The seemingly distant-sounding threat of H5N1 avian flu is now a reality here in San Francisco, as two chickens at a local live animal market have tested positive for the virus, and traces of it were detected in SF’s wastewater.

You may have heard there’s a bird flu outbreak in at least nine states in the US, and you may not have worried about it much, because it largely just affects birds and dairy cows. And livestock is not really much of an industry in San Francisco, so the H5N1 avian flu virus would not seem to be of risk to us in any way here. Right?

It might be time to reevaluate that assessment. The Chronicle reports that two chickens tested positive for bird flu at a live bird market in San Francisco, according to a Monday announcement from the SF Department of Public Health (SFDPH). And on top of that, fragments of H5N1 virus have turned up in San Francisco wastewater samples, making SF the first city in California to have bird flu detected in our wastewater.

But officials are insisting this is no cause for alarm.  “The most important thing to note is there is no threat to public health at this time,” said SFDPH director of Communicable Disease Prevention & Control Dr. George Han told the Chronicle. “There have been no human cases.”

Well, there have been no human cases in San Francisco. But nationwide, three people who work with dairy cows have been infected with a strain of the virus, and suffered symptoms of an eye infection called conjunctivitis.

And that business of traces of bird flu in the wastewater sure sounds concerning. But it’s not certain those traces are from human waste, as there may be bird poop or chicken poop in those wastewater samples.

“We take in everything that goes into the storm drains, including any animal waste from birds or any other animal,” Han said to the Chronicle

There is no risk to eating cooked poultry, as bird flu cannot survive temperatures of greater than 165° Fahrenheit, or 74° Celsius. If you have a pet bird, you’re encouraged to practice good hygiene, clean the cage regularly, and monitor your bird’s health.

Related: Mysterious Surge in Bay Area Sea Lion Pup Deaths Stumps Researchers [SFist]

Image: Finn Mund via Unsplash

Woman rescued after falling into waste at #Petaluma poultry processing plant. https://t.co/VXYJ0MH0II pic.twitter.com/CRKee8wrH7

— KRON 4 News (@kron4news) January 12, 2016

An employee of a Bay Area chicken processing plant is recovering today after escaping an awful fate: A horrible death in a tank of poultry "remains."

Bay City News reports that a security guard at Petaluma Poultry Processors was leaning over to adjust an askew metal grate over an 8-foot-deep concrete tank filled with "chicken remnants" at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday when she fell into its disgusting maw.

Though the guard screamed for help, no one came to her aid.

When the woman desperately called 911 “she was waist deep and sinking and didn’t know how deep the tank was,” a Sonoma County dispatcher says.

The dispatcher told her to stash her cell phone and "to hold onto the top of the tank with both arms." And yet, she continued to sink into the fowl foulness, and was already "two feet from the top of the tank" when rescue crews arrived five minutes later, Battalion Chief Jeff Schach says.

Firefighters then managed to extricate the woman, who reportedly pulled her revoltingly soiled clothing from her body on the spot and was wrapped in a blanket.

Petaluma Poultry is the home of "Rocky, the free range chicken" and "Rosie, the original organic chicken," according to its website. It's unclear if Rocky, Rosie, or both were in the tank at the time of the incident.

The woman was transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital "as a precaution," BCN reports, and is expected to make a full recovery. Her appetite for chicken, however, is unlikely to ever return.

Oh, chicken! Just before Bay Bridge toll plaza right now. I fear this will not end well. pic.twitter.com/8ANfapwp9K

— Jeff Chu (@jeffchu) September 2, 2015

The custody battle over Chip, the chicken found wandering in traffic on the Bay Bridge last week, has been resolved — and she'll soon be in her new home at an East Oakland school.

Bay City News reports that last Wednesday, East Oakland Beautification Council chairman Ken Houston was transporting two chickens to the Stonehurst Edible Schoolyard & Community Garden, which is shared by Esperanza Elementary School and Korematsu Discover Academy.

Stonehurst installed chicken coops six months ago and already had five chickens, BCN reports. After two of the birds died, Houston had donated two more chickens on behalf of the EOBC, and was bringing two more over Wednesday, when he made a pit stop "by the old Army base in Oakland near the Bay Bridge toll plaza."

“I came back to my vehicle and I saw the box had been tipped over and (the chickens) had escaped,” Houston told BCN.

“Somebody called me and told me the chicken was on the bridge.” And, of course, you know the rest of the story.

After Oakland's Animal Care and Control rescued the bird, three separate parties called them to claim ownership of Chip (sadly, Chip's escape partner has not been found). But only Houston had the "documentation and photographs verifying the chicken was his."

Houston says he'll pick Chip up from the ACC later this week, and drop her off at Stonehurst where, says Suzanne Ludlum, Stonehurst's education coordinator, she's "excited to begin caring for the hen."

“We thought the chickens would be a great addition to the garden,” Ludlum told BCN.

“It gets the children excited about the garden, creates a connection to the land and teaches them about animal husbandry.”

And as a side benefit, the kids learn about female “freedom fighters,” as all the schoolyard's chickens are named after notable women like "Ella Baker, an American Civil Rights advocate, Rigoberta Menchu, a Guatemalan indigenous peoples’ advocate and Wangari Maathai, an Kenyan environmental and political activist."

And soon Chip will get renamed after a similar lady of note, Ludlum says. May I suggest American suffragist Alice Paul, who was arrested in June, 1917 on charges of "obstructing traffic" as she picketed the White House demanding that women be allowed to vote? Seems like an apt figure for a traffic-stopping chick like Chip.

Previously: Chickens Run Amok On Bay Bridge
There Is A Custody Squabble Over That Bay Bridge Chicken

Ring the alarm. Pick a side. Have a friend hold your hoops. The Soulrrito, the transmogrified burrito that divided a city and sparked a bloody revolution, will return on Saturday. And this time it comes bearing fried chicken. (Delicious!)

Tamara Palmer, who broke the story for The Bold Italic, has more on Papalote's latest offering:

Escobedo says they’ll make three times as many Soulrritos with fried chicken to sell on Saturday (May 31) beginning at 11 a.m. at the 24th Street location of his Papalote Mexican Grill. Sixty of the last version sold out in 30 minutes last week, so it’s still a good idea to go early if you’re intrigued. The prices are the same as last week: $11.25 for the fried chicken Soulrrito and $9.10 for the vegetarian version with soyrizo.

Read all about it.

Saturday's unleashing of the Soulrrito at Papalote prompted both a swelling of support and a formidable backlash. The SFist Facebook page alone saw a slew of ire aimed at the Soulrrito. A few commenters, however, didn't buy into the anger. Halley Pearson sounded off on Soulrrito naysayers, saying: "Why are people such haters? It was one day! I'm sure whoever got one enjoyed it. And if you're not into it then don't say anything. You just sound like an uptight asshole with nothing better to do with your time then bitch about other people you know absolutely nothing about."

It all goes down again this Saturday at Papalote, starting at 11 am at 3409 24th Street.

photo credit: I am Jeffrey via photopin cc

People in San Francisco like waiting in lines for food (a lot). Sometimes, that wait is worth it. While You Wait, SFist's guide for how to pass the time while trying to get into San Francisco's most ridiculously popular restaurants, is here to help.

Minimum wait time at San Tung for party of four, Wednesday, 7:00 PM: "For four people?! Who knows! [click]."

You know what’s great about San Francisco? People don’t just line up for Michelin-starred, famous-chef-run, potentially overrated hot spots. No, in this city, you can count on people to line up for less ostentatious spots, more often than not for one specific, cult food item. Like chicken wings.

I’m talking about San Tung, of course, the Inner Sunset Chinese restaurant that has gotten so known for their wings that they've been driven to open a second outpost in order to contain the hoards of chicken-loving patrons. What’s more, tourists have caught on to the Legend of the San Tung wings, making things even more crowded.

Our advice: show up at an off-hour, rather than a full-blown meal time. But should you find yourself with an undeniable hankering for San Tung wings circa 6 pm on a Saturday, you’ll be fighting through some crowds to get them.

If you get in, you will order the dry fried chicken wings. They’re saucy, much more so than the dry fried description would imply, but meaty, crisp, and brimming with flavor. San Tung has a $7 per person ordering minimum, so plan on ponying up for some noodles, or greens in garlic sauce, or similar. Or, just get another order of wings to go. You waited for them after all, and cold wings are delicious for breakfast.

Now, all you need to do is pass the time until your chicken wing dreams become a reality. Where to do it?

Hour One: Nopalito

photo credit: rocor via photopin cc

Hitting up the Inner Sunset location of Nopalito at the beginning of your wait may seem foolish, but showing up here any later will make you want to eat dinner at the noted restaurant. We can’t say enough good things about Nopalito’s flavorful, seasonal brand of high-end Mexican cuisine — the ceviche is divine, the carnitas even better, and don’t even get us started on their brunch dishes. Since you’re saving yourself for wings, limit yourself to an excellent mezcal cocktail and an order of totopes — the fresh-fried corn chips are doused in a bright, fresh tomato sauce and covered with a generous serving of queso fresco.

Nopalito, 1224 9th Avenue (beween Lincoln & Irving), 415-233-9966

Hour Two: The Little Shamrock

photo credit: rick via photopin cc

As we learned with much-maligned Mission Chinese, board games are an important key to the restaurant waiting game. Get your Inner Sunset distraction on at The Little Shamrock, a classic Irish pub with pitchers of beer, a respectable cocktail selection, and the aforementioned games to keep you going. If you’re feeling particularly aggressive, you can opt for a rousing game of darts, too.

The Little Shamrock, 807 Lincoln Way (at 9th Avenue), 415-661-0060

Hour Three: Social Kitchen and Brewery

photo credit: <<1977>> via photopin cc

Now that you’ve gotten all your rage out over an aggressive round of Monopoly, take a deep breath and head to Social Kitchen + Brewery for some filling, neighborhood-brewed beer. You’ll find a nice selection of appetizer-friendly snacks, too — just say no to the sriracha hot wings (because that’s just overkill), and try the brussels sprouts chips or mushroom empanadas instead. If you’re lucky, they might be having an in-house brewer event, too — try not to take your hanger out on the nice beer people.

Social Kitchen and Brewery, 1326 9th Avenue (at Irving), 415-681-0330

Hour Four… Wait, You Have to Wait Outside the Whole Time?: Yummy Yummy

photo credit: foodmuse via photopin cc

The problem with waiting at non-trendy, famous-chef-run restaurants? They don’t really care about making their waiting patrons happy. Or, they won’t be texting you when your table is ready, anyway. Which makes it pretty easy to get distracted by the wealth of food-drink-board games abound in the neighborhood (and completely forget about San Tung #2… crap). Lost your spot, and your motivation? No big deal. Head next door to Yummy Yummy, where you’ll delicious, steaming bowls of pho the size of a small child. Their beef broth is some of the best in the city — it’s balanced, flavorful, and delicate. Didn't you really want pho more than wings anyway? Yummy Yummy closes at 9 so plan your dinner, and waiting, accordingly.

Yummy Yummy, 1015 Irving (between 11th & 12th Avenues), 415-566-4722

Carondelet High School, a private Catholic school in Concord, came under fire this week after adding "racially insensitive" items to the Friday lunch menu. Fried chicken, watermelon and cornbread were set to feed the all-girls school in honor of Black History Month.

Oops.

"I'd like to apologize for this announcement and any hurt this caused students, parents or community members," school principal Nancy Libby said in a letter issued Tuesday. "Please know that at no time at Carondelet do we wish to perpetrate racial stereotypes, and we indeed work diligently to do just the opposite."

Just how the jaw-dropping menu got the KTVU-ian green light remains a mystery. The Oakland Tribune has more:

The Black Student Union, which is run through De La Salle High School -- the neighboring boys' Catholic school — and includes members from both campuses, wanted to do something to celebrate Black History Month, according to Ditzel.

Libby's letter was not specific about how the menu decision was made but mentioned that "adults made mistakes causing this situation and that we were doing our best to learn from those mistakes and to bring that knowledge to the CHS experience."

University of San Francisco professor James Taylor told NBC Bay Area why the menu wasn't cool, saying, "Chicken, watermelon, collard greens — these stereotypes of black Southern culture that come from the same place where the N-word comes from." Also, as NBC note, fried chicken and watermelon were heavily featured during the unfortunate era of blackface entertainment.

Carondelet High School cultural sensitivity and diversity training TK.

[Oakland Tribune]
[NBC Bay Area]

Every year, local magazine 7x7 publishes a definitive list of 100 local things you absolutely must eat before you die. Which makes us wonder if we're in some kind of Final Destination situation. But if you have to eat before you die, and most of us do, this makes for a handy resource.

If you didn't quite finish last year's foodie bucket list, you're probably in pretty good shape because there are plenty of classic dishes carried over: the deep-dish Brass Monkey at Little Star Pizza, cracked crab from Swan's Oyster Depot, wings from San Tung. With so many great restaurants opening last year, there are some newcomers as well: the buckwheat waffle from Lt. Waffle, crispy octopus from 1760, just to name two. The biggest category, as Eater SF notes, are three whole roast chickens from Park Tavern, Limon Rotisserie and, of course, Zuni Cafe.

Anyhow, to keep up with the times, the whole list is available as an iPhone or Android app with dining statistics and map-based browsing and banner ads and everything. Back in my day (2009), we just printed the whole thing out at work and stuck it up on the fridge in the apartment.

[7x7]

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here. Though some of you are still sore from the 49ers NFC Championship Game loss, the game must go on. If you plan on watching the game, as you very well should, here are our favorite spots for wings. Failing that, we have a couple of other options as well.

Wing Wings
If the name didn't tip you off, Wing Wings in the Lower Haight has a pretty narrow menu focus, but they are totally serious about their chicken knuckles. With nine rubs or sauces to choose from, you can piece together an impressive spread from their takeout menu. (The traditional Buffalo style are a crowd pleaser, but the dry rub and the Angry Korean are also big winners.) Round out the feast with Old Bay-seasoned fries, macaroni salad and an order of fried Oyster mushrooms. Pro-tip: On big game days order around kickoff time and your goods will arrive, bike courier-delivered just before the half. — Andrew Dalton
422 Haight (between Webster & Fillmore)

Hot Sauce and Panko
One of several spots in the city focused on wings and only wings, this outpost in the Richmond is a wing-lover's dream. They offer a dozen varieties of expertly fried and coated wings, including sticky pepper with garlic, Kentucky-yaki (bourbon and terikyaki), Old Bay with Sriracha caramel, hot chili crunch (pictured), and the namesake Panko 2.0, which is drenched in tonkatsu sauce. The only other things they serve are fries, and a couple of sandwiches with fried chicken karaage (and one with fried cod). Do note that they keep slightly odd hours (noon to 6:30 Wed-Thur and Sat, noon to 7 on Friday, noon to 5:30 on Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday). But you can order wing delivery via Postmates, so that's nice. — Jay Barmann
1545 Clement Street (at 17th Avenue)

Kezar Pub
Long known for being one of the few places open early enough to catch live European soccer matches, Kezar's other claim to fame is their buffalo chicken wings. We're not sure what sort of mutant chickens they get their wings from, but they're simply massive. Burgers, garlic fries and other greasy items will help soak up the beer you're drinking by the pitcher, just remember to show up early (like real early) if you want a table. If things look too packed, try their sister bar Mad Dog in the Fog in the Lower Haight. — Andrew Dalton
770 Stanyan (at Waller)

Hi Tops
Among the many things that the Castro's popular, one-year-old sports bar does well are their tangy and spicy Buffalo wings. They come well drenched with house-made Buffalo sauce, which is not extremely spicy but super rich and dare we say complex, with a choice of ranch or blue cheese on the side. And as an added bonus, they come with some great pickled carrots and celery to cleanse the palate. — Jay Barmann
2247 Market (at Sanchez)

Giordano Bros.
You can get your wings BBQ or Buffalo style at this popular sports bar with Mission and North Beach outposts, but we'd recommend the nicely spicy Buffalo ones. The come dusted with some chives, all classy like, and blue cheese on the side. And you should note that you can ask for wing sauce on your sandwiches here for an additional 50 cents. — Jay Barmann
3108 - 16th Street (at Mission), and 303 Columbus (at Broadway)

And because wing aren't everything, Rose Garrett has a couple of other ideas...

The Phoenix
Though it's located in the heart of the buzzy Valencia strip, The Phoenix is no trendy johnny-come-lately, but rather a classic Irish pub with a solid sit-down menu and plenty of screens to catch the game. Shepherds pie, bangers and mash, and homemade Irish Colcannon with caramelized onion, kale, buttermilk mash and grilled Irish bacon join pub grub standbys like onion rings, spicy chicken wings and the Phoenix's signature Irish potato nachos. — Rose Garrett
811 Valencia (between 19th Street & Cunningham Place)

(Photo: Yelp)

The Taco Shop at Underdogs
Tacos may just be the chicken wings of the west, and The Taco Shop delivers them in appropriate fashion. A spinoff of Nick's Crispy Tacos, this menu has modern classics like baja fish tacos or carne asada served "Nick's way" with a grilled crispy corn tortilla wrapped in a soft tortilla with Monterey Jack cheese, pinto beans, pico de gallo and lots of guacamole. Pair that with a beer and stool at the bar to watch the game, and you've got a winning combo. — Rose Garrett
1824 Irving (at 19th Avenue)

Jay Barmann, Andrew Dalton, and Rose Garret contributed to this article.

Heh. Mission favorite Maverick, purveyor of the Butter Burger, will start offering a bucket of chicken next week on Mondays only. (You'll have to find one of those KFC-Taco Bell hybrids the other six days of the week.) Starting January, 21 you can order this gem: the "Monday…Bucket" featuring a fried half of a bird from Mary’s Organic Chicken, two sides, gravy, and a biscuit.

Available for pick up from 5:30pm - 7:30pm for $25. Orders can be made by phone starting at 4:30 p.m. by calling the restaurant at 415-863-3061.

Pst, the offer is only available on Mondays for to-go orders only. No delivery. Have at it.

Update: Helen Tseng of Mission Mission tells us that The Front Porch also has fried chicken available in a bucket. Mmm.

San Franciso Mayor Pak Man came out against notorious anti-gay fast food chain Chick-fil-A on Thursday afternoon via Twitter. And good for him. The reportedly delicious fried chicken sandwich purveyors' unfortunate stance on same-sex marriage has sparked an equally unfortunate National Gay Bashing Day at Chick-fil-A, set to implode this Wednesday, organized by Governor Mike Huckabee and GOP booger Rick Santorum. Lee says:

Very disappointed #ChickFilA doesn't share San Francisco's values & strong commitment to equality for everyone.

— Edwin Lee (@mayoredlee) July 26, 2012

Is this a nice thing for Mayor Lee to say? Of course. He's a decent man, all things considered. Is it a hallow gesture? As Gawker breathlessly points out, yes, it is. Lee follows on the heels of other city mayors, like Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, who have also publicly condemned the fast-food corporation and warned them to get off their cities' lawns.

He later tweeted that San Francisco does not even have a Chick-fil-A within its chrome-finish 7x7-mile walls, then strongly recommends "that they not try to come any closer." Lee removes his earrings:

Closest #ChickFilA to San Francisco is 40 miles away & I strongly recommend that they not try to come any closer.

— Edwin Lee (@mayoredlee) July 26, 2012

Obviously, he shouldn't worry. We can't even open a Wendy's in this town much less some get-er-dun, obesity-spreading chicken hawker. Santa Rosa, however, stands on the precipice of getting their first Chick-fil-A, which was approved in May, but will come under strong protest by LGBT and community leaders if it comes to fruition. Press Democrat reports:

Neighborhood groups and members of the gay community vowed protests and boycotts of the future Mendocino Avenue restaurant in the wake of President Dan Cathy’s quip that the company was 'guilty as charged" in being against gay marriage and supportive of 'the biblical definition of the family unit."

[Gawker]
[Inside Scoop]
[PD]

And now, for your summer viewing/eating enjoyment, the kids at Bacon Bacon food truck have something they're working on. They write, "A little research and development at HQ today. Why use bread crumbs? Bacon breaded chicken breast. Getting close."

Looking forward to the final results! Until then, their test stage looks mighty damn fine. Stay tuned.