A couple weeks ago, another eccentric Oreo cookie “treat” found its way into our marketing and communication offices at Eastern Washington University. This time, the flavor was chicken and waffles and I immediately declined the offer to try one.

Some of you might find it surprising that someone like me who is pretty adventurous with wacky flavors would turn it down. I guess sometimes you must lean on experience. Ever since I tried the chicken & waffles Lay’s potato chip flavor in 2013, I knew that the combination only belonged in their natural forms and not as an artificial flavor. The chips didn’t taste like chicken or waffles…they tasted like stale Top Ramen so I told myself never again.

This is me in 2013 when I sampled all the flavors from the inaugural Lay’s #DoUsAFlavor potato chip promotion. I was excited for the chicken & waffles flavor but it was a bust.

But as I mentioned, that doesn’t mean the chicken and waffles dish itself is bad. When I lived in the South, I ate chicken and waffles multiple times. In fact, I memorably had it the week of my wedding and loved every single bite.

A chicken and waffles dish that I ate in a diner back in 2015.

The best version of chicken and waffles I ever had took the form of a sandwich (but not a cookie sandwich 😂). When I lived in Myrtle Beach, Sidney and I would sometimes go to a restaurant called Grumpy Monk. In addition to an enormous beer selection, live music, and great hamburgers, the place also had something called the Southern Tradition. It was a pecan breaded chicken fillet topped with lettuce and maple syrup that was sandwiched between two Belgian waffles. It was spectacular.

This is the sandwich called the Southern Tradition at the Grumpy Monk in Myrtle Beach.

So on this National Chicken and Waffles Day the best advice I can give you is to celebrate in a pure form. Skip the artificial flavor and opt for the actual combination. Don’t Blink.