Confessions of a Bad Chicken Eater
I have a confession. I’m not a good chicken on the bone eater. Maybe it came from the fact that my family were vegans the first 5 years of my life. When we moved to Houston from Philadelphia in 1981 to be closer to my mom’s side of the family, the vegan life we were accustomed to was left behind. Not eating ANY meat was just too far a road to travel in Texas in the 1980s.
At any rate, whether that is the source or not, I pick over chicken. I’m always embarrassed with all the meat I leave on the bone. I’ve always watched with admiration as people put entire chicken wings or drum legs in their mouths, and are able to pull them out free of any meat anywhere. The ability to chow down on muscle, tendons, ligaments, whatever is in there, and not care, is a skill I don’t have.
Chicken Eating and Feedback: The Relationship
Recently I was reflecting on a question someone who found it hard to receive feedback had asked me – how can I make getting feedback less hard? I was reflecting on this while I ate my lunch – which included 2 chicken wings.
As I ate my chicken wing, spitting out gristle and ultimately pulling the meat off the bone to avoid all the muscles and inner parts of the chicken, I realized that how you take your feedback can be how you like your chicken. Sure. I admire people who eat as much of the chicken as possible.
That is likely the best way to eat the chicken. At the same time, just because some of us can’t handle that strength in chicken eating 🙂 doesn’t mean we have to avoid eating chicken altogether!
Figure Out How You Can Take Feedback
So if you can’t take feedback directly, admit that to yourself (and others). Figure out how you CAN take it. And let people know, honestly. Do you prefer the feedback sandwich? (Positive, Negative, Positive)
Do you prefer an ongoing conversation where it doesn’t feel like feedback at all? Do you take all the chicken off the bone – the good, the bad, the chewy. Or do you want someone to just take the good parts of it and give it to you in a way you can digest.
Yes. There is likely a way that is more right than others. But the most important part of getting – and giving – feedback is having an honest understanding about how you best are able to receive it and digest it.
So next time you’re thinking about feedback, think about it like chicken on the bone. There are lots of ways to eat it, so take it in the way that works best for you.
