Half-Assed Gourmet: The Awesomeness of Chik-Fil-A

Evidence that Chik-fil-A is awesome:

*The food is tasty as all get-out.
*I don't even mind the relatively sparse menu: It's chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets for me, and that's fine. They concentrate on what they do best.
*I love going there despite that ridiculous name.
*They're worth it even though they're closed Sundays.
*I kind of respect that they stick to their guns and close Sundays, by the way. Brassy move in today's world.
*That honey-smoked BBQ sauce or whatever it is I love so much in those little packets. I always have to ask for a handful of it, but it's always delicious.
*I will actually stand in line for it on a busy shopping day at the mall when there are other options literally in front of me.

The other day, in fact, I actually did wait in a huge line, with the wife and baby reserving a seat for us inside the tiny, jam-packed mall version of Chik-fil-A. I hate lines. But it was OK. When I finally reached the counter, I ordered my own value meal only to discover the place was out of iced tea! This kind of outrage would normally drive me over the edge, but I overlooked it because, well, it was Chik-fil-A.

I can best sum up the awesomeness of this fast food franchise with this anecdote: While I was standing in the line, a queue which extended well into the walking space of the mall, a late-teenish girl and a middle-aged gentleman--presumably her father--walked by, each with a shopping bag in hand. The girl looked at the crowd, scrunched up her face, and said, "Look at that! Who likes Chik-fil-A THAT much?"

And the guy, without missing a stride, glanced at her and raised his hand straight up into the air. As he continued towards the door, he surely envied those of us who also liked Chik-fil-A but, unlike himself, were actually about to taste that scrumptious chicken.