May 17, 2009
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A chicken's back and butt
I had dinner tonight with my dad. One of the dishes we ordered tonight was chicken. Whenever I have chicken, I am always reminded of a story my mom told us when we were kids. She was having a family dinner and her grandmother was there. Back then, some of the elders had their favorite parts of the chicken. There was an unwritten rule not to touch those pieces.
My mom probably wasn’t paying attention and she picked the piece of chicken nearest her. It was the chicken butt. She ate it and didn’t think anything of it. Her grandmother then went looking for her favorite piece – of course it was the chicken butt. She would search the dish, pushing aside pieces of chicken searching for the butt. When she couldn’t find it, she moaned “How odd, this chicken doesn’t have a butt.” In the meantime, my mom was horrified. She didn’t know what to do. I asked her if her grandmother knew that she ate the butt. My mom replied “Of course! She was just trying to get a point across and remind everyone that the chicken's butt belongs to her.”
We roared with laughter when she told us that story.
Speaking of chicken, whenever my mom served chicken, she would always eat the back bone and the neck. My dad would chide her and try to give her a meatier piece. She would always protest. "The bones are where the flavor is and it’s a more satisfying piece." With that, she would wave my dad off. As a kid, I thought that was odd. But that worked out well for me. I had the drumstick or the thigh and it meant more food for me.
As I grew older, I knew what she was doing. I also noticed my dad doing the same thing. He would eat more rice than food. Mom would notice that and spoon more meat or veggies for him. Of course he would protest and insisted that he is a “fan tung” (literally a rice bucket).
Tonight’s chicken was cut into small pieces and most of them had bones. I looked carefully for the meatier ones and gave those to dad so he didn’t have to worry about the bones. I had the pieces from the back. Mom was right. They are more satisfying to eat.
Comments (28)
My wife's favorite is also that of your Grandma's. Anyway, my first taste of it was not so good, that I won't have any of it afterward. I could even taste it until now.
Your entry reminded me of dinner time with my grandfather & family when I was a little kid. Somehow, I always get the drumstick.
"fan tung"....that was a good one too! LOL
=)
when i was younger my mother used to do the same thing :]
The little things we do for each other.
It's very sweet.
I do notice those kind of things though.
My dad's favorite part is chicken butt, and my mom's is fish eye balls. Glad they enjoy because I do not like those parts at all. Well, to each their own preference, and I am not going to fight with anyone with tripes, chicken feet, and pig intestines. I prefer chick drumstick and fish meat part. Your dad and mom must love one another a lot. So romantic. Nice post!
Hey Matt...sorry I havent' commented in ages but I've been reading you thanks to xanga updates via email....Parents do things like that so their children will have, your Mom sounds like an incredible person...I agree with Steve, your parents sound like they were very in love...take care of you, 'Til The Next
I never met a chicken I didn't like. What a great story.
Your story convinces me more than even that there is a "Secret School for Parents" or else they share rules with each other
.
aww... that's sweet. in our family, we all like the bony parts; the breast meat is least prized because it is the driest part of the chicken. so we all fight over wings and the neck and those sorts of pieces. i think they are more tasty, but i suppose in a way they are more satisfying as well. it works out well with my bf; he eats the breast meat, and i get all the other parts that i like!
Your posts are always so sweet!
Haha. I always stayed away from the butt piece so I would have been safe.
Parents are the greatest. My mom would always eat the wing piece that only has skin and leave the meaty parts for my brother and me.
@Norcani - I've never tried that piece of the chicken before.
@curry69curry - uhm... like father like son. I'm the same. I'll even have white rice to accompany rice noodles, fried rice.... I just love rice.
@wutuwaitn4 - thanks for recommending.
@mi1kandcerea1 - thanks for visiting and for the comment.
@Wangium - yeah... I was so naive to it when I was a kid.
@stevew918 - if you and I were having dinner, I think we would be fighting over the food.
@GracePrince - hi - welcome back! Yeah, my parents were very much in love.
@Esbartman - thank you.
@kunhuo42 - I like the wings, thighs and drumsticks a lot better than the breast.
@Dezinerdreams - thank you.
@brooklyn2028 - I've never tried the butt piece before either. I do like the wings.
@Fatcat723 - oopps... missed your comment. I'm sure one of those rules is "You must love your little monsters."
hehe, I'm a leg man myself
Parents can be so thoughtful and considate, sacraficing their own joy and comfort to make sure those they love are taken care of first. Nearly every time I read one of your entries I end up misty-eyed. My paternal clock must be ticking.
haha you wrote a post about chicken meat and it ended up being so interesting. reminded me of something that i would find in amy tan's books.
but all parts of a chicken is good !!
@AppsScraps - I like legs and thighs, and wings - that would make me an appendage man?
@christao408 - you know, I think I'm getting a reputation for writing uhm... heart tugging entries (cue violions). I have to be careful not to manipulate the readers.
@M1SS_1NNOCENT - ooh... thank you for the compliment. Someone actually told me that a long time ago too.
wise story and sooo... true. i think it applies to ALL chinese families. i personally think the dark meat is the best but i often go for the bonier pieces since no one would fight for them. they are more fun to suck too, more flavors there. i do like chicken butt, however, since it's my mum's fav, i always leave it for her. the funny thing is, she knows i like it and she often offers it to me. often times, there are more than one butt on the plate, then i'll make sure there's at least one left for her if i decide to devour one.
my mom is like that too! i always try to give her the good pieces but she refuses. as a kid the drumstick was mine, and now, the breast is mine, and even when i offer, she won't accept. ugh. parents. gotta love them.
I am quite the "fan tung" myself
Actually it is not the butt. Birds don't have butts...
It is their TAIL they are after =P
I think my parents say it is a BUTT to scare us (kids) off.
True that Chinese eats anything...
My bro loves the crown and the brain which I hardly touch.
I'm white meat all the way.
@rudyhou - more than one butt per chicken? The chickens where you are must be different than over here.
I think the butt is an acquired taste.
@JonasApproved - hahaha... parents are like that. I think you have to be sneakier.
@trendyhedonism - really? I would have never guessed.
@ZenPaper - lol... I actually googled chicken tail and yeah, some people call it that too. Well - it looks like a butt. I wouldn't touch the crown and the
brain either.
How thoughtful we become to those we love....
(there should be no room for selfishness in love.)
I so enjoy reading your entries. Thank you for sharing.
*~matthew~*
@bleuzeus - glad you enjoy these entries. I hope they aren't too sappy.
A lovely story. Your parents must be wonderful people, models for us all.
@jojobaDESIGNS - thank you for your warm words.
Comments are closed.