They spoke.

We listened.  But no, this post is not about Chik-Fil-A opening up in Western NY.  But, this post is about chicken.  But not just any chicken.  No, no, no.  Not here in Western NY.  You see, even though it’s been over a year since we moved to WNY, there are apparently still many things that I have yet to experience.  And the phenomenon known as the Chicken B-B-Q was one of them.  That is, until Memorial Day weekend . . .

That’s right–we found ourselves a Chicken B-B-Q (basically a fundraising event that seems to be uniformly the same around the Buffalo area, and arguably around Brockport and Rochester too?  I’ll have to defer to Idiot Nation on that one, but based on Mr. Bunches’ affinity for these things, I think he started on these as a young lad, so it’s probably safe to say that they’re pretty standard around much of Western NY).

Here’s how it works: You buy tickets at the prices listed above for whichever meal you’d like (Chicken Dinner or Hot Dog–this isn’t a restaurant folks, and let’s just say varied choices are not part of the Chicken B-B-Q model).

Then you stand in line to pick up your food (using the aforementioned tickets of course).

Then, you rejoice (and avoid eye contact with the unfortunate plumber-butt situation on the bench behind Mr. Bunches).

You take your delicately-prepared mass-produced meal to an empty picnic table . . .

Of course, I wasn’t going to let Mr. Bunches have all the fun carrying our bag o’ food; Mini Bunches and I wanted our own turn . . . 

And then–enjoy!

Yep–that’s basically half a chicken, one scoop potato salad, one scoop cole slaw, a roll, and some butter.  Now, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I have to admit: I’m a Chicken B-B-Q convert.  You see, the chicken at these things seems to be exclusively prepared by Chiavetta’s and it’s pretty amazing.  It’s not slathered in a typical barbecue sauce.  No, this sucker’s marinated.  And seasoned.  And juicy.  And basically all-around delicious.

And that’s what Chiavetta’s does–it barbecues chicken.  That’s actually how we found this particular Chicken B-B-Q (usually you just have to keep your eyes peeled for a homemade sign on the side of the road)–turns out Chiavetta’s posts all the area Chicken B-B-Qs on its website (found here).  I think it’s safe to say that, while Mr. Bunches didn’t think it possible to love me anymore, when I found that schedule of events, his love reached a whole new level.  I’m not kidding–this man loves him some Chicken B-B-Q!

Turns out that Chiavetta’s is so popular in Western NY, that it’s vinegary marinade is sold pretty much everywhere.

So that’s it–the story of my first Chicken B-B-Q.  And you know what that means, right?  Those of you coming to visit this summer will undoubtedly also get the opportunity to experience first-hand the Chicken B-B-Q phenomenon.