Has KFC found a new way to get white people in trouble with their Black friends and coworkers?
Earlier this week it was announced that KFC would be selling a limited-edition firelog that when ignited would fill your home with the scent of the Colonel’s Original Recipe fried chicken.
According to USATODAY, for just $18.99 (plus shipping and handling), KFC fanatics all over the country can get their hands on the limited edition 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog at www.kfcfirelogs.com.
“The smell of the Colonel’s Original Recipe fried chicken is unmistakable,” the restaurant chain explained in a statement, also pointing out that it worked with Enviro-Log to create “the ultimate winter necessity.”
And for the environmentalists amongst us, the item description also states that the one-of-a-kind logs are made with 100 percent recycled materials and can burn up to three hours.
They “may result in a craving for fried chicken” and “attract bears or neighbors who are hungry,” the fast food brand warns.
A fireplace is nice, but what if it smelled like fried chicken? @KFC pic.twitter.com/WAdEfFlVkU
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) December 14, 2018
Now look, no one can deny the allure of well seasoned fried chicken. But given that this is the time of year when people all over the country will be grappling to find inexpensive gifts to give to colleagues at the office gift exchange we kind of wish they had also issued a warning on this item about when it’s inappropriate to hand it out. Namely, “PLEASE do not give this to your Black friend as a gag gift.”
KFC’s U.S. chief marketing officer, Andrea Zahumensky, said in a statement that the company has “always been proud of our role in bringing loved ones together at the dinner table around a bucket of our world-famous fried chicken.”
But racial stereotypes about Black people’s affinity for fried chicken and watermelon are so prevalent (and touchy) that it’s easy to see how this twenty dollar chunk of poultry scented wood could get someone in deep trouble at the next office party.
ESPECIALLY in Trump’s America.
And for those who think this product couldn’t possibly be real, the 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog sold out in hours Thursday. No word yet on when they’ll be restocking.
https://twitter.com/QuantifiedDave/status/1073407103463755776
Introducing the 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog from Enviro-Log®, the best way to make a fire smell less like fire and more like fried chicken. Get yours today at https://t.co/u2baCmHQYF. pic.twitter.com/y4TRf4cqQs
— KFC (@kfc) December 13, 2018