Welcome to the 25th episode of the 15th season of the Retroist Podcast. Today’s episode, number 298, is all about the fast food phenomenon that took the world by storm, McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets. This will be the final episode of the season, but a new one is already in the works.
I begin the show talking about my first time eating McNuggets and how I made them a part of my identity. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the processed meat nuggets would be a regular part of my life moving forward. My Mom appeared happy that I made a choice, up until that point I was just along for the ride, but ordering my own food was a useful step in growing up.
After the story is over, I move onto the McNuggets themselves. I discuss their creation, where they came from, who worked on them, and how long it took. Along the way, I delve into the world of McDonald’s and how a product there can come to market.
Chicken McNuggets are weirdly controversial. They are a processed food, but the extent of their processing has been greatly exaggerated by the people who would rather see them not exist. For me, they were delicious hot food that I could go out and eat with my family. It felt special, and I will always have a soft spot for them because of it.
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Production Notes
This is episode 298 of the Retroist Podcast.
Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.25th episode of the new season and the 298th episode of the Retroist Podcast. This is the final episode of the season!
This will be the first episode I am sharing via email. I hope if you haven’t tried the podcast before, you give it a listen.
I enjoy doing fast food-related podcasts, especially ones at McDonald’s. The company has a rich history and interesting processes.
For years, all I got at McDonald’s was McNuggets. I think I was a teen before I got a burger of any sort again.
I had some more background on bios of everyone involved, but I cut a bunch of it out. Probably about 3 minutes of edited show.
Reduced the section of Baker to focus on just his Nugget work.
A lot of people do not give the credits to all the people involved with the final process. That makes sense with technical foods. I liked being able to name the people and how they participated.
I decided to keep my focus on the first few years of the nuggets. So I do not trace the full evolution of the nuggets over the years. I had recorded some stuff, but cut that all out.
Because I stay in the 80s, I don’t go into details about how the recipe has changed. The McNugget we have now does not taste like the McNuggets from the past. This was supposed to be to keep them healthier and less processed. I preferred the old ones.
I play a good amount of retro audio in this episode. The company has great advertising. I had to remove all that I wanted to include. It felt too much.
A lot of bad information on McNuggets out there. It is a heavily processed food, but the claims about what is in it are often greatly exaggerated.
It is amazing that they developed a chicken for the McNugget.
Yes, McDonald’s tried to sell Fried Chicken. I might do a short podcast about that in a supporter episode in the future.
If you want better McNuggets, go to lunch early. In my experience, the earlier nuggets are better. I like to go between 11 and Noon.
Art used to promote this episode by Christoper Tupa.
Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.
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