Clandestine KFC really hot in Gaza

You’ve probably heard of the smuggling tunnels from Egypt into the heavily sequestered Gaza Strip. They’re generally used to bring people in and out of the zone and to bring in building materials, basic food commodities and other highly desirable goods – now including American style fried chicken!

The al-Yamama delivery service charges about three times the walk-in price in Egypt to provide the food and deliver it. It’s a 35 mile trip from the closest KFC outlet, in the town of Al-Arish, then there’s a toll to pay the tunnel owner, then a short run on the other side. No 30-minutes-or-free guarantee here: It usually takes about three hours to complete the transaction after the wheels are set in motion by a short phone call.

The delivery service says it gets ‘tens of orders a week’ from KFC lovers in Gaza, many of whom developed a taste for the stuff while traveling abroad. The tunnel operator al-Yamama uses says it’s a first for him. Customer Rafat Shororo says the deal, “has made [his] dream come true.”

I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s any food I love so much that I’d go to all that trouble and expense to get my greedy little paws on it. So far, nothing has jumped out of my imagination and said, “Eat me!”

~ Maggie J.