Vermont folk artist and small businessman Bo Muller-Moore has gone and done pissed off the folks over at Chick-fil-A with his "Eat More Kale" T-shirts.
Muller-Moore began printing the slogan when his kale-farmer friend asked him to make T-shirts for friends and family. "Eat More Kale" seemed to catch on, so he bought a hand silkscreen machine and started selling his shirts on the web. The guy makes every single shirt individually with care and nothing but love for greens.
So, Chick-fil-A, why u mad, bro? "Eat More Kale" is way too close for comfort to their "Eat mor chikin" phrase. In a letter, a lawyer for Chick-fil-A said Muller-Moore's "eat more kale" message "is likely to cause confusion of the public and dilutes the distinctiveness of Chick-fil-A's intellectual property and diminishes its value." Muller-Moore's lawyer told the Associated Press, "It's more of a philosophical statement about local agriculture and community supported farmers markets. At the end of the day, I don't think anyone will step forward and say they bought an 'eat more kale' shirt thinking it was a Chick-fil-A product."
Agreed. I mean, really? It's gonna be a weird, weird day when I roll up to the Chick-fil-A window and see kale as a side option. Honestly, I got nothin' but love for Chick-fil-A...it's probably one of my favorite fast food joints. I like waffle fries dipped in Polynesian sauce, and I even love their lemonade...but I also like kale, as I quite recently realized.
I suppose I had always been intimidated by it before...so thick and mega-leafy...my default greens were just spinach and lettuce. Much like children often need to be persuaded to eat their veggies with ranch or cheese, my interest in kale was piqued when I came across a recipe for sea salt and vinegar kale chips. Chips?. I'm listening. I picked up a bunch of organic kale and went home to experiment. Here's how I learned to love kale.
Homemade Kale Chips
You need: Kale leaves Balsamic vinegar Extra virgin olive oil Sea salt Black Pepper (I also used a little cayenne...because...welp, I'm Cajun)
How to: 1. Rinse off your kale and dry it thoroughly with a paper towel. 2. Break kale leaves into chip-size bits (I made approx 22 pieces).
3. Throw kale into a large Ziploc bag. Throw 1 tablespoon of EVOO and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (or any vinegar you fancy) into the Ziploc, seal and shake it like shake n' bake. 4. Toss kale onto a cookie sheet, space them so the pieces don't touch. 5. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and cracked black pepper (and cayenne?) 6. Place cookie sheet in 350 degree heated oven for 10 minutes. After 10 mins, give em a poke. They should be hard to the touch. If not, you could flip them & give 'em another minute. 7. Using a spatula, put your crispy kale chips on a plate and serve.
Sure, they might look like frogs that have been run over by an SUV, but they're salty and crunchy, and they're good for you. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein and reasonably rich in calcium. Suck it, potato chips.
Do you think Chick-fil-A is making a stink out of nothing or do they have a valid argument? Do you think Muller-Moore will win this fight? Let us know in the comments section.
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