A Food-like Substance

Alright, so imagine you’ve got a hankering for a little fried chicken. (It happens.) You walk into the area’s most famously authentic chicken joint, you sidle up to the counter, and you scan the mounted menu to see what’s on offer.

Being as you’re the thorough sort, your scan also takes in the various paraphernalia posted on the walls, and your eye alights upon a photocopied certificate declaring the establishment “in substantial compliance” with the state Health Code.

You pause.

You wonder: does that make me feel better (“compliance”) or worse (“substantial”)?

Hit Me With It