Do you prefer white meat or dark meat?

If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that’s one of my favorite icebreaker questions. And if your answer was white meat, you also know that I no longer take your food opinions seriously.

Many people also answer, “White meat, because it’s healthier,” to which I inevitably roll my eyes and ask, “But which do you think TASTES better?”

To me, this is a simple question with one correct answer: dark meat tastes better, period. Why? Because it has more fat in it, so it’s moist, and not dry.

That was exactly how this one random guy I met answered the question. “Well, dark meat is more moist,” he started.

“So you prefer dark meat, then?” I clarified.

“No, I prefer white meat.”

I should have followed up and asked him what kind of crazy pills he was taking, but decided to let it go. (Plus, he had just pulled me over, and I didn’t think calling a cop crazy was a good idea.)

The best way I can describe the effect that dark meat and fat has on me is that it’s like a chemical reaction. Quite literally, eating dark meat makes me feel happy. Apparently, ingesting fat releases endorphins in my brain in a way that ingesting dry tasteless meat chicken breast doesn’t.

Recently I was ordering chicken (dark meat of course) rice porridge at Com Ga Nam An, and the waitress asked me, “With skin or without skin?” Which to me was just as, if not more ridiculous, than the dark meat white meat question. It’s never even occurred to me to ask this as an icebreaker because I simply assume that everybody loves chicken skin, like me.

But I’m learning that not everybody has good taste is like me, and it’s always fun to judge people based on their food preferences good to broaden your horizons and celebrate people’s differences.

Caption: not a great picture, but the boneless dark meat with skin is delicious at Com Ga Nam An. Also love the rice porridge on a cold rainy day.