Wingazette® Magazine recently spoke to Steve Gibbons, long time wing eater and courageous diner. Steve has recently taken on a new challenge - the pioneering of wing research in the Western United States. Steve's many years of wing consumption experiences along the eastern seaboard and in the plains of the midwest certainly qualify him for the task at hand.

Wingazette® Magazine : Steve, how do the wings of the West compare to the wings of the East?

GIBBONS: Certainly, the further one ventures from the hotbed of hotwings - Columbus, Ohio - the more the quality of the wing dissipates significantly. The word "HOT" is not equated properly in the Western region of the country. Apparently, the wings are harvested earlier in the West as opposed to the East. Contrary to what Texans believe about everything being bigger in the West, this just doesn't seem to be the case with Western wings. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of wide open spaces that the buffalo have to run in, making it more important to catch them early in life to harvest the wings before they are able to gain the speed and momentum that comes with maturity.

Wingazette® Magazine : That really sounds discouraging. Small wings that are not the least bit hot ... sounds like the entire West is doomed to the confines of the BOTTOM TEN.

GIBBONS: My wing eating days are not over, but have certainly been curtailed significantly since moving west. Perhaps some of this decline has been influenced by the large number of health conscious people located within the Western region.

Wingazette® Magazine : What could possibly be more healthy for you than a good hot wing? Our readers are really questioning the knowledge of the Western wing consumer now.

GIBBONS: Perhaps a skinless chicken wing would be the answer. Who knows, that could be the next great craze in the wing business. Of course that would leave the future of the wingette in doubt, although many of the establishments I have frequented lately have served larger numbers of wingettes as opposed to drumettes.

Wingazette® Magazine : Sounds like the cook might have a drumette dependency. I'm sure that our readers would like to know about some of the pitfalls in wing consumption to be wary of on western jaunts. Perhaps you could provide the definitive guide to the TURNER'S TOP THIRTY poll.

GIBBONS: I'm working on putting together the "West Coast Roundup" right now, and plan to send it in as soon as possible.

Wingazette® Magazine : Tell us about your most courageous wing eating experience.

GIBBONS: That would have to be one evening at the #1 ranked Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck, more commonly known as BW3'S. On that particular evening, Andrew Arvay, Jack Ofsharick, and myself sat down to a 100 piece order of Chernobyl style wings. We lost Jack Ofsharick after he had eaten 4 wings, then he mumbled something about having to go for ice cream. Andrew and I were determined not to waste any product, so we enjoyed the remaining wings one by one, as we also enjoyed a number or pitchers, one by one. After we completed our meal, we went for ice cream and picked up another 5 wings as a snack.

Wingazette® Magazine : Come on, Steve, another 5 wings???

GIBBONS: Well, maybe that is pushing it a bit, but we certainly did have ice cream.

Wingazette® Magazine : What about all of the controversy surrounding the state of Arizona and Dr. Martin Luther King? Many of our readers are demanding that we cut off the circulation of the Wingazette Ò to Arizona. Any comments?

GIBBONS: Certainly, my new constituency in Arizona are very much in the learning process of chicken wings. In order for consumption to increase, additional insight to product quality is imperative. However, Arizonans would be glad to vote out Wingazette Ò Magazine if you want to be wimpy like the NFL and try and tell us what to do. We existed on the Western front long before periodicals such as yours came this way. We would like to continue to receive Wingazette Ò Magazine, but we are a growing, thriving, prospering state, a It new breed" that cannot be dictated to by you or by the NFL. We will continue to honor Dr. King on Sunday as we have in the past, as many of us feel that the state has too many paid holidays as it is.

Wingazette® Magazine : Whew! We never would have guessed when we began eating chicken wings that it would lead to such hard controversial issues. What else has been happening in the West?

GIBBONS: I sampled the wares at Bobby Rubino's in Sacramento recently with Craig Langley, and we would not nominate the Rubino's wing as an acceptable menu choice.They were paltry, underseasoned, and undergarnished.

Wingazette® Magazine : No!

GIBBONS: Absolutely, Kentucky Fried Chicken's Hot Wings would put them to shame.

Wingazette® Magazine: Sounds like another establishment has fallen into the Bottom Ten. What other words of wisdom can you share with our readers?

GIBBONS: Wings were wild when we were winning. Wings will win our when wecessionary times occur. To help the economy recover, eat more wings today. Remember, Santa is tired of milk and cookies, so prepare your best and give him the firepower to make it all the way to the West.

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