In chapter 40, Sal receives a gift chicken from Ben. Chickens are Sal's favorite animal. However, this is not the only thing that is interesting about the chicken. The name of the chicken is Blackberry, which is interesting for two reasons. The first one is that blackberries remind Sal of her mother, and the feeling of fondness and sweetness associated with her. The irony, however, is that the chicken also reminds her of kissing, based on the story of the girl who claimed that kissing tasted like chicken. When Sal kissed a tree, she also felt a trace of blackberry, which reminded her of her mother.
