Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, it's time to play another round of "What the Hell Is That?" the game where you guess what beloved American food item is being made in the picture above.
Today's featured photo takes us to an industrial locale, where a candy-colored creation creams into a soft serve-like mound in a cardboard box, aided by the skilled hands of a metal scoop wielding technician.
Is this a picture of?
A) The result of the Pillsbury Dough Boy's tragic encounter with a meat grinder. B) New age saltwater taffy production method at the Pennsylvania Dutch Candy Co.'s testing facility. C) NEW, from the makers of Soylent Green -- Soylent Pink! (Now with more girls!) D) Bubble Yum Bubble Gum on the manufacturing line, prior to packaging. E) Mechanically separated chicken, before its formed, fried and served to kids as McNuggets.
If you guessed "E," you're correct. The photo is a glimpse into the wonderful world of mechanically separated chicken,where science and technology are at work every day performing meaty miracles. The image in the photo is a chicken paste or "slurry" which will later become chicken nuggets. Mechanical separation of meat has allowed for some amazing (or disturbing) achievements in food science, such as transforming the unpopular dark meat of chicken into the "white, breast meat" consumers desire and cutting down on costs by using the entire animal.
Perhaps some extra barbecue sauce with those nuggets next time?
