[lbo-talk] advances in the culinary arts

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Mon Apr 12 16:50:24 PDT 2010


<http://www.theawl.com/2010/04/the-definitive-kfc-double-down-review>

The Definitive KFC Double Down Review by David Cho posted @2:00 PM

You are almost certainly aware of this, but today is not just any Monday. In the same way that we all remember September 26, 2006 as the debut of Burger King's Chicken Fries, April 12th, 2010 will be seared upon our historical consciousness as the premiere of the new KFC sandwich, the Double Down. I'm afraid I must confess that when I—a connoisseur of speedily-prepared foodstuffs—first heard about this sandwich, I found the concept distasteful and thought myself unlikely to sample it. But here I am, having eaten both of the available versions and writing about them on the internet.

If you aren't familiar with the Double Down, here's some marketing language from the Colonel's website that breaks it down:


> The new KFC Double Down sandwich is real and it's coming April 12th!
> This one-of-a-kind sandwich features two thick and juicy boneless
> white meat chicken filets (Original Recipe® or Grilled), two pieces
> of bacon, two melted slices of Monterey Jack and pepper jack cheese
> and Colonel's Sauce. This product is so meaty, there’s no room for a
> bun!

One of the best things about this blurb is that they had to make sure people understood that this was not actually some sort of amusing prank or illusion. Which makes sense really. If someone told you KFC was coming out with a sandwich that used either grilled or fried chicken in place of bread and bacon as the "meat," accompanied by multiple layers of cheese, and then a sauce, you might assume it was some clever comment on America's obsession with fast food and subsequent obesity. So I suppose an assertion of the product's actuality is both warranted and necessary.

Also, KFC is not lying. An accurate review of the sandwich is pretty much: "This product is so meaty, there's no room for a bun!" In fact, I should probably stop wasting everyone's time because that's the most systematic description of the sandwich that could ever be written. But you know what? I ate both of these things. You're going to sit here as I walk you through each component of this "sandwich"/"product" and like it.

So let's get to it and break the Double Down piece by piece....



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