By: Jason Kamimoto
When KFC began offering grilled chicken on their menu this summer, it looked like they were headed in a health-conscious direction. Then someone in the corporate offices decided to thumb his nose at nutritionists everywhere and unleash the Double Down.
Made with two slices of pepper jack cheese, bacon, sauce, and held together by two fried chicken fillets instead of bread, this “sandwich” represents the best and worst in America.
While health-advocates will undoubtedly condemn the Double Down, KFC should be applauded for embracing their identity. After all, when the word “fried” is in your restaurant’s name, it’s tough to be healthy.
As bizarre as the Double Down may be, it highlights one of the reasons it is great to be an American: the freedom to be yourself. For most people this means piercing their nose, writing a blog, or dying their hair. For restaurants, freedom means the ability to make absurd food items.
Unfortunately the fact that that KFC offers bacon, cheese, and fried chicken as a sandwich also reveals a slightly unpleasant side of Americans. Specifically: the fact that we are never satisfied with what we have.
No one, after all, ever complains about sandwiches we already have. Meals made from peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, and tuna salad have satisfied generations of Americans. Yet apparently KFC decided that the sandwich must be taken to new heights and that bread is no longer good enough to be included in sandwiches. Now it seems like only a matter of time before they add a third piece of chicken and create the Triple Down.
Although the sandwich is currently only available in Rhode Island and Nebraska, it seems inevitable that something so American will eventually be available nationwide. For now, if you are one of the select few who have experienced the Double Down, remember that it truly does represent all of America: the good, the bad, and the excessive.