Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
    who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He boasts about the cravings of his heart;
    he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.

• Psalm 10:2-3

The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper.

• Proverbs 28:20

“From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.

• Jeremiah 6:13

My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice. Their mouths speak of love, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain.

• Ezekiel 33:31

Editor’s Note: Having Scriptures talking about greed and then having a story about a worldwide chicken franchise does not mean I am saying anyone did anything illegal.  And at present, the practice is not being done.

Does anyone remember the wishbone piece of the chicken?

Okay, I am sure no one would admit it.  You would have to go to a big fried chicken restaurant of the mid-1960s.  And anyone who can remember those days … My hat is off to you because my memories of that time are fading.

My Dad wanted to be around when I was in middle school and high school.  I think he just wanted to be a buffer between me and my mother, but it did not work out so well.  (Four moves and three different school systems in a year and a half, then he was back on the road.) But at one point in the mid-60s, he was the quality manager for a chicken plucking plant.  Okay, you might call it a poultry processing plant, but since we were in the industry, and you have to pluck the chicken at some point, hopefully early on, like … the FIRST thing after their throats get, umm, you know … , we called them chicken plucking plants.

One day, my Dad came in for supper and he was livid.  He said this man from the big chicken restaurant chain came into his office and said that the production line needed to change their way of cutting the chicken.  He said that his customers liked having a whole wishbone to use for their superstition routine.

You know, the thing usually done with a turkey on Thanksgiving.  You had two children pull the wishbone and when it broke, whoever got the bigger piece of the bone got their wish granted while the other got to marry first.  My brother and sister knew how to hold the wishbone and they always got their wish.  I was on average ten years younger than they were, so I did not get to be married first either.  I hated that tradition.  I think the last time I was asked to participate, my sister handed me the wishbone.  My reply was, “You are getting married tomorrow.  You know how to always get your wish granted.  Just keep the whole thing!”  Ah, an eleven year old finding his voice!

But no, since this company sold buckets of chicken and they wanted the breast cut into three pieces instead of two, they got a chicken that had nine pieces: 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 shortened breast pieces, and the wishbone piece.  So, a ten-piece bucket was a whole chicken and then one extra thigh or drumstick.  With an eight-piece cut, you had to add an entire leg.  The savings for the company were compounded if you insisted on a ten-piece bucket with only breast pieces.  That would be five chickens, with the normal way of cutting the chicken, but it would be three chickens and one extra breast piece with their special way of cutting the chicken.

Note: The wishbone on chickens and turkeys connects the bottom of the neck with the breast.  When cut the way this restaurant wanted it, the three breast pieces were roughly all the same size.

But because they were promising a large volume in chicken sales, the chicken plucking plant trained people specifically on the new way of cutting chicken and they built a special line in the processing plant so that they never gave a grocery store the nine-piece cut.

And to be honest, lately, I have not had the appetite for a full breast piece.  Thus old wishbone pieces look, in my mind, to be just what I am looking for these days.

It was a slick way of making an extra dollar.  They no longer do it, but I wonder why they changed?  It was not illegal.  But, let’s not talk about a wishbone superstition.  It was greed.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.