by: Joanne Coutts

The inspiration for the Fish & Chicken Joint project came from a friend visiting from Washington State who loves bodega food. We went for the required Coney hot dog at American Coney Island downtown, but it didn’t feel quite “bodega” enough. Driving around the city he pointed out Harlem Fish & Chicken on Grand River. So, we went to a Fish & Chicken Joint. Not Harlem, but East Jefferson Fish & Chicken in the liquor store at the corner of Jefferson and Holcomb. I was hooked, literally and figuratively. What is
up with Fish & Chicken restaurants?

As I finish up mapping the buried waterways I have started noting and sketching the Fish & Chicken Joints that I pass on my rides.

I am curious about the relationship between Fish & Chicken Joints and fishing in the Detroit River. Many of them offer fish cleaning services. Do they also serve fish caught in the Detroit River?

I love that they have found a way to accept EBT. The prohibition on using EBT for prepared or restaurant food feels to me like another way to make more work for poor people. Cooking every night is not just additional labor. It is also a lot of additional energy in heat for cooking and cooling for air conditioning added to our already high DTE bills.

I wonder how many of them are small to medium sized local businesses with connections to the neighborhoods they serve rather than national chains making money for distant billionaires. Are they recognized and applauded by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation or Motor City Match? I doubt it.

And as with everywhere I go in Detroit I am fascinated by the architecture. They may not have all the unique decorative elements of our fancy skyscrapers but there are fun shapes and colors, patterns in the brick work, and murals on the walls.

This map is my first Fish & Chicken Joint visualization. It shares all 14 Fish & Chicken Joints along 7 Mile Road between Telegraph and Moross. I hope you enjoy it. And go and get some Fish & Chicken!