Holy Bird

Seeking to understand the history of American fried chicken is a daunting—and perhaps foolish—task. From viciously racist stereotypes of African Americans eating chicken to its role as a symbol of fast food chains’ supposed unhealthy influence on modern diets, discussing this globally ubiquitous dish in the nation that popularized it means confronting ongoing controversy and lasting pain. These were the stories I initially sought to explore when I began work on Holy Bird—a documentary film examining the cultural and culinary history of fried chicken in America. In filming interviews with those who cook and study this dish, however, a multitude of additional narratives emerged. While the story of American fried chicken and those who cook it is undoubtedly marked by tremendous exploitation and appropriation, it is simultaneously filled with tales of community development, economic opportunity, celebratory meals, and familial love. Holy Bird documents the full range of these stories, allowing its interview subjects to share what this dish has meant to them and the often-marginalized people who have cooked it throughout American history. HolyBirdDoc.com serves as an introduction to these narratives and those who shared them, with the goal of generating interest and support for this upcoming documentary film.

The film’s website introduces visitors to a diverse range of voices discussing fried chicken and its unique place in American history. Though any analysis of this dish must inevitably address and interrogate the systemic racism, sexism, and exploitation accompanying a product so often stereotypically associated with African Americans (particularly women), these voices illustrate the countless stories of community and celebration intertwined with this fraught legacy. While visitors to HolyBirdDoc.com will encounter historian Lolis Eric Elie’s analysis of how discourse around the supposed “natural” gifts of African American chefs has been used to “rob people of African descent of any intellectual talent,” they will also hear the late chef Leah Chase’s stories of bringing her fried chicken to imprisoned Freedom Riders, or Mississippi State Senator Willie Simmons’ memories of his mother lovingly packing a shoebox with fried chicken before travel through the segregated South. They are stirring reminders that, for all the pain linked to this frequently demeaned dish, cooking and serving fried chicken has long been a deeply meaningful (and technically difficult) act. HolyBirdDoc.com is a space to celebrate this labor and these achievements, sharing the stories of expertise, joy, and love all too often neglected in popular discussions of this dish.

Visitors to the site will find these stories spread across a range of pages and media formats. The experience begins with a landing page featuring a trailer previewing the film. From there, visitors are free to navigate various pages and explore the aspects of the documentary that most interest them. The site includes the following content: an “about” page describing the film and its goals; a “people” page featuring short biographies of each interview subject; a “restaurant” page with profiles of each establishment featured in the film; a “photo gallery” page with production stills; a “map” page highlighting filming locations; and a “clips” page with several videos addressing particular themes that are central to the documentary. These videos cover both broad historical narratives such as fried chicken restaurants’ role as community organizing spaces during the Civil Rights movement, and deeply personal memories like the meaning of celebratory fried chicken dinners within individual families. The videos are united by a desire to celebrate the expertise, value, and emotion attached to this dish within marginalized communities throughout American history.

I hope that HolyBirdDoc.com and the voices of those featured on it can play a role in expanding the boundaries of the conversation surrounding fried chicken’s long history in America. The diversity of stories visitors encounter aims to complicate their notions of what fried chicken represents, and encourage them to interrogate their own assumptions about the Americans who cook and eat this holy bird.

Works Cited

Thoennessen, Daniel. Holy Bird: A Fried Chicken Documentary. Directed by Daniel
Thoennessen. (release TBD); New York City: Big Lunch Films. Streaming Video. www.HolyBirdDoc.com.