Things We Saw Today: Philly Soothes World Series Loss With … Rotisserie Chicken Eating Ceremony Victory

Philadelphia is a city known for many things, good and bad. Now, you can add the legendary Alexander Tominsky, a.k.a. The Chicken Man, to the city’s mythos. His story started on October 8 when Tominsky announced that he was eating rotisserie chicken for 40 days straight. Claiming to already be on day 11, he realized what many have in this digital age—if it’s not posted online, did it really even happen? On October 27, Tominsky decided that the best way to end this streak was for a public gorge and made a flyer. This flyer ended up on the real streets of Philly.

The story garnered lots of online attention and even some offline. The independent outlet BillyPenn interviewed Tominsky and understandably felt the need to preface with the editor’s note: “Billy Penn is not affiliated with said event and cannot vouch for its authenticity or even existence.“

When asked why people would come to see him eat a rotisserie chicken, Tominsky replied, “I’ve had long stretches of being tortured and people can relate. The City of Philadelphia has had a lot of pain, but it’s a city with a lot of perseverance. That’s what makes this city very special.”

A week later, the event indeed happened and has only blown up further online. A crowd formed. Someone laid out a red carpet. It looked glorious.

View TikTok here, too.

Even the official Gritty account commented under that video. The furball typed, “I love Philadelphia.”

Not to rub salt in the wound, but Philly really needed this after losing to the Astros at the world series the day before this event. Since gaining this attention, Tominsky has used this moment to call attention to those with food insecurity in a local neighborhood. On November 9, he encouraged people to donate to the South Philadelphia Community Fridge. This collab even features an option to distribute rotisserie chickens that was created with Tominsky. So far, this one specific type of donation has raised over $940 since he posted about it yesterday.

(via TikTok, featured image: FX)

Here are some other bits of news out there:

• Speaking of the Astros, the person who, unfortunately, got arrested for tossing a can of White Claw (for his family) to Ted Cruz comes up with an interesting defense. (via ABC13)
• The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture announces a Spring exhibit called Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures. (via NMAAHC)
• HarperCollins Union (UAW 2110) begins indefinite strikes for fair wages and better working conditions. (via Twitter)
• Million Dollar Baby and Crash director Paul Haggis was ordered by a jury to pay over seven million dollars in damages in a sexual assault case. (via Washington Post)
• I have a secret: I didn’t make it past the first few episodes of The Witcher. However, you bet your ass I’ll be watching the four-part prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origins, starring Michelle Yeoh. (via YouTube)

What did you see online today, Mary Suevians?

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Alyssa Shotwell

(she/her) Award-winning artist and writer with professional experience and education in graphic design, art history, and museum studies. She began her career in journalism in October 2017 when she joined her student newspaper as the Online Editor. This resident of the yeeHaw land spends most of her time drawing, reading and playing the same handful of video games—even as the playtime on Steam reaches the quadruple digits. Currently playing: Baldur's Gate 3 & Oxygen Not Included.

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