Just so there’s no misunderstanding, especially with the good folks at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), I’ve included below the original e-mail that spread across the Internet in 1999, and was the source of this urban legend, and thus the inspiration for my poem:

KFC has been a part of our American traditions for many years. Many people, day in and day out, eat at KFC religiously. Do they really know what they are eating?

During a recent study of KFC done at the University of New Hampshire, they found some very upsetting facts. First of all, has anybody noticed that just recently, the company has changed their name? Kentucky Fried Chicken has become KFC. Does anybody know why? We thought the real reason was because of the "FRIED" food issue. It's not. The reason why they call it KFC is because they can not use the word chicken anymore. Why?

KFC does not use real chickens. They actually use genetically manipulated organisms. These so called "chickens" are kept alive by tubes inserted into their bodies to pump blood and nutrients throughout their structure. They have no beaks, no feathers, and no feet. Their bone structure is dramatically shrunk to get more meat out of them. This is great for KFC because they do not have to pay so much for their production costs. There is no more plucking of the feathers or the removal of the beaks and feet. The government has told them to change all of their menus so they do not say chicken anywhere. If you look closely you will notice this. Listen to their commercials, I guarantee you will not see or hear the word chicken. I find this matter to be very disturbing. I hope people will start to realize this and let other people know.

Please forward this message to as many people as you can. Together we can make KFC start using real chicken again.

Is it true?	No. It is a hoax, or at least an urban legend.
Why?	Gadzooks! Giant featherless, beakless mutant chickens pulsating with nutrient-conveying tubes! Oh, the humanity! While rumors about fast food ingredients have been popular for many years, it is difficult to regard this email as anything other than a clever play on past rumors. · No study of KFC has been done at the University of New Hampshire · KFC does not raise its own chickens (mutant or otherwise) but buys them from poultry producers · Kentucky Fried Chicken became KFC in 1991 (not exactly recently) · KFC refers to a number of its products as 'chicken,' (Original Recipe® Chicken, Tender Roast Chicken, Chunky Chicken Pot Pie.
When?	December 1999