Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Chickening Out

I thought I'd found a go-to lunch for when I don't want to make something at home. You might recall that I'd been having Dairy Queen chicken strips and soft pretzel sticks on days when there were no pinwheels to be found. They're on the 2-for-$4 Menu.
 
You might also recall that I'd had a bit of an issue with the pretzels being burned, back when I was picking them up for myself and The Pony, sans chicken. Here's a picture from BACK THEN, showing how the pretzels were burned, and too small:

 
So imagine my shock when I got home and opened the bag on Tuesday, to see:



EVEN SHORTER PRETZELS! Granted, they're not burned. But they were barely as long as my finger! But wait! That's not all I have to complain about! [Also, take note of the size of the pretzels below, where they were so large they would not fit in frame!]
 
Whereas I've been given TINY chicken strips before, at least they gave three. Here's the picture from BACK THEN:



At least those three tiny nugget-like strips had MEAT inside. The chicken strips from Tuesday? Not so much:

 
These chicken strips were as thin as Farmer H's FREE hot dogs! The kind that look like a pencil. At least Farmer H's hot dogs also have some meat, albeit from questionable sources. My chicken strips are almost entirely made of fried batter. Take a closer look! Do you see any wide section that might harbor actual CHICKEN inside that crunchy fried batter? It's a rhetorical question. Don't strain your eyes lookin' for the chicken.

Anyhoo... I'm a little upset that I can't get the same amount of pretzels and chicken these days as I got one year ago! I suppose a price increase will be next, for even smaller portions... It hardly pays to eat chicken out anymore.

6 comments:

River said...

I hate to say this lest I give you palpitations, but you might have to consider buying chicken and coatings to make your own chicken strips. You could invite The Pony and maybe your sister and the ex-mayor and have a working bee day where you make chicken strips by the dozen, cook them up and freeze them.

Hillbilly Mom said...

River,
WHAT? I'm doing CPR on myself right now! Make that CR. My lungs are working fine, to the point of hyperventilation! I don't know how to make chicken strips! I've never deep-fried anything in my life! This suggestion is like expecting my little dog Jack to fly a 747!

I will find an alternative meal staple. I bought a box of frozen chicken taquitos. They're quick. Or I could go back to making myself a Hardee's Chicken Bowl knock-off, or a chicken taco salad without a shell, on just a paper plate. Mmm. That sounds good. I'm only lacking sliced black olives for that...

Sioux Roslawski said...

Folks in the city like Jack in the Box tacos. They go down easy, because they're deep fried (lettuce, cheese and all). I don't eat them, but those who like them swear by them... until, of course, they die from a coronary.

If I were you, I'd find a decent frozen fried chicken breast, and cut it into strips, assuming you don't have a Raising Cane restaurant.

Those pretzels are pitiful.

Hillbilly Mom said...

Sioux,
No Raising Cane around here. The Pony was a frequent visitor to one near Norman, OK. I can get decent chicken strips at Country Mart's deli, unless they're out because of people shunning DQ's version. It's only one block away.

Genius used to like those Jack in the Box tacos. He didn't get them often, because their drive-thru is awkward, and traffic is hard to re-enter when leaving that location. He was able to partake of that delicacy more often, once he started driving.

River said...

It really is easy, just a little time consuming. When I make chicken schnitzels, I set aside a whole morning for the prep, making and clean up. Then I'll set aside a couple (I make smallish ones) for dinner and freeze the rest. interspersed with other meals in my freezer I usually only have to make them a couple of times a year.

Hillbilly Mom said...

River,
WHOOPS! You lost me at "time-consuming." If you wanted to jet in and make a FRIG II freezer-full of them, I'd pay you the 2-for-$4 price from Dairy Queen...