David Chang Guilty Pleasure Popeye’s Fried Chicken

David Chang Guilty Pleasure Popeye’s Fried Chicken - If you watched the special edition of No Reservations – Food P*rn, then you saw Bourdain sit down with David Chang at Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York. Over shaved foie gras and lychee with a riesling gelee they began talking about guilty pleasures – those shameful foods that draw you in for inexplicable reasons. Bourdain confesses to an obsession with “nuclear orange” KFC mac and cheese and Chang gives up that his guilty pleasure is chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce. I found it hard to believe that these ultimate foodies would admit to eating anything that comes from powdered cheese and processed chicken! But don’t we all have our vices?

So I feel like I need to get something off my chest. I pride myself on eating pretty well. I cook healthy meals most days of the week and when I don’t cook we treat ourselves to a good meal. We have little to no junk food in our pantry and rarely visit the local fast food chains. BUT – once in a while I just need a Taco Bell taco (ok, three), party size, covered in fire sauce and dipped in nacho cheese. In fact, it’s been a few months so I think I’m about due. And that’s not all – last month I got a bag of Cheetos at the grocery store and ate half the bag before I got home then hid the rest in the pantry behind a bag of veggie chips. I’m not done yet – now and then I have to have a mashed potato bowl from KFC. I mean, come on – mashed potatoes, corn, and chicken chunks covered in gravy and cheese – all in one bowl! Usually once I get my tacos, potato bowl or cheetos I’m good on that craving for several months until the craving monster rears his ugly head and it starts all over again.

There’s one more though… I almost don’t think this one is worth mentioning because I don’t consider it fast food (mostly just because it does not have a drive-thru). Once a week I HAVE to have a sandwich from Potbelly. Potbelly and I first crossed paths when I lived in Chicago, and we’ve been together ever since. Chicken salad on wheat, no cheese, not toasted (because warm bread makes the mayo runny). This is the part where they yell “BORING!” as they pass my room temperature bread over for toppings. Then I add pickles, hot peppers and italian seasoning. Oh, and don’t forget the side of potato salad to combat the heat from the hot peppers. The combo of those hot peppers and cool chicken salad is like crack! Not that I’ve tried that – but from what I hear – this must be similar. I usually try to eat half right away then save the other half for later, but somehow that doesn’t seem to work out. Like I said – hardly worth mentioning. It’s not even greasy and it’s technically salad on bread. Although I suppose the mayo in the chicken and potato salad is not too healthy. But I eat it in the middle of the day. I think the body turns mayo into energy if you eat it mid-day…or something like that, right?

So I have a call to action for all you foodies. Yes, we like to act like we eat at only the best restaurants or obscure holes in the wall that are our own personal treasures. But we all know that there is some fast food out there somewhere calling your name. ‘Fess up – tell us what your guilty pleasure is…I promise I won’t tell J