If you’re looking to understand the contradictions of contemporary capitalism, there’s no better place to start than the new Popeyes chicken sandwich.

The source of backed-up drive-thru lines, fawning media profiles, and ecstatic dining experiences the country over, the sandwich’s release has become the premier fast food event of our time. Vice says that Popeyes’ new chef-d’oeuvre “ascends into a new level of gastronomic achievement that is both a culinary and scientific feat.” The Los Angeles Times claims the fast food delicacy now serves as an “economic indicator” of the country’s fiscal health. The New Yorker suggests the sandwich could “save America.”

Why so much flattery for a simple $3.99 fried chicken sandwich? Well, first off, the taste and texture create an experience that is indeed transcendent. (I take mine spicy.) But perhaps more importantly, the sandwich is a uniquely American culinary creation that brings us together at a time of polarization; a succulent rara avis for the twenty-first century.