Chicken Strips & Fries at Avista Stadium
Avista Stadium, Spokane, Washington, USA. Visited on August 12, 2023
My wife and I go to Avista Stadium. I order some chicken strips and fries. I know I’ll regret it. I order them anyway. It’s a theme in my life, the counterpoint of which is, “I know I won’t regret it, so I do it immediately.” The bridge between the two themes is the word, “yes.” That’s my default mode.
But I don’t know what to say about these chicken strips. They’re fine, as far as concession-stand food goes. The fries are okay. We watch the game for a bit and leave. Nothing remarkable happens. Nothing compels me to write a poem. I want to say something about the chicken strips. I’m not sure what. Something about the urge I get to eat shit when I’m at a baseball game. I rarely attend baseball games, but when I do, I want to wolf down a hot dog or some crappy nachos or some straight-out-of-the-freezer-into-the-deep-fryer chickens strips.
So there’s something there. I’m a note-taker, so I want to write something about the experience, and this blog is kind of my default place to keep notes about places I go. So I’m writing, but I don’t know what I’m writing about.
It occurs to me, the back-end of this website has an AI function that I have never thought to use. But now might be a a good time to see what it has to say. I ask it to write me a paragraph about Avista Stadium and chicken strips.
It generates some straight-up garbage. Here’s an excerpt:
But it's not just the thrilling baseball games that make Avista Stadium a standout. A major highlight for many visitors is the delectable chicken strips served at the stadium's concession stands. These mouthwatering chicken strips, with their perfectly crispy coating and tender, juicy meat, are a beloved treat for fans and a staple at Avista Stadium.
If this is the future of AI, I’m not worried about my prospects as a writer. Can you imagine coming to this blog to read that kind of pabulum?
Maybe there’s a simile here. Something along the lines of
“Prose generated by AI models is the concession-stand chicken strips of writing.”
It resembles food that actually tastes good if you take the time and effort to make it. But in a pinch, or under certain circumstances, the knock-off will do. You’ll regret it later, but it’s hard to say “no.”