Night of the Nuggets: Chapters 24-25
The Amazing Miss Pearl—Helping to Make the World Better for Chickens and People
Hi, everyone! Happy Friday! In this week’s newsletter we move forward with Pearl’s time learning directly from the Factory workers. She is hopeful of helping them and somehow change the Chicken Nuggets Factory—a change for the good that will benefit people and chickens!
Pearl continued to hear more from the Factory workers.
“It’s all well and good here for some positions, but not for all positions.”
Hearing this lone voice, other voices joined in with, “True. So true. Not if you’re a ‘Factory Nugget’ Girl. They work the hardest and get the smallest paycheck.”
“Or a pat on the back and a bag of nuggets to take home,” said a small voice hidden in the crowd.
“Or a pinch on the fanny” came another voice.
“Can you tell me more?” asked Pearl. “But I can figure out the fanny part on my own. You should know for a pure fact that I don’t like anyone messing around with my fluff feathers either!”
One of the more senior Nugget Girls stepped forward.
“Everything we do is examined meticulously. We have to do everything perfectly with no errors. We have people looking over our shoulders all the time.”
“I personally like to go up into my own nesting box when it’s time to do my work of laying an egg,” said Pearl.
Hearing Pearl’s support, more concerns were shared by the Nugget Girls.
“We are on our feet almost all day long, dressed in uniforms that don’t fit quite right.”
“The machines are noisy and smelly.”
“We can eat the ones that are messed up when they are made, but honestly, after a while, they make for an upset stomach. Now don’t take that personally. I’m sure you are quite a delightful-tasting chicken, we just wouldn’t want to try you out. We like you too much just the way you are.”
“Yes, just the way you are, as amazing as it seems to listen to you talking to us.”
“What we are trying to say is that the Nuggets that we make all taste the same to us. Everything the same. UGH!”
“UGH is right!” said Pearl. “Chicken don’t even like it when everything is the same—no matter how hungry we are—no matter how high you pile up the feed.”
Until Next Time…
We are stopping here even though we have more to say along these lines about uniformity. It is something that causes Pearl and chickens in their nesting boxes to feel like Chicken Nugget Girls in their cubicles or at their workstations.
Our best advice: Consider your own uniqueness and the push you may have felt in the past to be like everyone else!
Thank you for reading,
John, Gracie, Bessie, Pearl, Blanche, Emily, and Amelia
The Nugget Girls, sadly, remind me a bit of other exploited female workers from the past, such as the "Radium Girls" and those killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. Hopefully Pearl can improve their conditions..