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Munchies

What Happened When I Went ‘Behind the Scenes’ at KFC

The fast food chain recently launched an “Open Kitchen” night at 100 of its UK branches. As someone who believes in the welfare of farm animals and casual workers, I was keen to go along.

I'll be perfectly honest with you: I've never eaten KFC before.

I mean, sure, I've made my fair share of finger-licking jokes about eating out of a "bucket." But to the best of my recollection, I have never, knowingly, invested in the Colonel's secret recipe, never been "zung" by a burger, never wondered about the blend of 11 herbs and spices, and never nibbled a Kentucky Fried nugget.

I have eaten fried chicken though, particularly in that hen heaven Berlin, where your deep-fried clucker comes with potato salad and a lump of bread that looks like a sun-damaged elbow, or atop a steering-wheel sized pile of rice and chickpeas with pickles served out of a goldfish bowl.

So when the invitation came to try my hand "behind the scenes" at one of London's central KFCs, I accepted it in a heartbeat. Of course. Firstly, as someone who believes in the welfare of farm animals and casual workers, I was interested to see just what goes on back there, among the hot oil and the industrial sized sinks. But also because I would do a shift as an undertaker, bricklayer, beautician, cleaner, sewage worker, primary school teacher, or seamstress if it gave me a better understanding of what thousands of people do every day to make their living. Especially if I get a free dinner into the bargain.

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