Mysteries of the present day

[gyzki]

Main mystery of this particular day: WTF with the traffic on I-93?! In the morning, wide open clear smooth cruising all the way to 16, I am in to work like 20 minutes early; in the afternoon, the cloverleaf locks up completely, worst traffic home I can remember in a long time, takes me almost an hour and a half

Comments

[gryphon2k]

Chicken and waffles is a Pennsylvania Dutch delicacy. The chicken is cooked into a kinda of a stew with a thickened gravy, and poured over waffles (there is no syrup involved in this dish). I make it a couple of times a year. That and slippery pot pie are two comfort food dishes from my childhood that I can't give up. I'm told there is also a version (not PA Dutch) that involves fried chicken and waffles with syrup (blech).

I saw that flavor of Lay's the other day in my grocery store, but couldn't bring myself to buy them. Which version of the dish do they taste like (I would think the deciding factor would be if there is any sweetness to the flavor, in which case it's the non-PA-Dutch version, and I will definitely pass)?

[gyzki]

There is some sweet taste, though not overpowering. More to the point, the chicken-y flavor tastes distinctly fried, not stewed. Wikipedia lists two varieties of chicken and waffles, one Pennsylvania Dutch, much as you describe; and one Soul Food, with fried chicken and waffles with syrup. I think the potato chips are going the latter way.

[teenybuffalo]

I think it's also a Southern thing, with fried chicken alongside waffles. Southerners seem to eat waffles at any meal they please. The one time I drove through the deep South, there was a Waffle House at every freeway exit. And a discount fireworks merchant, because God forbid anybody go more than an hour without the opportunity for waffles and explodey things.

[graceo]

Traffic! It's been horrible! Nt just the 93 - It took me 25 minutes to drive into Somerville on the Pike last Thursday, and an hour this Thursday. It took 25 minutes just to get from the fork onto exit 18, through the toll booth, and onto Mass Ave. At least I think that's Mass Ave. I might be geographically confused here. It's an aftereffect of a long time spent waiting in traffic.

[alexx_kay]

Many people believe (incorrectly) that their personal standards of ickiness are sufficiently close to universal that they are a reasonable basis for law.

[gyzki]

Exactly so: I have no doubt that there are people who believe it; I have trouble understanding why they believe it; and I find no way to engage them in discussion on the subject. Hence "baffled".

[negothick]

Alexx--the people you describe use other words for "personal standards of ickiness" such as "Divine Law" and "Natural."

[alexx_kay]

Just so.