A Rethinking of Cheap Chicken

Yesterday, there was a protest right in front of Lidl, with a few people holding some sickening chicken images.

I approached and asked, ‘what’s this?’ A man with reddish hair looked me in the eyes, firmly explained to me how Lidl’s chickens are treated inhumanely and suffering daily.

I signed the petition and went into the supermarket.

‘I believe not only Lidl, but in many supermarkets are like this (the chicken). So many people eat chicken every day, and how do they keep the supply at a cheap cost? That’s the result.’ Curry Boy said.

Those dying chicken images remind me of a recent documentary on Netflix – ‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT, A TWIN EXPERIMENT’. The farmed chicken they filmed in the USA is the same.

They lived in an A4-sized area for their whole life, with an artificial light setting and feeding on hanging-over tubes 24/7. Just like you get squeezed in a Japanese packed train (満員電車) and food keeps coming out from handrails.

Since then, on top of not buying raw meat, the chicken nuggets are not on my shopping list anymore.

‘100% chicken breast’ is just a marketing label. Without telling me where those chickens come from, and selling that at a cheap price, I could only relate that those chicken breasts were come from the ‘abnormal’ chicken that I didn’t ever want to eat.

Throwing back my memory, I used to see a live chicken stall (活雞檔) in a wet market in HK. You get to pick the fat and healthy one you like, and the butcher does all the bloody work for you. On every Chinese festival/occasion, chicken is a MUST. Can you imagine how many chickens are killed while we celebrate?

Ironically, chicken wings were my favourite food when I was a kid. My Guinness record of eating chicken wings in one single meal is 11! My Mom’s 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐞𝐬(咖喱薯仔雞翼) was simply the best.

But do I still eat chicken? Yes, sometimes, when I go to restaurants (a good one). Since I don’t handle raw meat at home, put all my trust in a great chef’s hand is the best option I have now. Eat less, but of a better quality. The decision is with you.

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But if you’re buying low-cost chickens from the major supermarkets, maybe you want to think again.

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