Way back in the day, I had a very important question for my mom. I wondered, “What happens if you crack an egg and a chicken comes out?” Surely it happened at least once before, right?
Well, not totally. Hens have been laying eggs for so long that farmers just know which eggs are safe to eat and which eggs hold baby chicks. They have a process for determining which eggs are fertilized. And when fast food is concerned, the process is even more regulated. Things do occasionally go wrong, though.
One mom in China, for example, found feathers in McDonald’s chicken wings.
And, for once, Americans probably rejoiced because McDonald’s locations in the United States only sell chicken nuggets.
It’s a little strange that employees didn’t notice the feathery food before serving it.
In fact, the chicken should have been properly cleaned before it was even fried. So how did the mom even realize the restaurant’s negligence?
Her daughter actually started coughing up feather pieces after taking a bite of her meal.
The sight must have been disturbing.
Chinese Girl Traumatized After Finding Feathers In Fried Chicken Wings - MBites by Manila Bulletin https://t.co/ADU7eZrSV5
— Joshua Angelo Tadeo Frial (@jatf0416) April 28, 2019
According to MBites, the child ate three wings before making the discovery at a Beijing McDonald’s location on April 21, 2019.
“A chicken wing overgrown with feathers was fried and then sold, to be sent straight into a child’s mouth!” Zhou wrote in a social media post alongside a photo of the offending snack with feathers clearly seen protruding through the fried coating. https://t.co/0asHkby5K8
— johnna giolagon (@johnnagiolagon) April 26, 2019
You’d expect better from a big chain.
It makes you wonder how carefully McDonald’s manufacturers clean and check their meat prior to distributing it to restaurants.
In case you are wondering, fried chicken with feathers is not to bad....
— Sam Jarman (@SamuelJarman) February 20, 2016
With honey
Oddly enough, plenty of people have dealt with feathery fried chicken before.
McDonald’s restaurants aren’t the only guilty parties.
When ur sister is eating fried chicken & it has feathers in it!!!! @Bojangles1977
— ally mccullen (@allykmccullen) March 3, 2016
Some people feel as if the situation could have been worse.
After all, chickens do have feathers.
good morning
— the cow says: black lives matter (@justasinglecow) July 10, 2017
except everyone who get grossed out w/ chicken feathers in their fried chicken instead of the fact that is a dead animal 🐄
But, the mom was mostly concerned because the feather could have been a choking hazard. Luckily, her daughter was safe.
The concerned parent shared the image on social media and claimed that her daughter
allegedly suffered from nightmares because of the incident.
Apparently, the girl also retches whenever she tries to eat now.
McDonald’s reportedly offered to compensate the family, but instead, the mom reported the location to the local food safety administration.
Hopefully, no other wings were served that still contained feathers.
McDonald’s China purportedly apologized for the error, saying, “We express our sincere apologies for the product flaw which was not immediately detected by the restaurant and has caused inconvenience for the customer.”
Think you’re safe from ingesting chicken feathers? You may want to think again.
In 2017, an irate customer posted an image of feathery chicken he got from Popeyes. “I mean… I don’t understand this at all,” he wrote on Instagram. “Upon seeing this, the chicken went in the garbage. Just wanted to share this with you guys so you can possibly clean your birds a bit better.”
Another customer complained about a similar KFC incident in 2016.
And surely there are plenty of others who might not even realize they’re eating accidental feathers.
Moreover, if three big chains didn’t properly clean their poultry, feathery chicken could be quite common in every food establishment. Some people are even considering alternative diets because the issue is so severe.
eewwww!..jus ate fried chicken frm thee chinq chang.found 2 feathers in it..IM GOING VEGAN!!!!
— ROSELEESPRINGS (@iiValueWISDOM) January 12, 2010
Other people are a little less stressed, though.
They’re just glad their food contains real chicken.
I'm at the KFC in Heilderberg, the fried chicken still has unplucked feathers. Proof that KFC is made from real chicken.
— Khaya Dlanga (@khayadlanga) February 1, 2011
If you find a feather during your next restaurant visit, just know you’re not the only one.
Even though they might gross you out a little bit, feathers are natural and likely won’t hurt you.
No matter what, though, examine the food you eat. If something looks off or doesn’t taste right, trust your instincts.
