There are, naturally, divided views over last Wednesday’s occurrences in respect of the recognition of KFC’s 50th anniversary of its operations in Jamaica.

To many, it was a time to dive into what Jamaica’s undisputed champion of fast-food distribution and sales, formed in Corbin, Kentucky, USA during the 1940s, and now with all of 41 outlets islandwide, had to dish out to a community that always had an appetite for the product.

The KFC management apparently did not realise how many followers the company had; neither were the police prepared for the human-like avalanche, as what must have been thousands descended on KFC stores with venom.

What got me, though, was the mad rush to secure an additional two pieces of chicken, a serving of French fries, and a soft drink. Was it worth it? My position is not at all.

I am a consumer of KFC… I reckon I indulge around four times a year. Health consciousness is the key factor for my seemingly lower than usual support for the franchise, because pushing down the salty fries, chicken served with a lot of overhanging grease, and topping it off with high sugar content drinks, is not usually found on the agenda of a ‘Eating Well For All’ conference. 

This is a case in which nutrition lost out to taste, and cholesterol control was knocked out in the first round.

The rush that I saw, the damage to property, and the lengthy traffic jams close to the locations that I passed, would have been more appropriate, I think, of a bid for housing units across the island, not two additional bits of chicken, fries and carbonated drinks. It was a show of narrowness and lost priorities. 

I have no issue with those who manage KFC in Jamaica or elsewhere. Restaurants of Jamaica, as the parent company is named, has sponsored and provided generous support to several initiatives worth billions over 50 years. But things just went overboard.

Funny enough, on the day, I had left a quite informative event, called Jamaica Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, put on by the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Enhancement Fund, and others, in Kingston, to tend to other matters. As things turned out, early-stage hunger set in, and rather than being crushed to death by trying to stop at a KFC outlet, I decided to seek out a Popeyes instead. Wrong move to select the Red Hills Road shop. I waited 52 minutes to get a serving of strips of chicken breast, having sworn earlier to avoid that particular branch in the future, following many disappointing episodes of poor customer service that you would hardly find at other locations, in particular Manor Centre and Waterloo.

So, KFC Day has come and gone. Apart from huge financial gains by the company, the suspension of hunger for some, and a deeper love for what some have called Jamaica’s ‘National Dish’, the mentality of those who got into the rush zone, as if they would not survive the day without the product, must be quite worrying.

Not even if all Chinese restaurants in Jamaica decided to offer an extra meal for whatever reason, would you find me entering a chase. Wonder if there would be any such rush, though, had there been a reduction on the price of Chinese food?

Jamaican food in the spotlight

Days ago, at the Jamaica Forum in Gastronomy Tourism, I was left wide-eyed in amazement when details were presented of how Jamaica’s food was so sought after by those who visit Jamaica’s shores and dive into the culinary offerings.

There were no examples of tourists visiting Jamaica to devour KFC, in fact, in all my years, the only man I have ever seen in a real hurry to consume KFC was an Indian fast bowler who toured the Caribbean with his nation’s cricket team in the 1990s. His inability to digest traditionally cooked meals posed a problem for him, and it may have even affected his bowling, as the returns were not encouraging.

So, with his virtual lack of English, and mistrust for many, it was a regular thing for him to ask myself, and a couple other journalists to accompany him to the nearest KFC outlet. ‘Reporter … Tucky Fry’ was his usual request to me as soon as he became ‘pekish’. That led us to become great friends, as he truly appreciated us being there with him all over the Caribbean, ensuring that he was able to eat something that he could manage.

The revelation at the Gastronomy Tourism event though, among other things, pointed to 42 per cent of visitors’ expense spent on food.

They would ignore the foods that they often consumed in their homelands, and take keen explorative steps to get as much of the jerk chicken, curry goat, oxtail, ackee, breadfruit and others, as they could.

Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett was at pains to state, in a typically articulate address, that when tourists look at what Jamaica offers to the world, and how delectable the food is, they rave about it, which strengthens the offerings.

To Bartlett, it was now about taking Jamaica’s cuisine to the next level, by applying new processes, which is why he backed a soon-to-become Gastronomy Tourism Academy for Jamaica, which would be the first in the region.

Presenter on Gastronomy for Growth, Altreisha Foster Bentho, perhaps put it best in describing what Jamaica has to offer: ‘Jamaican cuisine is not a side-dish, it is the main attraction’. 

Athletes must choose what’s best 

Although it is hard to accept that at least two, maybe up to four, of Jamaica’s national track and field athletes have decided to switch allegiance and become ambassadors of Turkiye, it’s not difficult to sympathise with them.

The incentives being offered far outweighed anything that Jamaica could have countered. Imagine you being given US$500,000 for you to jump ship, US$100,000 a year for four years in basic allowance, huge incentives for winning medals in international competition, among other perquisites. What would prevent you from saddling up and moving on if things were not working out for you in the land of your birth?

There are more Jamaicans living outside of the shores of this north Caribbean island, many of them through emigration so there is nothing strange in this latest case that has emerged among the field events competitors. 

I am sure that the athletes, whoever chooses to fly away from Ja, will be given solid backup support that they need in order to effectively make the transition. Turkish cuisine is first-class. But that is not all. There are many other ways to make themselves comfortable. 

Some will say that the athletes are sellouts, traitors, money-chasers among other things. Fundamentally, though, every man has a right to decide his own destiny. No one knows what the individual next door is feeling, so he ought to be allowed to do as he wants to, under the laws of the land.

The exodus of athletes who have represented Jamaica, some with distinction, should serve as an eye-opener to those who guide athletics in Jamaica, and by extension, the Government, to hear the cries of the athletes and see how best they can accommodate them.

I’m not convinced that the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association is making the best choices as far as advancing the success of athletes is concerned. Neither do I believe that the Government has got its priorities right in this regard.

Key personnel changes that will lead to new policy directions, are, therefore, a must.

Holness’s strokeless cricket show

The busy-as-a-bee attitude adopted by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in recent months, spilled over into cricket … yes cricket, recently, when he turned up at Jamaica’s international cricket ground, Sabina Park, to among other things, see preparations being made for this Caribbean island’s hosting of a day-night Test match which involves hosts the West Indies, and Australia from July 12 to 16, followed by two T20 internationals days after.

What could have spurred the prime minister’s sudden interest in Jamaica’s push to stage the three matches successfully? Well, for starts, a general election is just a few months away, and the PM needs as many extra votes as he can in order to remain in office for three straight terms and his fourth stint overall as Jamaica’s political head.

But the way that he has been going around the place of late, is kind of vulgar…for even in the case of cricket, he was missing in action when Jamaica really needed him to push aside then-finance minister Nigel Clarke’s misguided stance that Jamaica had no money to bid for matches in last year’s T20 World Cup. As a result, Jamaica was not only left behind, but left out of profiting from the earnings of the prestigious tournament.

Where was Holness, too, when the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise had to close shop and pull out of Jamaica, for lack of Government support, while the other Caribbean franchises went on with their game in 2023?

Dr Don Bennett, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association, might well be close to the prime minister. It’s a pity though, that he could not persuade or convince his friend, that cricket is bawling out for tangible Government support, and should not be used in the pursuit of mere posing and masquerading.