And… FastFoodCritic gets a fresh start.

First up, the angry McNugget Lady — Sometimes you just need some Chicken McNuggets, and the hell with anybody or anything that gets in your way. That was the case with the young woman you see pictured at left. She stopped at a McDonald’s in Toledo, Ohio, requesting Chicken McNuggets, and when the staff informed her they were only serving ‘breakfast’ during those morning hours, she went nuts. She reached into the drive-thru window and punched one employee in the mouth, and then began swinging at the manager who approached. Eventually she also punched thru the glass window.

Twenty-four-year-old Melodi Dushane was treated at a local hospital for injuries, and then sent directly to jail. She is being charged with felony vandalism. There is no word yet on possible assault charges for her acts of violence against the employees, but the woman has been ordered to stay away from that McDonald’s location.

And on that crazy note, this will be my final post as FFC Editor. Due to health problems and personal issues, I was regrettably forced to leave the site without updates over the past 11 months. The good news is that I’m doing better, and this project will move forward because I’m passing the fast-food torch to my friend Stevie. I will be going in a different direction with my life now, and will not be involved with the site anymore. I want to thank everyone who visited FFC in 2008 and 2009, and apologize for my absence. I hope you will support Stevie as he moves forward with the next chapter of FastFoodCritic. — Timothy

Please Note: It’s going to take a few days to make the changes here, including email addresses, so it’s best you wait until Stevie posts an update to contact him. Please be patient as he gets comfortable in his new surroundings. There may be some changes on the site, possibly ‘errors’, but all will be smoothed out soon.

McDonald’s recently gave the “Moms’ Quality Correspondents” access to one of their poultry facilities to learn how Chicken McNuggets are made, so they can give their children the answer to that often puzzling question. According to the press release this is “unprecedented”. From what I can tell, these Moms work for McDonald’s. They have their own website, McDonaldsMom.com which feels much like an advertisement, or pseudo reality TV show. These are not people off the street, like you and me. I’m not really sure how “unprecedented” or unbiased we can expect it to be.

I can understand wanting to defend their product. Chicken McNuggets have been blamed for the ills of the world. More than almost any other fast food item over the years, they’re the one I’ve seen the strangest, and most numerous stories about. But the reality is, they’re not that bad, and many stories are false or exaggerated.

Anyway, I’m not sure this is the best way to convince skeptics of the wholesome nature of the Chicken McNugget. We shall see. In addition to the McNuggets, they apparently have a whole series of tours to various McDonald’s facilities arranged, and there will be videos, interviews and all kinds of good McDonald’s coverage to follow.

Here’s a couple highlights of the press release.

“Beginning their tour at Keystone’s hatchery, the Moms learned about food quality and safety protocols, including incubation operations and traceability — the process used to trace chicken menu items in restaurants all the way back to the egg. They also learned about McDonald’s stringent animal welfare practices in place to ensure safe handling of the birds. The Moms then visited a broiler farm to witness how the chickens are cared for, fed and nurtured until fully grown. Keystone Foods representatives also discussed the bio-security measures that are taken to ensure McDonald’s strict food safety standards are met.

On the second day of the tour, the Moms visited the food production facility where they saw first-hand how the meat used to make Chicken McNuggets is carved from boneless, white meat chicken breasts. The same white meat is used in all McDonald’s premium chicken menu items including Premium Chicken Salads and Sandwiches as well as Snack Wraps.” — McDonald’s USA

Visit McDonaldsMom.com to learn more, and follow their adventures.

To quote myself from a previous review — “I grew up eating McDonald’s food, and no matter what anybody else says about them, there will always be a place in my heart (no heart-attack jokes please) for items like the Quarter Pounder, Chicken McNuggets and their world famous French Fries. These classic favorites from my past are showing their age, but it’s nice to visit the old friends to see how they are doing.”

Skip ahead a few weeks to today’s review of the Chicken McNuggets.

Some would say this is chicken, and fast food at it’s worse. But it’s not that bad. The chicken meat is not gray in color as some people would have you believe. There was a time when nuggets were made from a combination of light and dark chicken meat, therefore making the center an off-white shade of blended colors, but it was never the so-called “gray meat” that’s been described and exaggerated so often. A few years ago McDonald’s made a change to using “all white meat”. Whether that was actually an upgrade or not is debatable, but most people would probably consider it so.

Anyway, if you are expecting chunks of a fine breast filet at this price, you are being unrealistic. These are not ‘natural’ cut pieces of filet, they are formed-shapes made from minced breast and rib meat. They also include Mechanically Separated Meat or MSM, a product that’s been used since the 1960’s. The meat is not the best quality, but it’s also not from an alien planet or manufactured by mad scientists in a laboratory. It’s real chicken - with nutritional value - and it will satisfy your body’s hunger.

The nuggets are battered and deep fried, with a crust that’s golden brown, light and crispy. Aside from the switch to all white meat, these are the same nuggets I grew up eating, and they still taste pretty good. McDonald’s has more expensive, more natural chicken strips for the crowd that desires something better, but the nuggets continue to be popular among loyal fans, and it seems that kids universally love them.

Included with the nuggets is your choice of dipping sauce: Barbecue, Sweet N Sour, Hot Mustard or Honey Mustard. These bite-sized chicken pieces wouldn’t be the same without tasty liquid flavors to dunk in. It’s all part of the McNugget experience.

The product is not without controversy. Aside from the tales of gray alien meat and cardboard-like taste, some more legitimate concerns have been raised.

The 2004 documentary “Super Size Me” alleged that McNuggets were, at one point in time, made from sick and/or old chickens unable to lay eggs, and that they also included chemicals such as tertiary butylhydroquinone (phenolic antioxidant), polydimethylsiloxane (anti-foaming agent), and other ingredients not used by a typical home cook. As of 2007, these two ingredients are still listed as possible ingredients of the vegetable oil that is used to fry McNuggets.
Source - Wikipedia.

There are plenty of such claims on record, but sorting thru them and trying to separate fact from fiction is not something I’m qualified to do. I will leave that job for the nutrition experts and investigators. Ever since I was a kid, it seems somebody has been trying to prove McNuggets have a dark side. Wisdom or Witch Hunt? God only knows.

Chicken McNuggets from McDonald’s are one of the original, legendary fast food icons. They still taste pretty good as long as you aren’t expecting too much. They are great for dipping, and include a nice selection of tasty sauces to choose from. I loved them when I was younger, but they are not something I find myself craving anymore. The trip down McNuggets memory lane was fun, but when I’m eating at McDonald’s the higher quality, better tasting and more natural Chicken Selects will be my choice.

Price: $1.89 (6 piece) / Website: McDonalds.com

Fast Food Critic Score: C

Click here for rating system details.

Nutrition Facts - McDonald’s, Chicken McNuggets (6 piece).

Calories - 250
Calories from Fat - 130
Total Fat - 15 grams
Carbs - 15 grams
Saturated Fat - 3 grams
Trans Fat - 1.5 grams
Cholesterol - 35 milligrams
Sodium - 670 milligrams