# Why do black people like steaks well-done? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958 "2010-09-25T02:15:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/1 "2010-09-25T02:15:22Z")
As with any thread that starts with “Why do black people…” I expect some casual flames and snarky comments. So be it, but I feel that in 2+ years working as a server I gathered enough observational data to make this claim with a reasonable degree of confidence. And before you say “I’m black and I order mine medium-rare”, or “my best friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s lawyer’s daughter is black, and she slaughters her own cows and eats their flesh raw”: I don’t give a shit. In the aforementioned time period, whenever a black person ordered a steak and I asked them how they would like it prepared, the answer was inevitably “well-done” with the _occasional_ “medium-well”, but not once did one order it medium or below. So as I’m sure there are exceptions, the fact remains that a preference for a well-done steak is a very strong trend among this community. I’m guessing there is a cultural or social reason for it, but I’m ignorant as to what it might be. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/2 "2010-09-25T02:17:43Z")
Does well-done steak complement the taste of menthols? Either way, I have high hopes for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/3 "2010-09-25T02:23:11Z")
Why do white people like their steaks rare? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/4 "2010-09-25T02:24:19Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > Why do white people like their steaks rare? I can’t speak for white people, but I like mine medium-rare personally. It’s much juicier and more flavorful that way. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/5 "2010-09-25T02:32:12Z")
(Assuming for the sake of argument the validity of the OP’s observation): Old cultural ties to a southern-cuisine tendency to cook the hell out of everything? ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/6 "2010-09-25T02:32:35Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > …I feel that in 2+ years working as a server I gathered enough observational data to make this claim… How many different restaurants? How many different parts of the US? How many different price points? Unless you forgot a zero after that “2” you just don’t have enough data to make this claim. I think this thread belongs in CS. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/7 "2010-09-25T02:41:17Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > (Assuming for the sake of argument the validity of the OP’s observation): Old cultural ties to a southern-cuisine tendency to cook the hell out of everything? My guess as well. Lots of soul food/southern food/etc, and a lot of Caribbean food was cooked with open flame, and getting a nice char is an important part of the flavor profile on many of the dishes. Plus, beef was less common compared to game animals (and seafood), which tend to get cooked more thoroughly. Add in the prevalence of long slow cooked dishes with rice and other grains, and it doesn’t seem far off that cooking steaks to well would be unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/8 "2010-09-25T02:50:40Z")
I think it’s a money thing. I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s poor people. Poor people eat their steaks over cooked to hell. Don’t flame me! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/9 "2010-09-25T02:53:47Z")
I for one, cannot stand the sight of blood on my plate. I am always sending steaks back (or not ordering the steak at all in ‘fancy’ places). I think I am white. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/10 "2010-09-25T02:57:41Z")
I’m a white person and I like my steak well done. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/11 "2010-09-25T03:01:40Z")
How about an ancillary question, the answer to which may add to your OP: Why do black people favor “Red Lobster”? I think it’s a cultural thing. Steaks ordered well done taste a lot more like salisbury steak, and are therefore more familiar. _rim shot_ Yes that was a low blow…but I still think it applies. Stereotypes exist for a reason: there’s got to be a trend SOMEWHERE. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/12 "2010-09-25T03:06:49Z")
Black, White, Asian, the poorer working class segments of society have always had the cheaper cuts of meat and less of it. Meatloaf is a will done meat dish used by the poorer classes to stretch hamburger into a roast with bread crumbs and eggs. Poorer cuts of meat have been ultra-tenderized and fried to make country fried steak. Soups and stews, slow cooked BBQ. From my own experience rare meat is the exception to the rule. I’m a white guy, I love a rare steak, but my family growing up was the first generation you could call middle class or upper middle class. My Dad never ate steak growing up and never a good quality rare one. If your guess has any basis in truth I would assume it would have to be more about relative wealth than race, and as its human nature to strive to and glorify the habits of the wealthy. I believe it would only a matter of time and rare steak would be equally popular. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/13 "2010-09-25T03:08:34Z")
> [@Amblydoper](#): > > > [@Rigamarole](#): > > > > …I feel that in 2+ years working as a server I gathered enough observational data to make this claim… > > How many different restaurants? > How many different parts of the US? > How many different price points? > > Unless you forgot a zero after that “2” you just don’t have enough data to make this claim. I think this thread belongs in CS. 3 restaurants - some more casual (i.e. cheaper) than others and one was pretty upscale. All in L.A., but we get a lot of travelers and people who’ve moved here from all over. It’s not a perfect cross-section, but still a pretty eclectic mix. And I served hundreds if not thousands of black people. That’s more than enough for a statistically valid sample size. So actually, I do have plenty of data. Unless you can prove otherwise with data that you’ve collected that goes contrary to my claim. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/14 "2010-09-25T03:09:07Z")
**hands over eyes** I can’t watch. **peeking through fingers** ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/15 "2010-09-25T03:09:13Z")
It’s not a race thing, it’s a culture thing. “White” folks who are poor, and “black” folks who are rich tend to reflect their economic status, not their racial one, in their choices. Same goes visa-versa. ETA: my grandpa won’t eat steak that’s not cooked to leather. He’s white. Really, really, really white. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/16 "2010-09-25T03:10:59Z")
> [@ataraxy22](#): > > I’m a white person and I like my steak well done. Like I said in the OP: don’t give a shit, doesn’t matter, doesn’t answer the question. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/17 "2010-09-25T03:12:14Z")
Wow, I like steak medium-well or even well done. I must be a Negro. If only I had rhythm. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/18 "2010-09-25T03:13:59Z")
> [@Rigmarole](#): > > And I served hundreds if not thousands of black people. That’s more than enough for a statistically valid sample size. Ah, but have you _published_? :dubious: > [@Rigmarole](#): > > I can’t speak for white people, but I like mine medium-rare personally. It’s much juicier and more flavorful that way. That’s just anecdotal evidence, and not statistically valid. At least the “more flavorful” part. I suspect that there are indeed more bodily fluids gurgling out of underdone meat. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/19 "2010-09-25T03:17:01Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Black, White, Asian, the poorer working class segments of society have always had the cheaper cuts of meat and less of it. Meatloaf is a will done meat dish used by the poorer classes to stretch hamburger into a roast with bread crumbs and eggs. Poorer cuts of meat have been ultra-tenderized and fried to make country fried steak. Soups and stews, slow cooked BBQ. From my own experience rare meat is the exception to the rule. I’m a white guy, I love a rare steak, but my family growing up was the first generation you could call middle class or upper middle class. My Dad never ate steak growing up and never a good quality rare one. > If your guess has any basis in truth I would assume it would have to be more about relative wealth than race, and as its human nature to strive to and glorify the habits of the wealthy. I believe it would only a matter of time and rare steak would be equally popular. Interesting theory. If you’re going to order a steak though, why does the length of cooking time imply economic status? Are you just saying that being accustomed to other dishes that tend to be well-done makes one more likely to order it well-done? I could see that I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958/20 "2010-09-25T03:17:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Wow, I like steak medium-well or even well done. > > I must be a Negro. > > If only I had rhythm. ☹ I’m a vegetarian, but also a pretty good dancer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-black-people-like-steaks-well-done/554958.md?page=2)