Size Does Matter

I've complained about this before, and not one damn thing was done about it. The size of food is just getting out of hand! Those huge, tasteless, juiceless, hollow strawberries continue to plague us at the supermarket. What have they done with "real" strawberries and why did they substitute those horrific genetic mutations for them? Inquiring minds want to know.

But, the newest thing to bug me at the supermarket is the size of chicken breasts. Come ON! I know gargantuan ta-tahs are all the rage in Hollywood...but on chickens? I really don't think roosters are boob men.

So, yesterday I got a hankering for a good ol' assortment of southern vegetables and fried chicken. A trip to the local farmer's market for the veggies (I'll rant about the corn selections another time) was moderately successful. But, the chicken. Oh, my! I got the smallest package of chicken breasts Kroger had. The price was slightly over $8.00, and the tray held two half-breasts. TWO! Everything else in the case was even larger.

I have an ordinary, standard-size cast iron skillet. Those two chicken breasts filled the entire thing! In fact, they had to be squeezed a bit. They were enough to feed a family of four or five, easily.

But, the biggest problem was that in order to get them done, I had to cook them far too long, browning the crust way beyond the point of perfection. And guess what!? They were still pink and resilient in the middle. UGH! There's nothing worse.

I'm not sure where I'm going to find "normal" chicken breasts in the future, but it's become my newest quest. I suspect the answer will be found at the organic market, where I will probably still pay eight bucks...but the portions will be more normal. And this time, smaller is better. I should develop a t-shirt.