By Thomas Thorspecken
I drove to Crealdé to drop off a painting for a show happening at Casa Feliz (656 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park Florida). That show, titled In Good Company is happening from August 5 to August 28, 2025. the hours are Tuesday through Friday and Saturdays 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.
On the way to Crealdé, I passed a Mediterranean restaurant I used to go to religiously with a friend named May Hill. I decided I should order lunch there and sketch the interior. However when I got there, there was a sign on the door that said, “Dear friend, I am sorry but we must close for a few weeks due to family matters.” Ugh, so disappointing.
So, on the drive back to Lake County, I just looked for fast food options. I stopped into KFC. I can not resist the original recipe.
There is no human interaction anymore inn fast food joints. If you want to talk to a person you must use the drive through. KFC was a staple that got me through the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I used to order chicken all the time at the restaurant across from Macy’s.
Today you have to order using a computer kiosk. I got lost in an endless loop trying to order my meal. The kiosk kept adding cherry pastry bites to my meal and there was no way to remove the offending item from my order. Frustrated, I finally gave up and took the bloody sweets. A gentleman was trying to place his order next to me. After my order was approved, I helped him out. He kept ordering $20 and $30 family meals but he just wanted a few bites for himself. I guided him through the choices I had made. I was essentially doing the work for the KFC corporation with no paycheck. Annoyed the guy next to me said, These kiosks are here so we do the work the employees used to do.
The woman who handed out the meals was doing a stellar job. She apologized any time a meal was late and she addresses the woman as mama. “You wait right there moma, your order is coming right up.” she said.There was a major rush of orders as I was sketching. The woman must have been a manager, because once the rush had subsided, the clapped loudly and shouted, “You all did an amazing job.” That woman deserved a a tip, but tips are not an option with human interaction stripped from the ordering process.
As I was sketching I watched a young couple struggled with trying to order on the kiosk. I have no idea why a KFC chicken bucket was hanging from the ceiling as decoration. It makes for a very odd chandelier.