My reverie of rotisserie chickens goes back many moons when I was on the cusp of giving up my vegetarianism and the smell of rotisserie chickens roasting away in Wegmans pushed me over the edge.
Ever since then I have been addicted to the rotisserie chickens from Wegmans. They were juicy on the inside and pleasingly crunchy on the outside and I relished feasting on at least one every week. In short order, they became my favorite food.
These little epicurean treasures were just $4.99 – a very economical choice as one chicken afforded me at least two or three meals.
However, little by little, the chickens got smaller and the taste not as good. Then, one day and out of the proverbial blue, the price of what had become ridiculously little birds rose to $9.99!
Goodbye Wegmans rotisserie chickens.
Rabblerouser that I can be, I started a thread on a social media site about the outrageousness of the new price on the Wegmans chickens. Many people hopped on my bandwagon with comments containing similar outrage as well as suggestions for alternatives. It became apparent that rotisserie chickens were a sought-after staple for many besides me.
Hello B.J.s.
Yep, my alternative of choice became B.J.s where the birds were twice as big and ten times juicier, for just $4.99. However, along with this came the rotisserie chicken rodeo.
The word evidently got out, because the rotisserie chicken tray was often empty, and a hoard of people was gathered around it and the oven that was in the process of roasting the beautiful birds that find their way into the tray. When the bell signaled the chickens were done, the crowd of people that had gathered to wait for a chicken, or two or three, began to crush forward. Elbows found stomachs, bodies pushed into other bodies, and some outright butted in front of others. It became a rodeo stampede. All of this for a (delicious) $4.99 rotisserie chicken.
So, the moral of this story is, go to Aldis, buy a chicken, take it home, and roast it yourself.
madmuser 