Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

It was cold. I was huddled in a ball on stairs near 8th Street waiting for friends. That epic hunger pain was beginning - the one where you realized it's been hours, and hours, and only one thing will conquer such gluttonous thoughts streaming through your vulnerable little mind.

Fast Food.

The girls arrived, with the same determination on their faces. We were hungry ladies, with only dollars to spare. What to do? Where to go? But of course...

NYU is located around this area, and what is something that only NYU possesses in the city? That's right - every southerner's dream: 
Chick-Fil-A. Crispy, juicy chicken smothered in whatever sauce you prefer, and placed on a golden bun with the ever necessary two pickles. In fact, finding a Chick-Fil-A in New York City is close to the equivalent of finding Narnia.

I know. Bold statement. But you must understand the excitement and anxiety felt at the time. I had never been to a Chick-Fil-A north of Virginia, and the craving for those waffle fries had been increasingly irrepressible.

We walked left. We walked right. This gem isn't easy to locate, you see. NYU likes to keep their little secret out of the public eye. Ahh... but we were too hungry for such games. "Where's the Chick-Fil-A!?" Ivy finally asked a wondering student. There was desperation in our eyes; a gleam on our skin. The girl showed us mercy.

"Up the street, to the right."

These words were not directions to live by (Up the street? To where - Harlem?) but they gave us hope. And that was all we needed to fulfill our mission. I could see us in slow-motion. Dodging people, glancing around nervously, excited but solemn. Until The Chicken Sandwich was in our ambitious grasps, we could not dare to dream... not if our dreams could so easily be dashed.

(Cue dramatic music)

Ah! The entrance. Now all we had to do was walk past the guards... eh, I mean RAs. Nonchalantly, we gave our best college faces, and hooked a quick right into the cafeteria. It's entirely possible you could be homeless and walk into the student union, but we weren't sure of the rules and now was not the time to ask.

Glowing lights beckoned, pronouncing to us "The chicken from GOD is here for you!" I'm not even a die hard Chick-Fil-A fan, but there will always be something magical about finding places unknown. Need I mention my meal was under $5?

And that was the best fast food I've devoured since moving to New York. Except for maybe that one late-night Taco Bell excursion in Queens...

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner