Kristen Gyles | Freeness, FOMO and fried chicken

Since Wednesday’s ‘free chicken’ mayhem, some Jamaicans have been wanting to know more about the 11 herbs and spices used to season KFC’s fried chicken. Certainly, black pepper and garlic couldn’t be responsible for Jamaica’s strange obsession with KFC.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, KFC announced that customers would receive a free ‘meal deal’ with every purchase of a ‘big deal’ combo. The big deal includes three pieces of chicken while the meal deal includes two.

Well, Jamaicans took KFC up on their offer. Notwithstanding an opening time of 10 a.m. for most branches, some customers started lining up outside various outlets from as early as the crack of dawn to secure their two extra pieces of chicken. So, long before opening time, many branches had long lines building up on the outside, which eventually turned into hot, sweaty bundles. Frankly, the display of tenacity and resilience on Wednesday, was inspiring. Perhaps, this is what the black in our national flag was intended to represent – the unshakeable Jamaican spirit that makes one willing to wait all day for free chicken.

Video clips circulating on social media indicate that many KFC branches were packed almost as tightly as any sardine tin. Mothers with young babies stood in line, being shoved on all sides due to the congestion. Others had the heart to wheel their elderly relatives into the packed outlets. Long lines of vehicular traffic branched out from most outlets situated on or near a main road. All for chicken.

LIKE THE WORD ‘FREE’

What is in the chicken? Nothing extraordinary. But anyone who got a glimpse of what happened on Wednesday can testify that no staging of the Grand Gala or any other gathering at the National Stadium seems to have been as thrilling and exciting for patrons as this event. KFC must have known that there is nothing that will stir up the Jamaican populace like the word ‘free’ and the fear of missing out (FOMO).

Let’s not fool ourselves. This is not about poverty or hunger. People who are hungry and are down to their last $1,420 for the week, do not go and spend it on a KFC big deal. On the other hand, you are quite fortunate if you have over $1,000 to spend on one meal. Doesn’t sound like poverty. Further, many of the customers who spoke with the media claimed they would be buying several big deal combos. The several meals definitely weren’t for immediate consumption, but for some reason, frozen KFC has become all the rage. My theory: People just want to know that they have conquered the challenge of winning something they didn’t have to pay for. In other words, Jamaicans love ‘freeness’.

One woman who was interviewed by a journalist after getting her meal(s), was asked “How does it feel to be one of the few customers to get through at this location?” The response? She “feels proud and feels good” because she is no longer in the crowd dealing with the quarrelling and fighting. What our KFC auntie is trying to tell us is that she’s proud of herself for successfully attaining what others did not have the fortitude to achieve. Through the proverbial “blood, sweat and tears” of being out in the hot sun waiting all morning on KFC to finally open their doors, getting smothered, pushed and shoved all the way up to the front of the line, she persevered and she achieved her free chicken. Good for her!

IS IT ABOUT THE CHICKEN?

Jamaicans do a lot of what they do, just for the community of it. Is it really about the chicken? Or is it about being a part of a memorable experience that relatives, friends, neighbours and coworkers will be talking about for years to come? Speaking of coworkers, I heard quite a few employees from the Corporate Area called in sick on Wednesday. Not sure how many were actually just sick of cooking and turned to KFC for instant relief.

When all is said and done though, we all know who the biggest winners were on Wednesday. After all, I’m sure the company made enough money to open a few more branches. My only question is whether there are any more chickens left in Jamaica. Regardless, I trust that KFC knows exactly what it is doing. Besides what seems like a super addictive combination of magical herbs and spices, it knows just what to say to get ordinary Jamaicans to spend money they didn’t budget to spend.

Kristen Gyles is a free-thinking public affairs opinionator. Send feedback to kristengyles@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com