# This is food?, I don't think so! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460 "2004-07-10T18:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/1 "2004-07-10T18:44:35Z")
I will be having some downtime out here, I was a little hungry so I grabbed something out of the breakroom, would you eat: “MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED BEEF FATTY TISSUE, VINEGAR, LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, SPICES, SUGAR, FLAVORINGS, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE AND SODIUM NITRITE.” This struck me as particulary unappetising and there ain’t no way that I am eating this! BTW, it’s a brand name “Potted Meat Food Product” (whatever that is supposed to be). Unclviny P.S. for all the oil rig folks, the WH broke at the PDP so we are POOH to set a packer and ND to replace the WH, then we will NU, test, TIH and head for TD (~460’). ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/2 "2004-07-10T19:02:20Z")
> [@unclviny](#): > > “Potted Meat Food Product” (whatever that is supposed to be). Hot dog rejects. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/3 "2004-07-10T19:06:32Z")
Sure. Sounds good. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/4 "2004-07-10T19:15:07Z")
Well, the ingredients make it sound worse than it tastes. My biggest complaint is that it’s so salty. Despite that, it’s actually pretty good on some crackers with a layer of mayo. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/5 "2004-07-10T19:46:33Z")
> [@](#): > > “MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED BEEF FATTY TISSUE, VINEGAR, LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, SPICES, SUGAR, FLAVORINGS, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE AND SODIUM NITRITE.” Wow, just look at the possible combination of band names! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/6 "2004-07-10T21:29:12Z")
The only part that bothers me is “mechanically seperated chicken.” Do they really have to say mechanically? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/7 "2004-07-10T21:42:44Z")
> [@unclviny](#): > > “MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE, PARTIALLY DEFATTED COOKED BEEF FATTY TISSUE, VINEGAR, LESS THAN 2% OF: SALT, SPICES, SUGAR, FLAVORINGS, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE AND SODIUM NITRITE.” Well, mechanically separated chicken means that after they have removed the large bits of chicken off the bones, they run it under high pressure water to knock the little bits of meat and cartillage off the bones. It is edible. I would say that the best way to look at the partially defatted cooked beef and pork fatty tissue is best described as the stuff left after rendering out the leaf lard and tallow - the lard and tallow going to different end uses. Pork fatty tissue when deepfried becomes cracklings or ‘pork skins’ so just think of it as the same thing just not fried until really really crispy, and just sort of all blenderized with the chicken bits, then the rest of the ingredients being flavorings and preservatives=) It is sort of the modern equivalent of potted meat, where the leftovers from a roast are minced very finely, mixed with flavorings and put in a jar and covered with a thin layer of fat to prevent spoilage, same thing really. [http://www.recipecottage.com/preserving-meats/](http://www.recipecottage.com/preserving-meats/) [http://www.lvo.com/GB/GASTRONOMIE/TERR/PDTS/rillet.html](http://www.lvo.com/GB/GASTRONOMIE/TERR/PDTS/rillet.html) [http://vegetablepatch.subportal.com/recipes/A14/recipeA14878.html](http://vegetablepatch.subportal.com/recipes/A14/recipeA14878.html) [http://www.florilegium.org/](http://www.florilegium.org/) - type potted meats into the search on the website and go for the HTML listing=) ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/8 "2004-07-10T22:08:20Z")
Parts is parts. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/9 "2004-07-10T22:15:17Z")
Except for the _mechanically seperated_ part, that could also be the list of ingredients for really good BBQ. I guess it’s all relative… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/10 "2004-07-10T22:36:27Z")
Meat Food. Cheese Food. I won’t eat anything that still needs to eat. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/11 "2004-07-11T01:15:27Z")
My brother once wrote a poem about Potted Meat Food Product. It was a lament, that he had consumed the last can late one night, we found it in the morning. Sure sign that he was up too late. Can’t stand the stuff myself. I guess it’s like a poor man’s pate. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/12 "2004-07-11T02:56:16Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > The only part that bothers me is “mechanically seperated chicken.” Do they really have to say mechanically? Mechanically separated anything does not sound something one would want to eat. That’s why the first time I read it (bag of sausage from a Papa John’s) I told everyone that would listen to me that it was in there. Most people thought it was some sort of regulation like **aruvqan** said, much like cheese food. When something is obviously described the way it is because of a law, it tends to make you distrust it. ---
**Author:** ![Run\_Ruby\_Run](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@Run\_Ruby\_Run](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Run_Ruby_Run)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/13 "2004-07-11T03:01:33Z")
This is why I am a vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/14 "2004-07-11T03:27:05Z")
That’ll teach you to read ingredients! ---
**Author:** ![Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/15 "2004-07-11T05:26:58Z")
Gaah! (Do we have a gagging/retching smilie? I don’t see one.) I had to live on this stuff for almost a month in the long-ago. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/16 "2004-07-11T05:30:38Z")
My first thought was “Snap into a Slim Jim!” In this day and age, unless you’re eating totally organic, it’s probably best to NEVER READ INGREDIENTS, lest you waste away from sheer disgust. Of course, I _like_ Slim Jims. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/17 "2004-07-11T06:30:46Z")
Is that that stuff that looks like dog food? ---
**Author:** ![Sami41](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sami41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sami41)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/18 "2004-07-11T11:19:06Z")
I had a cousin who was a chicken mechanic. . . . ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/19 "2004-07-11T12:12:27Z")
Just take a look at the list of ingredients on a bottle of Sunny Delight. I looks like the inventory of a medium sized chemical laboratory. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460/20 "2004-07-11T15:12:31Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Is that that stuff that looks like dog food? Actually, dog food looks [better](http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/potted.html). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-food-i-dont-think-so/254460.md?page=2)