Success, Defined

The menu read like a foodie’s telegram.

Country Ham.
Yellowtail Gravlax.
Spot Prawn Fritters.

Chicken Spleens?

I experienced some trepidation, of course. Mostly because my previous experience with eating spleen involved bison spleen, which I do not care to repeat. Bison spleen has the texture of a tough, fibrous net. And it doesn’t make for good eating.

If a restaurant is actually serving spleen, I thought, they must think it’s amazing. Serving a dish that absolutely no one will like is a waste of time and energy. Serving a dish that everyone will love brings joy to the entire table. And if you’re going to spend so much time preparing a food that not one of your diners has ever eaten before, then you must think it’s worth sharing.

“So, I’m curious about the Chicken Spleens,” I asked my waiter. “What do they taste like?”

“Like Chicken Liver.”

Makes sense. “I’ll have the Chicken Spleens.”

They were better than Chicken Liver. And once I realized that every spleen came from a different chicken, I appreciated each bite even more.

I asked a waitress what she thought of the dish.

“Yeah, aren’t they good? No one wants the spleens, so we get them all.”

If we can find value where others cannot – or will not – then we have just removed the last obstacle to success. If a restaurant can introduce its patrons to a food they would never see anywhere else, and they enjoy it, then that restaurant has just discovered a new way to succeed.

Naturally, it means doing your homework. Everyone who worked at this restaurant was confident that they understood their patrons. So confident, in fact, that they put Chicken Spleens on the menu on opening night.

Chicken Spleens will be on the menu for the next few weeks, at least. Here’s my vote that they keep serving them for a long time. Everyone deserves a taste of success.

Advertisement