Love At First Bite

Today, I became one of the lucky few (lucky millions?) to try Chick Fil A's new Spicy Chicken Sandwich. You know the drill-- you make a reservation at your local delicious chicken purveyor, show up with your printed coupon, hand over your photo ID and sign over your life and receive your free sandwich. Then: spicy goodness.

I did encounter one little snag in the plan this afternoon, when I realized something-- we don't have a printer. Now, in this digital age, I believe you should be able to just flash your iPhone, open to your email with the coupon inside, at the high schooler behind the counter and that's that. And maybe that would have worked, but I was unwilling to risk it. Off to Fed/Ex Office I went. So my free spicy chicken sandwich ran me about $.75.

Now about that sandwich. In most ways, it's the exact same as a Chick Fil A chicken sandwich. Same breading, same chicken, just different seasoning. But why change things up when the rest was already just right? In the future, when craving Chick Fil A, I would probably go for this one over the original. However, if I were simply craving spicy, this doesn't cut it. Not quite spicy enough for me, although my tastebuds have gotten pretty demanding of flavor in their old age. Your mileage may vary.

And now the crucial question: is it better than Wendy's version of the same? Why yes. Yes it is, thus rendering Wendy's only necessary for fulfilling all your fries-dipped-in-Frosty needs.

My verdict? Worth every delicious penny of that $.75.

Election Eve

Today was my first experience volunteering for a political campaign. I signed up to volunteer to “get out the vote” in Decatur today, not knowing if that meant I'd be going door-to-door, making cold calls or doing any number of other things that generally terrify my non-confrontational self. I got to the Campaign For Change office at noon, and it was pretty packed. I figured the day before the election, people would be winding down, not really thinking about volunteering, but there were at least fifty or so people milling around the tiny office and tables set up outside it. At that point, they needed people to either canvass door-to-door or sit and staple together door hangers. Despite being less frightened of staplers than of canvassing, I agreed to blockwalk and was given a partner and a packet of registered Democrat voters' addresses.

My parner (whose name, I think, was James? So much for making friends for life via political activism...) was a young-but-still-older-than-me Emory professor. (In fact, almost everyone at the office appeared to be at least 35. Just an interesting note.) So James and I drove a few miles to the Snapfinger voting precinct, parked on a shady street, and started knockin'.

All the areas we canvassed seemed to be relatively poor areas; I'm a white girl from the suburbs. I really, really don't want to sound (or be) prejudiced or to stereotype, but I have to admit that there was a little part of me that wondered if I might get shot today. Just days after reading about a trick-or-treater getting shot to death in South Carolina, I can't say it didn't enter my mind. Luckily nobody came to the door gun in hand; in fact, people seemed eager to open the door to us when they heard we were from the Obama campaign. Of course, we were only going to the homes of registered Democrats. It might have been different had we been canvassing earlier in the election, when the focus is less on simply getting out the vote and more on persuasion. Yikes. I was just pleased to not have to argue with any Republicans. I do have to note, however, on the subject of scariness, that the area we were in featured a disproportionate number of terrifying, snarling dogs. When those signs say "Beware Of Dog," they mean it. But I digress.

On the whole I don't know if I feel like we made much of a difference. This Slate article describes the hierarchy of efficiency when it comes to helping out a campaign, and knocking on doors is at the top of the list. Everyone we spoke to told us they were voting for Obama; everyone we spoke to (save one man who said he doesn't “believe in voting”) told us they had voted or were planning to tomorrow. Most knew where their polling place was. Maybe we informed one or two who didn't know or might have put off voting.

A big, beefy black guy around my age with a Guitar Hero controller around his neck came out of his house and hit on me while James was at another door. “You got a husband? You got a boyfriend? You got a phone number?” I said I had none of those, but that I liked his game (his video game, that is, not his pick-up game). “I like your face,” he responded. All in a day's work.

The day before an historic election, what can we really say that hasn't been said? Even the undecideds have decided by now. The issue is no longer who you're going to pick. Vote Obama, but really, just vote. It does make a difference. You will feel a little charge after you do, knowing that you exercised your suffrage that (unless you're a white male property-owner) was fought for, and hard. Don't tell me you don't have time. Make time. Bring a book, bring a snack, bring a pillow and some playing cards, but just go. I don't want to wake up on Wednesday and hear that the youth voter turnout was anything other than unprecedented. The Boomers think we're irresponsible layabouts; prove 'em wrong. And if you won't do it for all those reasons, then do it for the free doughnut, free coffee, free ice cream, free chicken tenders or even a free sex toy. Totally worth a few hours in line, if you ask me.

More Free Food!

You'd think I'd run out of free food offers to write about, but not yet. As an addendum to my last post, I have two Election Day offers to report.

First, stop by Shane's Rib Shack on the real Election Day, Nov. 4th, while wearing your "I Voted Today" sticker (by that I assume they mean the happy Georgia peach that says "I'm a Georgia Voter"? I hope so) and get a free chicken tenders meal. That's a whole free meal just for voting! Way cooler than just a free taco.

Second, after you're full of chicken strips, mosey on over to your local Ben & Jerry's store between 5 and 8 p.m. and receive a free scoop of delicious ice cream. B&J, being the laid back dudes that they are, don't even care if you lose your sticker.

And remember Free Taco Day is tomorrow! Yum. Stick with me, kid, you'll never pay for food again.

Free For All

Here at IoE, we commend ourselves on being frugal. Or maybe we just don't have two pennies to rub together to start a fire (that works, right? Boy Scouts?). Either way, we're committed to helping you, our dear readers, live the kind of frugal life that can allow you to sail off in your yacht after your 60th birthday (or at the very least, book an interior cabin on a 4-day-3-night Disney cruise). What better way to save money than by eating for free? Thanks to advertising stunts in a desperate economy, you have two new ways to do just that.

For some reason, Greg Creed, the "Curiously Australian" President of Taco Bell, as Consumerist describes him, loves to give away free tacos. He did it in 2004. He did it during last year's World Series, and some baseball fans didn't like it, according to this Boston Globe article. He did it sometime earlier in 2008, I swear, but Google's not backing me up here. According to Wikipedia, he even tried to do it as far back as 2001, promising every American a free taco if a target the Bell placed in the Pacific Ocean was hit by a falling piece of the space station Mir (it wasn't). What a wacky Australian. Well, regardless, it's Free Taco Time again, thanks to Tampa Bay shortstop Jason Bartlett's base-stealing prowess. After writing Mr. Bartlett a thank-you note, I say you gather up all your friends on Tuesday, October 28th, Free Taco Day. A quick Google search reveals that there are "about 1,271" Taco Bells near Atlanta, GA. How many deliciously free crunchy beef tacos do you think you can eat? Mmm, Mild Sauce.

Now for a promotion that'll quench your thirst for free stuff. We all know by now that Chinese Democracy, Guns N' Roses' little album that never quite could, is finally going to see the light of day on November 23rd of this year. The makers of Dr Pepper either didn't see that one coming, or they belong to Greg Creed's school of free thought. Back in March, they announced (unbeknown to Axl, apparently) that if Chinese Democracy could chugga-chugga-chug it's way into record stores by the end of 2008, then everyone in America could enjoy a can of Dr Pepper, on them. They've since upped the ante and made it a free 20 oz. bottle. Dr Pepper even launched a blog about the offer and the mythical album. Well, Axl's finally making good, and so's Dr Pepper. On or after the album's "release date" (I'll believe it when I see it) of November 23, one need only visit the Dr Pepper website and fill out a form, then sit back and wait 4-6 weeks for one's free 20 oz. Dr Pepper coupon to arrive. This process will be made more difficult if you happen to be ex-band members Slash or Buckethead, as the offer explicitly excludes the two of them from receiving their free tasty beverages. According to NME, Axl promised to share his Dr Pepper with Buckethead. Slash, if you're reading this, you're SOL. Sorry dude.

In related news, anybody remember my journalistic hero and ex-SPIN Magazine senior writer Chuck Klosterman's April Fool's Day 2006 review of Chinese Democracy? He gave the then-fictional album 3 out of 5 stars. I'm curious to see if Klosterman can add psychic to his resume.

Anyway, IoE just wanted to make sure you're all on top of this free food business. Remember: October 28th, 2008, go get your free taco. November 23rd, 2008, log onto DrPepper.com and get your coupon, then stop by your local record store to see if Chinese Democracy actually exists. If it does, be on the lookout for locusts, scary horsemen and other signs of the apocalypse. You never know.