As the economic crisis in America deepens and more families are pushed to the brink of desperation by grueling, enduring financial stress, few topics are as hotly debated in public and private as food stamps and their acceptable uses.

It may seem vulgar that in a time of unprecedented corporate welfare- where bailouts were handed willy-nilly to multi-billionaires through the controversial TARP deal- to nitpick what little benefit is thrown to the millions of Americans who have been pushed, teetering off the edge of the lower middle-class and into destitution- but log into Facebook any day of the week and you will find someone, somewhere complaining about the fact that the government subsidizes food for struggling families and old people.

While the scope of food stamps has traditionally been limited- the government assistance, for instance, does not purchase toilet paper, toothpaste, pet food or as Eminem pointed out, diapers- more and more options are being made available to food stamp recipients to purchase easier to buy and eat items on their limited monthly allotment. But food stamp-accepting restaurants are a relatively new idea- likely one to rankle the populace further, as the fact that “luxury” items like candy and soda are allowed for people on the assistance is an oft-cited point of rage for the anti-welfare crowd.

Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum! Brands, whose roster of stores includes Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver’s and Pizza Hut, has been lobbying Uncle Sam to allow their stores to accept funds allocated to low-income families through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the official name for food stamps. And while food stamp restaurants could actually save money for the government in the long run, it’s very likely such a measure will come up against intense public outcry if it moves forward.

Yum! spokesman Jonathan Blum commented on the matter, throwing the brand’s support behind the growing trend of food stamp restaurants:

“It makes perfect sense to expand a program that’s working well in California, Arizona and Michigan, enabling the homeless, elderly and disabled to purchase prepared meals with SNAP benefits in a restaurant environment.”

Some opponents cite concern about food choices as reason the measure should not be allowed. But advocate for the hungry Edward Cooney disagrees:

“They think going hungry is better? I’m solidly behind what Yum! is doing.”

It seems the best solution for all is to figure out what makes the most fiscal and practical sense for Americans, without worrying about whether a poor person will be encouraged to rely on SNAP longer because fried chicken is tastier than what they cook at home- if they have facilities to properly store and prepare fresh food, luxuries many SNAP recipients lack. But is America ready to accept food stamp restaurants?

Food Stamps at Restaurants: Should Low-Income Users Have the Option? is a post from: The Inquisitr

KFC can’t be KFC if they don’t have their hidden blend of herbs and spices and for that reason the company says they were forced this week to close all three of their stores in the country of Fiji.

Company officials told the BBC that the government won’t let them import milk, herbs and spices and since that ban began in 2010 the quality of their product has declined, while food costs have risen, making it impossible to operate stores in the region.

Fiji officials shot back at KFC, stating that the company never filed the proper paperwork for health regulations, they noted:

“The onus is on KFC to provide us with a simple veterinary certificate, that is all we ask.”

Government officials say the company used the import issue to disguise the fact that Fijians don’t like the company’s product.

KFC Closes Fiji Stores After Country Stops Imports Of Needed Ingredients is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yes folks, that is the ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich where you will find a side of fries served along side four fried mozzarella sticks wrapped by a typical grilled cheese sandwich.

And all for $4.00

via Neatorama

Grillin’ the cheesiest grilled cheese while watching your cholesterol leave the building is a post from: The Inquisitr

So, DD Day is here.

Yes, the nationwide release of KFC’s widely gabbed about Double Down “sandwich” is upon us, and foodie reviews are streaming in for the breadless monstrosity. So far, none of the critics are to crazy about the creation. Saying the sandwich “cries out for carbs,” the Village Voice basically deems the Double Down to be ‘meh’:

Lift up the top breast piece–which surely must be a half-breast cut latitudinally, and find two very thick slices of gummy white cheese (though pleasantly flecked with jalapenos that have some heat), and two picayune slices of bacon–and not bacon of the thick, heavily smoked sort, either… The chicken itself is stringy and none-too-tender, the taste of the cheese pointedly interferes with the mild chicken flavor, and the bacon is indiscernible if you bite down on the whole thing at once.

Sam Sifton of the New York Times was actually staked out by bloggers while he tried to find a Double Down to evaluate. Not amused, he makes reference in his review to “geek paparazzi (who) lurked anonymously in the bushes to watch and document the tasting.” Sifton describes the sandwich snobbily, clearly displeased with having to eat plebe food with the unwashed masses:

The “Double Down,” however, arrives at a new low: a greasy entree dish of chicken with bacon and cheese on it, slathered in sauce, that the company asks customers to eat with their hands. The chicken is watery within its soft casing of “crust,” the cheese familiar to anyone who has eaten food prepared by the United States government, the bacon chemical in its smokiness, the mayonnaise sauce tangy, salty, and sweet, all at once.

So if your dining out budget is more Popeye’s than Per Se, are you going to try the Double Down?

KFC’s much anticipated Double Down released, are you man enough? is a post from: The Inquisitr

The long march by some ignorant American’s who believe that there is no culture in this world other than their own continues with allegations that an Australian KFC is racist.

The ad shows an Australian fan offering KFC to a crowd of West Indies supporters at a cricket match. The fan states “Need a tip when you’re stuck in an awkward situation?” followed by the fan saying “too easy” as he passes around the chicken.

The ad, part of KFC’s “Cricket Survival Guide” promotional series, was played during the recent Australia vs West Indies test matches. The West Indies are currently touring Australia.

The allegations of racism come from the American idea that black people like fried chicken, therefore a white person offering black people fried chicken is racist. That might be true in the United States, but it’s a concept that is completely foreign to people outside of the United States, let alone people in Australia.

As one comment highlighted on The Huffington Post points out:

This ad was shown during cricket matches between Australia and the West Indies. If England had been playing at the time, the ad would have shown the bloke feeding chicken to the Barmy Army to make them sit down and shut up.

Cultural context though is lost on some grade A idiots, like Jack Sheperd at Buzz Feed or Kiran Aditham at Media Bistro, both of who attack the ad as being racist through their own myopic and ignorant American cultural glasses.

I wonder though whether this idea of black people liking fried chicken says far more about the endemic racism in the United States than it says about this ad. This is a stereotype after all that comes from the United States from Americans, including those who seek to call racism in a light hearted ad made for an Australian audience.

For the record I did a quick straw poll; not one person I asked here in Australia had any idea of the American stereotype of black people and fried chicken. Those that saw the ad thought nothing of it; indeed, the hundreds of thousands of Australian’s who will attend cricket matches this summer (Pakistan is touring along with the West Indies), and the millions more who’ll watch on TV attest that there is no racist overtones in this context at all.

The so-called racist KFC ad as follows:

Here We Go Again: Australian KFC Ad Deemed Racist By Ignorant Americans is a post from: The Inquisitr

That picture, above, is actually a KFC marketing stunt. (That worked or failed, depending on your definition of “fail.”)

Actor Robert Thompson, dressed as the iconic Colonel Sanders, got as far as posing for a picture with President of the UN General Assembly Ali Treki, before his presence was detected and he was ejected from the area. (The actual Colonel Sanders, who invented the secret Kentucky Fried Chicken recipe, has been dead for nearly 30 years.)

The stunt is part of the ceaseless campaign to promote KFC’s grilled chicken, and involves KFC “lobbying” the UN to admit their new “Grilled Nation” to be accepted as a UN member state. (Okay, that’s kind of funny and clever.)

The fast food giant has written to (UN secretar-general Ban) Ki-moon personally asking for grilled chicken lovers to be be represented at the assembly, in a letter dismissed by Mrs Montas as “absolutely void.”

For reasons unknown at this time, a UN security guard escorted the actor into the secure area:

“It should not have happened – that I will stress, and very strongly,” Michele Montas told Canwest News Service, the Canadian news agency.

“There was some lapse in security and the individual in question was, on the initiative of one security guard, taken into the UN.”

[via snopes]

KFC marketing goes off the reservation, crashes UN is a post from: The Inquisitr

Free and low-cost chicken is taking the web by storm today.

Boston Market sent Googlers into a chicken frenzy today with an exclusive coupon for VIP members entitling them to a $1 chicken meal. (Click here for the printable Boston Market coupon, valid from 10/26-11/1.) The promotion is, per Boston Market, in response to KFC’s free chicken day today. KFC has declared today “Unfry day” to promote grilled chicken, prompting the Boston Market coupon. (Let’s hope this run goes more smoothly than the last riotous free chicken promo at KFC that had customers crying “bait and switch.”)

If chicken isn’t your thing or you’re too clumsy to use a knife and fork, there’s another giveaway this week that might interest you. Taco Bell is giving out free Black Jack Tacos on Halloween from 6pm until midnight if you’re not put off by black tortilla shells. Stealing your kids’ candy after they fall asleep remains free.

Chicken discount smackdown: Boston Market v. KFC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Because everyone knows carbs will make you fat.

While Atkins purists will point out that the chicken is breaded, KFC is still grabbing headlines with their new “Double Down” sandwich- a deep fried monstrosity that replaces a bun with two fried chicken breasts. It’s not available nationally yet, but local markets are reporting on the sandwich, which reportedly consists of these components:

• 2 Original Recipe Filets
• Bacon
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Swiss Cheese
• Colonel’s Sauce

“We didn’t have room for the bread,” is the official party line from KFC on the new item. Underwhelmed? So were the folks over at FoodGeekery initially when they sampled the Double Down. But that soon changed:

That’s it? That is the sandwich? That’s not worth five dollars. Oh… oh my God. That is the best thing ever. I don’t know what “Colonel’s Sauce” is, but it is like a party in my mouth. This is completely worth the five dollars. Unfortunately I’m going to end up weighing 700 lbs after this, but it is simply amazing.

So how much does it cost to throw a party in your mouth? The sandwich, currently available in Omaha, Nebraska and Providence, Rhode Island, sells for $4.99 a la carte and $6.99 with a side and a drink. And the calorie count? KFC estimates “just under 600 calories,” but the Vancouver Sun estimates a near 1,300 calorie count.

But come on- it’s low carb! Nebraskans, Rhode Islanders- have any of you tried it?

Kentucky Fried health food: KFC’s Double Down is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Colonel’s latest range of chicken has got at least one competitor in the United States talking, but for a reason you’d probably not expect: beef, or specifically the beef KFC adds to their grilled chicken.

Chain El Pollo Loco is running ads in markets in operates highlighting the fact that KFC grilled chicken is coated in beef powder and rendered beef fat. The company also points out that the chicken is not grilled, but oven cooked, something not unusual in the fast food industry (Burger King does a similar thing.)

KFC for its part doesn’t deny the claims, but tells the LA Times that “small amounts of beef flavors are commonly used in seasonings for many food products, for both restaurant and retail use. For Kentucky Grilled Chicken’s topical seasoning, beef flavors account for only 0.2% of the total seasoning.”

El Pollo Loco has set up a site with their current ads at beefychicken.com

Nobody does beef covered chicken like KFC is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’m not sure if this is meant as a reminder of home for those folks up in the International Space Station but I’m sure it’s big enough that they’ll be able to see it without any problems. I’m just waiting for PETA to get all hot under their vegan collar and put their logo right next to it.

There’s no word that I can find if this is the real thing or just a photoshopped deal but you can see them here on someone’s Flickr stream.

[hat tip to LikeCool]

The KFC logo you could probably see from space is a post from: The Inquisitr

As we reported yesterday, Oprah and KFC teamed up to promote KFC’s new “Kentucky Grilled Chicken” product with a free coupon offering “two pieces of grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit.” Offering free food at any time is going to be popular, but during a recession you know that demand will be even higher again. So you can probably take a guess at what happened next.

The difficulty is to know where to start. The short version: riots, racial abuse, pandemonium, a near complete breakdown of KFC’s entire supply chain, and some KFC stores simply refusing to honor the coupons.

The reports of a riot (or small riot or near riot depending on the report) come from New York, where customers where told that one KFC outlet in Manhattan would not accept the coupon, despite many customers having queued for hours. Another Manhattan KFC store ran out of chicken, resulting in reports of racial abuse and police being called. Other stores in the area had “sit-ins” with customers refusing to leave until they had received their free chicken.

According to a report at Business Insider, the entire supply chain for KFC is on the verge of breaking down, with the company scrambling to find more chicken. The report claims that KFC will run out of chicken by Saturday.

Other reports from across the United States say that a significant number of KFC stores are refusing to accept the coupon. KFC stores are primarily franchise operations, so although head office has a strong say in promotions, local owners operate each store.

And of course, we can’t finish without mentioning the “Oprah backlash” from vegetarians and animal rights groups. According to the LA Times, “they” are saying that Oprah is hypocritical, particularly since Oprah has tried to shed a spotlight on farm animal cruelty — a spotlight that helped lead PETA to award her its “Person of the Year” honors.

A spokeswoman said that Oprah’s intent with the promotion was to give families a financial break during these tough economic times.

Oprah, Free KFC….. Guess what happened next is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chattanooga, TN, has accepted a donation of $3,000 from KFC Corp. to help fix potholes throughout the city, but PETA has offered to double the donation in exchange for the opportunity to depict KFC as advocates of animal torture.

On Wednesday of last week, city workers were out spray painting new asphalt covering potholes repaired by the money donated by KFC Corp. The temporary chalk markings said “Re-freshed by KFC” and included the KFC logo.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), contacted the city and offered to donate double what KFC did for pothole repairs as long as the markings said “KFC Tortures Animals.”

Richard Beeland, spokesman for Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield, said the city would not accept the offer from PETA.

“We are not going to place ourselves into the middle of an argument between PETA and the KFC Corp.”

Chattanooga is not the only city that has refused PETA’s donations. Warren, Ohio, accepted donations from KFC for road repairs and also received a $6,000 counter-offer, as well as an offer to feed city workers vegetarian lunches.

Vegetarian lunches? Somehow, I don’t think a road repair crew consisting of big burly construction workers raking 180 degree asphalt in the scorching summer heat would be too interested in cucumber sandwiches and veggie sticks. A bucket of extra crispy and a cold beer on the other hand…

PETA’s Pothole Patch Poultry Protection Ploy runs afowl of City Staffers is a post from: The Inquisitr

Can’t get your local city council to fix those potholes in the road outside your hose? Have no fear, because Colonel Sanders is here!

KFC has sent a letter to American mayors offering to patch their potholes for free in return for advertising rights on the patched road.

Each pothole would have the message “Re-Freshed by KFC” stenciled on it, “In honor of our “Fresh Tastes Best” KFC president Roger Eaton said in the letter reported by the Chicago Tribune. “Every patched pothole comes with the Colonel’s very own stamp of approval.”

The company has already filling and stamping potholes in Louisville, Kentucky, as demonstrated in the picture above. KFC estimates there a 350 million unpatched potholes in the United States.

Nobody does potholes like KFC is a post from: The Inquisitr