blame all coffee shops for the caffeine headaches and migraines you sometimes get if you don't watch how much coffee you are drinking.

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#172
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My takeaway is that Sanders cared about serving quality fast food, and KFC corporate cared about reducing costs and doing brand necromancy. The upshot is you won't get KFC chicken at KFC, just a pale, cheap imitation of the original Assuming that's the case, the anecdote in the article of him walking into the kitchen in a random KFC and berating the people for making the chicken the was they did seems a bit unfair;…

> it's not like the random people working there had any choice in the corporate policies or autonomy to choose to make the chicken in a different way. I'm torn on this one, and can see both sides. For any kind of mega-business, not just restaurant chains: If your goal is to correct corporate behavior, protest or "make things difficult for corporate" then there really aren't any good options. You could annoy the indiv…

Hmmm...forgot unions.

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's not like the random people working there had any choice in the corporate policies or autonomy to choose to make the chicken in a different way. I'm torn on this one, and can see both sides. For any kind of mega-business, not just restaurant chains: If your goal is to correct corporate behavior, protest or "make things difficult for corporate" then there really aren't any good options. You could annoy the indiv…

>A big problem with mega-business style capitalism is that key stakeholders like employees and the general public are powerless. You can only change a business's behavior if you're either 1. shareholders or 2. customers via boycott or 3. regulators. Ultimately, the failure here is with the general public, for continuing to patronize these crappy businesses, and make them profitable despite whatever negative things th…

Back around 2010, the last time I allowed myself near a KFC, it was $50 for a family meal. Those prices, coupled with the Cornel's complaints, caused me to ban KFC henceforth.

I guess some people will suffer anything (the horrendous sides at KFC) to shove some fried chicken down their neck.

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#174

Every founder I have met after selling their company.

Understandable (as in: I could see myself acting like that if I had a company to sell), but also, you sold it, what did you expect? Did you believe some legally not enforceable promises because you wanted the money and were willing to lie to yourself?

Yes. Some of it is just plain dillusion. My grandmother went through so much trouble and time finding someone she wanted to sell her business to because of "her clients" etc. She sold it and complained about everything the lady did to the business. She even financed the sale so she could sell to her, denying cash offers that came in much higher. The person she sold it to sold off half the business and clients almost immediately.

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but there is significantly more of it happening, optically, on the west coast than anywhere else in the United States. What is San Diego's unofficial name? "The Home of the Homeless". Before you flame, I spent years touring the United States, living and photographing homeless people and communities. West Coasters should really stop getting defensive and take action, if it actually matters to you all. All that we…

Despite our homeless problem, we have by far the highest property prices, most economic opportunity, and best laws (legal shrooms!). Haters of the PNW are simply mad that they don’t get to live here and enjoy the routine 20-40$ ounces for good quality stuff.

With friends like these...

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#176

If you want the real thing you have to go to the restaurant named after his wife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Sanders_Dinner_House

3 of the worst corporate decisions they made ever: 1. Getting rid of the BBQ pulled chicken sandwich - Long ago they had it and it was inexpensive to make and quite good. Many people to this day complain about no longer being able to find it anywhere. 2. Phasing out their grilled chicken - It was quite good, and people who wanted a healthier option than fried chicken, like me, simply don't go anymore because it's dis…

> When are people going to realize that telling customers what they want, reducing value and quality, and ignoring their complaints is not a good business model?

Just as soon as they realize that short-term immediate profit is not the only goal that any business could ever possibly have.

Pretty much the day after never, or right after the collapse of capitalist society. Whichever comes first.

Re: For the Colonel, It Was Finger-Lickin’ Bad (1976)

#177
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was a shock to me. During college back in India I had a friend who used to live in Canada. When I suggested going to McD for food, he was like no it's too trashy and the food is bad. I couldn't believe that cause the lines at McD were long. After coming to the US I understood what he meant. Burger king in India is almost gourmet compared to what you get in USA

And Burger King in Italy IS gourmet. You have to compete with your competitors, in North America it’s a corporate franchise fast food wasteland and the bar is set exceptionally low.

McLuhan was right: "the medium is the message".

In this context, the "medium" is the country where KFC/McD is situated, and the "message" is the set of food standards or "the bar" as we're calling it in this discussion.

America truly has bad food standards in general, so the KFC/McD in America reflects that reality. In contrast, Italy has a much higher bar for what is considered food, and KFC/McD reflects that as well.

Post reply on HN