When Chickens Stage a Coup: The Poultry Plot of Żebbuġ

The Early Bird Gets the Worm, but the Late Farmer Gets the Shock

It was a day like any other in the sunny town of Żebbuġ, where the scent of ħobż biż-żejt wafted through the air, mingling with the earthy aroma of freshly tilled soil. Farmers were up at the crack of dawn tending to their fields, but one, by the name of Wistin, overslept—which in Malta, as everyone knows, is tantamount to a cardinal sin.

Wistin, a man whose love for his afternoon siesta was as deep as the Mdina dungeons, stumbled out of bed, only to discover his chickens squawking in what sounded suspiciously like Maltese. “Mela, these birds are getting smarter than the village mayor,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

Feathers Fly in the Face of Tradition

As he approached his beloved coop, something was amiss. The chickens, once content to peck at the ground in their perpetual quest for grain, were now perched atop tractors, brooms, and even the neighbor’s cat. Wistin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw his prized rooster, Karmnu, standing on two legs, brandishing a sign that read, “Għal qamħ aħjar!” (For better grain!).

“Uwejja!” Wistin exclaimed. “Are my chickens… protesting?” It was a rebellion, a coop coup! To Wistin’s horror, the chickens had overthrown the pecking order, and were now demanding gourmet feed laced with snippets of Gozo’s finest Gbejniet.

Interview with a Chicken

“We’re tired of the same old scratch,” clucked Karmnu, the rooster spokesbird, as he puffed out his chest feathers. “We want our diet to reflect the rich cuisine of our hallowed isles. How can we lay the golden eggs of tomorrow if we’re stuck with yesterday’s grubs?”

Cluck, Click, Action;

Moving faster than a pastizz disappears during festa season, the chickens had set up an Instagram account (@zebbugchickenstakeover). With posts featuring hens in straw bonnets dining on fenkata (rabbit stew) and well-lit portraits of chicks lounging amongst caper bushes, the account went viral. Malta, typically known for its rich history and beautiful beaches, was now gaining fame as the home of the world’s most gastronomically discriminating chickens.

Malta’s top chefs were in a flurry. “This changes everything,” said Chef Rikardu, known for his avant-garde take on timpana. “We must embrace local produce, but now, it seems, also local poultry preferences!” he added, his mustache quivering with excitement.

The Unexpected Plot Twist

But fate, with a sense of humor dry as the Maltese summer, had one more twist in the tail. As the chicken revolution gathered pace, Wistin realized his chickens’ sophisticated taste could be the key to his own fortune. He opened the first Posh Poultry Cafe, where discerning diners could enjoy the spectacle of chickens’ choosing from a menu of the finest seeds and kitchen scraps the islands could offer.

The cafe was an instant hit, drawing crowds from Sliema to Cirkewwa, all eager to witness the culinary choices of Karmnu and his feathered comrades. Sitting at tables adorned with checkered tablecloths, humans and chickens dined side by side, as the clucking critics provided pecks of approval or disapproval to the day’s fare.

And so, the farmer who once battled the clutches of sleep, now presided over the most avant-garde eatery in Malta. Restaurants nationwide were soon boasting that their ingredients were “chicken tested and approved.”

Where the Egg of Tomorrow is Laid Today

No one knew how long this peculiar peace would last, but for now, Wistin was content. He had learned that in Malta, even chickens can inspire innovation. And as the sun set over the silent city of Mdina and the chickens roosted for the night, the lights of the Posh Poultry Cafe twinkled like fireflies, a beacon of hope in a world hungry for change… and gourmet feed.