Reddit Is Losing Its Appetite Over This Atlanta Season 3 Meal

Fans of FX's "Atlanta" were undoubtedly relieved when the third season of the show, paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, returned on March 24. And in Season 3's first episode, food played a major role. 

This isn't the first time food has had a moment in "Atlanta," which tells the story of an aspiring rapper and his cousin/manager as they navigate the music industry (per IMDb). In 2016, the show introduced "lemon pepper wet wings" to many fans who had never heard of these savory, citrusy chicken bits, per Eater Atlanta. (According to Atlanta Eats, the city is the unofficial "Lemon Pepper Capital of the World.")

The chicken featured in the Season 3 episode, though, was decidedly less appetizing than the lemon pepper wings. The March 24 "Atlanta" episode used a chicken dinner to make a comment about race and cultural foods, as well as why certain foods are considered "healthy."

The "Atlanta" Season 3 premiere features a young character, Loquareeous, visiting the home of a white couple who serves him, as well as their foster children, flour-coated, microwaved, and seemingly undercooked "fried" chicken alongside some banged-up avocado slices and capers.

An apparent commentary on the assumptions people make about race, the scene is somewhat humorous, taking an ironic jab at their idea of "healthy" fried chicken, according to Eater Atlanta. You have to hand it to the food stylists who worked on this scene and created the "fried" chicken. It truly looks "gross," as Loquareeous not-so-politely points out.

Not surprisingly, Reddit jumped in with comments on the Subreddit r/AtlantaTV, where redditor datuglyboi posted a photo with the unappetizing chicken-and-avocado dinner served to Loquareeous. The Redditor wrote, "Look at it ... just .... look at it." And by "it," he means "that pinkish chicken leg."

Other fans commented on the microwaved chicken, with one person writing, "the fact they called it 'fried"'is killing me." Some likened calling this chicken "fried" to "blasphemy." Another mourned: "Like they couldn't get [an] air fryer at least?" Said another Redditor: "When she said fried chicken and I didn't hear any grease poppin, I knew something was afoot."

Many Redditors were concerned about the rawness of the meat in the "Atlanta" Season 3 premiere. "Felt like I was catching salmonella just watching," wrote one Redditor. "It's the pink juice that trickled along the side, as in 'the juices aren't running clear,'" ... that 'put me off my feed,'" noted another. Another simply commented, "Horror movie vibes."

While a few Redditors argued that the microwave time might have been sufficient, we have to agree with the user who wrote, "Considering the trail of bright pink bloody salmonella sludge leaking from the chicken, I'd say it's criminally undercooked." Many said they were silently urging the characters to "just eat the avocado and capers!" (Speaking of which, the post also veered into a discussion of capers. One user pointed out: "they're delicious when used correctly." Quite right, in our opinion. We love a good caper. Other Redditors responded that lox, rice, and chicken piccata, for instance, are great ways to eat these delicious, piquant morsels.)

Redditor BlueberryGreen summed up the vibe of the comments with: "This food is nasty." We don't like to judge, but it's a good idea to cook chicken to 165 degrees Fahrenheit, according to FoodSafety.gov. Eating undercooked meat, including chicken, could lead to food poisoning, the government outlet notes.