My good buddies Joel and Duc were down for some KFC cookin’ today. We planned an 11:30 AM trip away from The Big Insurance Company where I consult and they work. Actually, I work, too. Okay, that’s confusing. Moving on. I still call KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken regardless of what their marketing department thinks. How did they surreptitiously slip the letters KFC in place of their former lengthy name? I’ve heard this was done because people think fried food will kill you. I’m sure it will, but then again, so will a drunk driver. I don’t see them changing the name of alcoholic beverages. If they do then I’ll have a DM with GG, please. Ummm. We ordered our meals and sat down to enjoy our food when we were interrupted by a marketing gal that was trolling the dining area. She was looking for volunteers to test a new food item that corporate was thinking about introducing. At least I think they were thinking. Maybe you won’t think they were thinking when you read the rest of this. Our reward would be a $10 KFC gift cheque in exchange for our time. Of course, we signed up right there. First, they gave us a short paragraph that would introduce us to the product. I can’t remember the exact words used, but I think ”convenience” and ”lunch” were there along with ”easy” and ”delicious.” It said this was a chicken bowl or chicken in a bowl meal or bowl of chicken or something. We then answered a few questions about our reaction to the paragraph. After that, they gave us a cracker and some water. This was meant to assure that our mouths would ”forget” anything we had put in them earlier. Who decided a cracker and water were what did this? Give me some cash and I’ll forget my mom’s name, okay? Anyway, I ate the cracker and drank the water. I briefly considered doing the holy trinity thing with my hand, but I didn’t want to be rude, so I digressed. I was quite disappointed by the heavy ass ingredients I saw when the fabled chicken bowl was finally presented to me. They started off with a base layer of mashed potatoes. On top of that was a layer of corn. Then on top and in the center of that was a biscuit. The biscuit was covered in what appeared to be gravy and then topped with melted cheese. Four or five fried chicken nuggets adorned the perimeter of the biscuit. I call this area The Biscuit-To-Bowl No Man’s Land. We were given forks to try out this wacky concoction. After eating ”as much as we wanted to,” we then answered a bazillion questions about if this was the food we were expecting (no) and if the ingredients were good (no) and if I had any suggestions (yes) and if each layer was of a consistency and flavor level to my satisfaction (sorta). I ate less than half the bowl. We had to reveal our name and phone numbers at the end of the test so I suspect a follow-up phone call may one day occur. Maybe. I wouldn’t buy something so heavy in carbs and starch, so this chicken bowl thing isn’t going to make it on my list of Must Have Foods anytime soon. Despite all that, the test marketing experience was sorta fun and I do have a nice $10 coupon on me. If you’re hungry, let me know and I’ll hook you up with my crazy KFC money.