Track season is in full swing where I live, which means I am often traveling to nearby schools to watch my son compete.
It also means that I’m getting a number of meals at concession stands.
As you might remember, a year ago I blogged about my surprise how the chicken sandwich craze hit track meet concession stands. And a particular chicken sandwich sold at the concession stand at a rival school in our league, which I will only identify as NHS, proved mighty popular with athletes and fans alike.
Well, I never did try that sandwich, either at the regular season meet or at the league championship meet at that same track. Two lost opportunities. I decided I wouldn’t let that opportunity again pass me like I was the slow kid thrown into the 3200-meter run against his wishes.
So when I went to watch the meet at NHS last week, I knew what I was going to have for supper.
But, alas, those sandwiches weren’t offered this year. However, there were still two NHS concession stand offerings that involved chicken. One was chicken tenders, while the other was a chicken salad sandwich. And while I didn’t hear raves about either product like I did a year ago about the sandwich, it was still good to see chicken still had its place on the menu.
Not the only school to offer chicken
A couple of weeks prior to the NHS meet, my son’s school hosted the season opener. The concession stand was a fundraiser for the high school band. And since a good percentage of the track team, including my son, is also in the band, and other band members are busy helping with the meet doing things like hurdle hustling, pulling tape measures and raking the jumping pits, they rely on help from the parents.
I took my turn working the concession stand around my son’s competition schedule. And from what I could tell during my shifts, one of the more popular non-candy foods offered was a new addition: chicken strips.
As I noted a year ago, chicken products weren’t regularly sold at sporting event concession stands here in cattle country, but they are getting more common. And more diverse. Just midway into the season, I’ve discovered three chicken products I had never seen sold before at area concession stands.
That’s something that should make people in the poultry industry smile.
