‘This is not a party’; Crowds gather as Philadelphia man eats rotisserie chicken for 40th straight day
On Sunday morning, a Philadelphia man who goes by the moniker ‘Smooth Recess’ consumed an entire rotisserie chicken for the 40th straight day in front of a packed crowd, all the while insisting that what he is doing is in fact ‘not a party’.
The Philadelphia Phillies may have lost the World Series in 6 games on Saturday night to the Houston Astros, yet one Philadelphia man has refused to go down quietly while fulfilling his promise to eat an entire chicken for the 40th straight day.
Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a ton of buzz on the Philadelphia subreddit regarding a man requesting an audience to watch him continue a daily streak of eating an entire chicken. At first I brushed off the post as a prank or someone looking for an easy way to farm internet karma.
But as I awoke on Sunday morning, I suddenly realized that what was about to occur on an abandoned pier off Columbus Blvd next to a Wal-Mart was not only real, but perhaps the greatest event the City of Philadelphia has seen since the Eagles won the Super Bowl in early 2018.
This is an attempt to chronicle the madness from my couch:
(Thank you in advance to the people on the scene for posting the events on Twitter)
Sunday morning: 11 AM:
Smooth Recess releases two photographs. The first shows a red carpet on an abandoned pier off of Columbus Ave with only a few people and assorted seagulls visible. The people and gulls were quite possibly just fishing and totally unaware of the upcoming spectacle.
Photo Credit: @AlexiconTom
The second image shows a gathering crowd of approximately 100 people eager and interested in the events to come while all the while maintaining that they are in fact ‘not there to party’
Photo Credit: u/Randimous
12:06 PM
The Chicken man takes his seat at a table covered by a white linen table cloth and begins to mash his 40th straight daily chicken into a pulp in preparation of consumption.
12:45 PM EST
With the main body of the chicken consumed and the carcass picked clean, the Chicken Man makes his way through the adoring crowd, holding a plate containing his final bites in one hand and in the other a bluetooth speaker playing, ‘Streets of Philadelphia’ by Bruce Springsteen.
I have to imagine this is exactly what Bruce had in mind when he came up with such an emotional song. I honestly have never been more inspired in my life.
This man is may be an artistic genius.
12:56 PM EST
The Chicken Man holds his final bites to a crowd going absolutely bonkers for what they are incredibly lucky to be witnessing..
Chants of ‘Chicken Man, Chicken Man, Chicken Man’ erupt as the crowd cant hold back their admiration.
The Chicken Man holds an empty plate to the gods, as all the emotion of the morning comes out in one picture. We have seen many great performances in this city over the last 246 years but nothing quite like this.
Here are my instant reaction current rankings of the greatest Philadelphia moments since 1776:
- George Washington crosses the Delaware on Christmas eve
- Nick Foles beats Tom Brady in the Super Bowl
- The Flyers beat the Soviet Red Army hockey team
- Chicken man consumes his 40th straight rotisserie chicken in front of approximately 250 of his fellow Philadelphians.
In the coming days, I expect the establishment to come down hard on the Chicken Man. You can be sure to expect his doubters throwing into question the validity of this streak or questioning whether the event you just witnessed was actually indeed a party on private property without the proper permits.
But there is one thing they can never erase from history….
This picture of a man who gave his all to accomplish a goal and shared it with the rest of the world.
Thank you Chicken Man.
Photo Credit: @DanSaysThat
