Few industries have spawned as many myths and urban legends as fast food.
The idea that you can order your meal and be eating it within minutes is already a bit
suspicious.
So let's take a crack at debunking some of the myths you've probably heard — and might
still believe!
"Burger up!"
Taco Bell's "meat"
If you listen to Taco Bell haters, you might believe your beef tacos feature something
other than actual meat.
They've been accused of using everything from fillers to "grade D" beef.
"Something's not stacking up."
Of course, none of it is true.
Taco Bell even posted a since-deleted statement on their website, saying their beef was 88
percent beef and 12 percent other products.
According to USA Today, those "other products" are things like trehalose and yeast.
And registered dietitian Katherine Tallmadge told the paper that they're safe to eat, and
most are used for flavor-balancing and texture.
And if that doesn't stop model Chrissy Teigen from eating at the Bell, you're good to go.
"And we all know I love Taco Bell.
I like that one.
Mama like."
KFC and the crazy chickens
KFC has been the victim of so many rumors, they've devoted an entire section of their
Chicken Chattin' website to debunking them.
There's the Mutant Chicken Myth, that suggested KFC was breeding chickens with extra legs,
and the KFC Spider Chicken Myth, which suggested customers were eating chickens with eight
legs and six wings.
There's even the one that claimed they changed their name to KFC because they couldn't legally
call their product "chicken" — but none of it is true.
KFC sources healthy, perfectly normal, non-GMO-engineered chickens.
They say their chickens have to pass both USDA standards and their own, and that less
than 10 percent of chickens are, in fact,
"Finger lickin' good!"
Anti-military Starbucks
There are a few different stories about just how anti-military Starbucks is, and according
to ThoughtCo., it all started with a viral message sent in 2004.
It condemned Starbucks for refusing to donate coffee to US Marines, and claimed they refused
because they didn't support the war in Iraq or those fighting it.
It was written by Marine Sergeant Howard C. Wright, and even though he later issued a
retraction admitting that he'd been misinformed, the myth survived.
According to a 2005 Starbucks Newsroom release, Starbucks has not only committed to hiring
thousands of veterans and active duty spouses, they've sent coffee and donations through
the American Red Cross and The United Service Organizations.
They even made commitments to expand into military communities and donate a share of
those store profits to charities.
"We're gonna continue to do everything we can to honor the service and extraordinary
young men and women who are wearing the cloth of the nation."
Deep-fried whatever
This one is so common, Snopes calls it "Kentucky Fried Rat".
"Is this chicken?"
"Hell no.
It's really impossible to turn a profit if you serve real chicken.
Yeah, we use mainly bats."
Snopes says the story dates back to a tall tale first told in 1976, where a woman was
eating KFC, discovered she was chowing down on a fried rat, then promptly succumbed to
a heart attack.
McDonald's was accused of serving up a chicken head in 2000, then it was a mouse at Popeye's
in 2003, and then a rat at Popeye's in 2016.
Snopes says there's usually not a resolution to any of these cases — and none have been
confirmed as real, since official investigators are rarely allowed to sample the evidence.
[loud chewing]
Wendy's chili "meat"
Just like every other fast food joint, Wendy's has been the subject of lots of meaty drama.
We'll start with the claim their chili is made with rat or horse meat.
Snopes traced the myth to satirical news site NewsBuzzDaily.com, and busted it.
There's also a fake story from 2016 claiming a Wendy's employee had admitted to, and we
quote,
"Pooping in several hundred batches of chili since 2013."
… which is a whole lot of dedication to a very unusual cause.
The story about finding a finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili was true, but considering
the person who found it later admitted to also putting it there, Snopes says you can
go ahead and get your chili on.
Arby's liquid meat
No matter how much you love Arby's, you have to admit their roast beef has an odd texture.
And that's given rise to the myth that they use liquified meat.
But in 2015 Business Insider went behind-the-scenes at Arby's to get the truth — which was:
zero liquid meat.
Arby's brisket arrives pre-smoked and ready to slice in-store, while other meats — including
the roast beef — are slow-roasted on location every day.
"Kendra?"
"Yes?"
"You know what, I am gonna have that third steak after all.
Go ahead and put that order in now.
Please and thank you."
Chinese takeout mystery meat
According to the Guardian, this one has been around for so long it's gone from urban legend
to an uncomfortable and rather racist joke.
Snopes confirms the stories of cats, dogs, and even rats being served up in Chinese restaurants
aren't just false, they do have racist roots.
They found the myth circulating as far back as the 1850s, when Chinese immigrants began
to settle in Britain and America.
The story was a xenophobic, knee-jerk reaction to the clashing of two very different cultures
— accusations that have even closed restaurant doors and put people out of work.
So, let's enjoy our pork fried rice together in peace — because it's flippin' delicious.
McDonald's "100% beef" ingredients
This myth alleges that while McDonald's labels their meat "100 percent beef," you may not
be eating all the usual parts of the cow.
"I would like to buy a hamburger."
Since there's also an urban legend that McDonald's is the world's largest purchaser of cow eyeballs,
ThoughtCo.
looked at how cost-effective the practice would be.
Spoiler: eyeballs are more expensive than meat.
The USDA also specifies any "beef byproducts" need to be disclosed — so, McDonald's wouldn't
even be able to label eyeball meat as "100 percent beef."
"Ed...
I see you."
McDonald's fake eggs
When McDonald's can consistently serve up perfectly round eggs, something has to be
up, right?
According to Business Insider UK, McDonald's eggs, which are genuine, are cracked right
on location into egg rings that give them their perfect shape, so there's no need to
worry about your perfect Egg McMuffin.
"Egg McMuffin / yahoo!"
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