Light vs. Dark Meat / NPR

Good story last night, interesting looking recipe, too. The money quotes:

Why do we like chicken breasts so much — and how can we cross over to the dark side?

That first question is pretty easy. "People don't like to be reminded that when they eat meat, it's actually part of an animal," food writer Nadia Arumugam tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. "When you have a chicken leg in front of you, there's no denying that's an animal limb."

Shoppers may also perceive dark meat as fattier and less healthy. There is a little more fat in legs, Arumugam says, but only a few calories worth. On the plus side, dark meat is rich in nutrients like iron and vitamin B, Arumugam says, "so you're really getting a good nutritional boost with dark meat."

"There's a whole rest of the world that loves dark meat," she says. That includes Russia, where, until recently, America's unloved chicken legs were being sent.

Meat is such a weird thing, I think she's right on. People want meat, but don't want to think about the animal at all. If they did the whole feed lot industry wouldn't exist! I was present (didn't help much...) when my friend Ben killed a rooster. We had an amazing fried chicken dinner. But I really haven't eaten much meat since.