# taco bell meat **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2000, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954 "2000-07-18T06:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/1 "2000-07-18T06:41:13Z")
okay, so this may be an urban legend, but i have only heard it from one person. i checked snopes, but found nothing. i aksed a woman working at a T-bell in NYC but she jsut looked at me funny. does taco bell use a product called Buf (an umlaut over the ‘u’), pronounced ‘boof’? supposedly a powder which, when watered and heated, yields a product that is similar to actual ground beef. said friend said that it was dehydrated beef. anybody who works a taco bell who can verify? same person told me that ARby’s roast beef arrived at the stores as a gelatinous slab. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/2 "2000-07-18T06:58:09Z")
Buf, huh. I heard from one of MY friends that they serve ground Chihuahua meat. They get them free from the dog catchers in Mexico. When did your friend say this? While you two were at lunch, no doubt. Of right after YOU just got back from either Taco Bell or Arby’s? Fool him tomorrow. Go KFC. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/3 "2000-07-18T07:15:26Z")
no, even worse- we were eating cafeteria food. it has all the earmarks of an UL, but i haven’t found any references to it anywhere, and i can’t get my computer to produce the fricken u-umlaut (my alt key is busted) ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/4 "2000-07-18T07:20:43Z")
Cut and paste this: ü May it help you more than it did me. I haven’t had much luck with search engines, with or without the umlaut. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/5 "2000-07-18T07:51:37Z")
I remember hearing that the meat used in their tacos came from kangaroos, although if you think about it would be very costly. I guess they use cats, they are cheap and abundant. ---
**Author:** ![labdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5fc32e/32.png) [@labdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labdude)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/6 "2000-07-18T08:57:15Z")
I have no sources to back up the following but… I live in a rural south, and grew up poor. This means that I know my myster meats very well. I can swear I smell and taste beef kidneys in the taco bell ground beef. I’m not saying they are 100% kidneys, but at least 10-20%. Can anyone back me up on this? ---
**Author:** ![Kiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@Kiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiva)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/7 "2000-07-18T09:04:24Z")
I’ve always had a vague feeling that the Taco Bell meat substance comes in a toothpaste-like tube. The tubes are kept warm, and to make a taco, you just take a tortilla, and squeeze a miniscule amount of the meat paste down the middle. Pure conjecture on my part, of course. This is why I avoid Taco Bell. Taco Time or Taco Del Mar for me, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/8 "2000-07-18T09:06:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by labdude \* > \*\*I have no sources to back up the following but… > > I live in a rural south, and grew up poor. This means that I know my myster meats very well. I can swear I smell and taste beef kidneys in the taco bell ground beef. I’m not saying they are 100% kidneys, but at least 10-20%. > > Can anyone back me up on this? \*\* OK, that’s it. I’m never going to Taco Bell again. And since the same company owns KFC and Pizza hut, they are on my list as well. Is Subway still OK? If I just have the Veggie Delight? Dang, it seems you can’t eat out at all anymore without getting a piece of rumor stuck between your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/9 "2000-07-18T09:07:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jb\_farley \* > \*\*same person told me that ARby’s roast beef arrived at the stores as a gelatinous slab. \*\* Although I don’t work at Arby’s, I can confirm that there are meats that are sold as, how you put it, _gelatinous slabs_. The turkey meat we use for turkey subs comes in a big round blob of something that tastes like turkey. Same thing with the chicken we use for chicken subs. WAG : they blend up all the meat and water until they become mush and then wrap it all up in a round ball. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/10 "2000-07-18T09:10:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Louie \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by jb\_farley \* > > \*\*same person told me that ARby’s roast beef arrived at the stores as a gelatinous slab. \*\* > > Although I don’t work at Arby’s, I can confirm that there are meats that are sold as, how you put it, _gelatinous slabs_. The turkey meat we use for turkey subs comes in a big round blob of something that tastes like turkey. Same thing with the chicken we use for chicken subs. > > WAG : they blend up all the meat and water until they become mush and then wrap it all up in a round ball. \*\* OK, where do YOU work? It’s going on my list too. 100 to 1 it’s Subway. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/11 "2000-07-18T09:17:06Z")
I heard Taco Bell had a contract with the Federal Park Service. Every year when the spring thaw is underway, a team of taco guys goes through the parks, picking up animals that died during the winter. Deer, buffalo, rabbits, bear, racoons, skunks, possums, birds, lost hikers, you name it. Taco Bell isn’t fussy at all. I think it is a good thing. It puts dead animals to good use, it helps keep Taco Bell in business, it provides jobs for people who clean up the animals and it frees up park personnel for more important tasks, like directing traffic. I have heard that Taco Bell is negotiating a new contract with the Park Service. Something to do with elderly Park Service employees to reduce the amount of pension money the Park Service has to expend. I also hear that “Ranger Rick” burritos are projected to be big sellers in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/12 "2000-07-18T09:25:08Z")
That is so damn ridiculous!!! Where did you hear that crap LouisB? I mean cmon, bears hybernate in the winter, you will not find any dead after the snow thaws. Geeeze. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/13 "2000-07-18T09:31:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tcburnett \* > \*\*OK, where do YOU work? It’s going on my list too. 100 to 1 it’s Subway. \*\* It’s a local pizza and sub sandwich restaurant. It’s not Subway. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/14 "2000-07-18T09:42:34Z")
Win? Why you get to be the test pilot of my new, improved electric chair. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Louie \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by tcburnett \* > > \*\*OK, where do YOU work? It’s going on my list too. 100 to 1 it’s Subway. \*\* > > It’s a local pizza and sub sandwich restaurant. It’s not Subway. \*\* Doesn’t matter. Now I’m suspicious of Subway as well. I’m going to have to start living on fruit, vegetables and sushi (extra pickled Ginger please, and hold the wasabe). And I don’t want any of those little square brown things, either. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/15 "2000-07-18T10:10:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\*That is so damn ridiculous!!! Where did you hear that crap LouisB? I mean cmon, bears hybernate in the winter, you will not find any dead after the snow thaws. > Geeeze. \*\* Some bears die of old age, don’t they? Or maybe a bear sleep walks and falls asleep outside and freezes, I don’t know. Besides, all I said was that if the taco takers find one, they can have it. I didn’t say they actually found any dead bears. I know bears are smart and I hear that every now and then one of the taco people stumble across a pissed off bear and become lunch themselves. It isn’t an easy job, searching for dead animals, you know? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/16 "2000-07-18T10:24:35Z")
My sister’s friend’s mother’s uncle’s adopted Vietnamese orpahn newphew’s 3rd cousin on her father’s side works for that Taco Bell meat finding squad. He told me all about it so trust me I should know!! He said that they have never found a dead bear. He says they mostly find starved deer and jack-rabbits. Occassionaly a buffalo or two. Skunks supposedly make the best gorditas. Like I said, “Bears? Ridiculous!” ---
**Author:** ![tatertot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@tatertot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tatertot)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/17 "2000-07-18T10:26:17Z")
I don’t remember where I read it, but it seems that while Taco Bell does use real beef, it is of a lower grade than the ground beef we would buy ourselves in the supermarket. AFAIK, the grade of beef is how well marbled and tender it is, not how safe it is to eat. So, it’s probably just really tough and that is why they have to grind it up so much. A friend of mine used to work at Taco Bell and he told me that the beans come in a dehydrated form and are reconstituted with water. Could that be what your friend was thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/18 "2000-07-18T10:53:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bear\_Nenno \* > \*\*My sister’s friend’s mother’s uncle’s adopted Vietnamese orpahn newphew’s 3rd cousin on her father’s side works for that Taco Bell meat finding squad. He told me all about it so trust me I should know!! He said that they have never found a dead bear. He says they mostly find starved deer and jack-rabbits. Occassionaly a buffalo or two. Skunks supposedly make the best gorditas. Like I said, “Bears? Ridiculous!” \*\* Well, I can’t argue with an impecable inside source like that. I stand corrected on the bear situation. Thank you for providing the rest of the story. **ATTENTION TACO BELL LOVERS: Taco Bell products do not contain bear meat or substances derived from the processing of bear meat. No bears are harmed during the manufacture of Taco Bell products.** ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/19 "2000-07-18T12:01:45Z")
> [@](#): > > I remember hearing that the meat used in their tacos came from kangaroos I’m pretty sure that was Jack-in-the-Box. They got into some trouble for it. > [@](#): > > I’ve always had a vague feeling that the Taco Bell meat substance comes in a toothpaste-like tube. On the rare occasions that I go to Taco Hell, I see the meat in stainless steel pans that are kept in a steam table (or whatever you call them. One of those cafeteria things.). > [@](#): > > same person told me that ARby’s roast beef arrived at the stores as a gelatinous slab. A cursory look at Arby’s meat will show that it’s processed and shaped. Probably is a gelatinous slab, like Spam (which really isn’t as bad as people who haven’t tried it like to think). ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2000, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954/20 "2000-07-18T12:54:57Z")
Kangaroo meat? Dead Skunks? I love it 😃 I swear, Taco Bell’s food is so disgusting, I’d believe that that damn talking chihuahua was in the tacos. Arby’s and Pizza Hut are OK by me, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-bell-meat/25954.md?page=2)