“Order Chicken” — Restaurant Uses Menu to Roast Customers Who Want Well Done Steak
"All this talkin coming from that strong jaw after chewing so much"
Published April 22 2024, 1:41 p.m. ET
TikToker Sonique Morris (@soniquespeaks) had some choice words for a restaurant that "shamed" folks who enjoy well-done steak by joking that they should just order chicken instead.
Sonique said that individuals who eat rare steak should be just as or more ridiculed than those who want their meat cooked well done
"They're talking about...rare is a cool red center, right?" Sonique says while pointing to the restaurant's menu and its description of how its steaks are cooked. She then guides her finger on over to another part of the menu where there is a little blurb written about what a well-done steak is cooked like.
"And then they said if you're gonna get well done order some chicken."
Sonique wasn't too appreciative of the restaurant's stance on well done steak: "Boy, f--- you...uhh if you wanna get this," she says, sliding her finger on over back to the rare cooked steak, "just go ahead and order a cow and go bite that motherf----"
She goes on to say that eating a rare steak is "basically" the same as doing just that. "They put it on the pan for two seconds and gave it to you and you eating it. You might as well just go get a cow and bite it," she says at the end of the clip.
Numerous TikTokers who replied to Sonique's video didn't seem to agree with her stance on steak eating, however. One person joked: "Well done steak should affect your credit score"
While someone else seemingly took a jab at the tone of Sonique's voice, writing: "All this talk coming from that strong jaw after chewing so much"
Several other folks who responded to the video expressed their appreciation for the joke that the restaurant made at the expense of well-done steak consumers.
"They ate down with the well-done bc facts," one person said while another wrote: "Order chicken got me crying"
Someone else replied: "Lmmfaoooo nah they ate with that"
There were people who agreed with Sonique's assessment of folks who decide to get their steak cooked rare, however, like this individual who wrote: "Rare steak should be illegal as well. Y’all gone catch worms"
Another TikToker wrote that there isn't any way to "get worms" from eating rare steak due to the nature of how cuts of meat work: "You can order rare steak because bacteria can’t infiltrate the meat. You burn off any bacteria by searing. Ground beef however must be cooked because you grind outside and inside together"
Tasting Table supported this point of view, writing that "most of the steak's bacteria lives on the surface" of cuts of meat. The outlet penned "The next time you go out for a proper filet mignon, is it safe to still order it rare? Yes, for the most part. According to Delighted Cooking, most of the bacteria in a steak will accumulate on its exterior surface. While it's possible that some may have penetrated the meat's interior, it isn't very likely that it will be enough to get you sick."
The outlet did mention, however, that by the USDA's standards, rare steaks still aren't considered safe for human consumption: "It's worth noting that the USDA still does not recommend consuming rare steaks. Certified Angus Beef says that a steak is considered rare when it is cooked to 125 degrees Fahrenheit. This falls short of the USDA's recommendations by 20 degrees, so it's still not considered safe to consume. It's also important to use a meat thermometer to measure your meat's interior temperature for the most accurate results"
That's because the internal temperature of the meat doesn't get high enough in order to satisfy the government agency's recommendations for killing off all bacteria.
But tons of people still order their steak rare, not to mention there are other dishes, like steak tartare, that essentially serve meat rare.
Folks aren't able to get sick from eating this because, just like sushi, if the cuts of protein are fresh and well-preserved and cared for, then humans should be able to eat them without fear of contracting any type of foodborne illness via bacteria that could be lurking in their meal.
Of course, there are different cuts of steak and different recommended ways of cooking said steak: this handy infographic shared by a Redditor has some helpful tips on the different pots, pans, skillets, and other cooking utensils folks should implement in cooking their meat.
AllRecipes also has some preparation methods for different steak cuts listed here, in case you were wondering how you should get your stuff prepared. It doesn't hurt to ask your server either.
What do you think about well done steak? Is it a "red flag" if someone likes to have their meat cooked in this manner? Or do people and steakhouses need to get over themselves and just let people eat their food the way that they like to eat their food?