Terri and I need to stop going to movies at dinner time.  The last time we got into trouble with that was the movie Julie and Julia in which Julie was cooking every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook.  Halfway through the movie I whispered to Terri that I was getting damned hungry.  She knew what I meant. I don’t remember how we resolved that after the movie.

Then last night it happened again.  We went to a 6:25 showing of The Help.  I think I ate before I went, but after an hour of pie and  fried chicken and tables of food being spread out, I was famished.  Terri again agreed.

So we got out of the movie and decided we were on a mission to find fried chicken.  First I thought we could go to my house and cook some up as I had just bought some – but that seemed like too much work too late in the evening.  Terri got on her smart phone and we started brainstorming.  Boston Market?  A possibility.  Marie Callendars?

OK, this is where the evening took a dark turn.  Terri informed me that Marie Callendar’s in Walnut Creek AND Concord had closed.  One afternoon they shut the place down, just like that, everyone had to leave.  Bankruptcy.  Marie Callendar’s?  Where are all the retired people from Rossmoor going to go?  Where are we going to get our pies?  Chocolate Satin (known as chocolate Satan in our home) is no more?  Maybe it IS time to move to SoCal.  I  was devastated.  By this time we had decided we not only needed fried chicken but also mashed potatoes.

The quest went on.  We decided if nothing else we would have to go to KFC.  It would be our little secret.  Like the Big Macs I ate when I was pregnant with Andy because nothing else would stay down or satisfy my apparent salt/grease need.  Well, we forgot the KFC in Lafayette is now a cheesesteak shop.  Bleah.  So we tried Bo’s BBQ at the other end of town – there were musicians setting up so we thought we were good to go.  (Who knew there was music Saturday night at Bo’s?)  But no, the food serving was over.  Hokay.

Back into the car.  Back online.  Found a KFC in Walnut Creek.  Ate our chicken, mashed potatoes and talked.  Now, I’m telling you because I know you all can keep a secret.  I had the popcorn chicken – it wasn’t half bad, a little too peppery for my tastes.  I think the secret recipe has changed.

At any rate, beware: eat before you go see The Help.  I have sworn off movie theater popcorn since it is the worst food on the face of the earth and threatens to cause a stroke right there in the sticky-floored theater.

So there you are.  Now you know.  Don’t judge me until you’ve seen the movie.  Of course, if you know the story you will know why we weren’t in the mood for pie.  Maybe that’s why Marie Callendar’s went out of business.  I think they’d have a case…