Chicken Wing Elbows! Chicken Wings at Howlin' Rays!

Surfing looks simple. And for some people, who make it look really easy because they're so good, it is. But for a Kook like me, it's never simple. Like executing a good pop-up. It's just getting to your feet! But, for me anyway, there's so much going through my brain at the same second it's often hard to get it all right. But lately I've been really trying to always nail it. Especially when it comes to hand placement. When you're paddling into a wave, and you start to move down it, it can feel like you're nose-diving. What do you do when you start to fall forward? If you're like most people, you throw your arms out in front of you to break the fall. Well, with surfing that's exactly a recipe for disaster! Don't ask me how I know this. Your hands need to be down by your ribs on the board -- so it looks like you have chicken wing elbows is how I've heard it described and it's a good description. So lately, while also trying to focus on where my feet are landing when I get to my feet (another recurrent issue), I've also been really trying to focus on hand placement and thinking about those chicken wings.

Which of course made me hungry. I love chicken wings. In fact I think wings are probably my favorite part of the chicken. So when I heard that the food truck Howlin' Rays, which does riffs on Nashville Hot Chicken, had opened a bricks and mortar space down in Chinatown -- just across from Chego and next to Pok Pok Phat Thai, and downstairs from Ramen Champ and now also including Scoops Ice Cream and...what the Hell kind of food court is this? A shockingly good one. Anyway,  I wanted to try Howlin' Rays, and because I had chicken wings on the brain, that's what I ordered. Here's a look-see:

First of all, here's a secret: I ordered the 3-wings, not too spicy, and they gave me four!! I didn't even ask for the extra! Nor did I ask for extra pickles, or extra sauce for my super crunchy and delicious fries. Okay, so the bottom line is these guys at Howlin' Rays? They totally rock. Get yourself downtown and try anything here. It's all going to be amazing. Just be aware -- the line gets long really really fast. So plan on waiting a bit.  But...just go. Eat hot chicken. And if by chance you're trying to improve your surfing skills, think of your elbows like chicken wings!

Howlin' Rays:  http://www.howlinrays.com