their foods with them. Fried chicken was comfort food and soul food. It didn’t matter what you called it; it was good food. It reminded folks of home. Fast forward to modern times as everyone, it seems, became concerned about fat grams as heart disease started killing more Americans than cancer. Chicken, in its fried state, seemed to fall from grace. But still we eat it! What makes good fried chicken? According to Stephen Price of Price’s Chicken Coop, it’s the ingredients: “You have to start with quality product or you won’t produce a quality product.” For others, including Melissa Cole of Charlotte, it’s the crust: “It has to have a good seasoned crust, to seal in the juices. Otherwise it dries out or just soaks fat,.” My mother always seasoned her fried chicken with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, a staple in many southern kitchens. Some left: the man behind the myth, the chef of the coffee cup above: the coffee cup’s masterpiece
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September Issue 08.indd 66
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8/28/2008 2:18:44 PM