Man sends the internet crazy by peeling McDonald’s chicken nuggets before eating them

Chicken McNuggets are a sacred meal. Enjoyed by princes and paupers in equal measure, they are perhaps the ultimate fast food leveller. Whether you’re used to glitzy, Michelin starred dining or prefer your food cheap and cheerful, anyone who eats meat and has taste buds agrees that nuggets are awesome. As befitting a food of their stature, they deserve to be treated with respect. There are some things you just don’t do.

This seemingly self explanatory rule hasn’t stopped one maverick McDonald’s fan from doing the unthinkable and desecrating his nuggets for all the internet to see. In a bizarre Facebook post, Louisiana resident Sameer Jafri revealed his unorthodox and almost certainly unique approach to handling his nugs. Instead of grabbing, dunking and munching  like the rest of us, Jafri adds an extra layer to the eating. For reasons best known to him, Jafri peels his nuggets.

The photo that first drew attention to this unsettling habit features a pile of what can only be described as naked nuggets, surrounded by several separate sauce pots and torn scraps of crispy coating. The fleshy lumps are like accidentally catching a glimpse of your neighbour through a window as they get out of the bath – incredibly awkward, uncomfortable and not the image you need as you prepare for a meal. The picture is made even more grim by flakes of crust that look like meaty dandruff. It’s a far cry from the cheerful golden chunks that usually greet you as you open the box.

Given the horror show on display, the internet reacted with predictable outrage. Jafri’s originally post has now been shared over 19,000 times, prompting disgust from almost everyone who’s set eyes on it. Several labelled it “monstrous”, “disturbing” and “gross”. One declared the picture “life ruining”. Another added, “I don’t know what’s worse; the peeled nuggets or the choice of dips.” It was immediately obvious that the internet was not on board.

However, despite the incredulity of most commentators, Jafri wasn’t alone in extolling the virtues of a skinned nugget. Another user confessed, “I eat the breading first then the chicken,” while another revealed that ‘I did this when I was a kid sometimes.’ Maybe this heresy is more common than we might think.

Obviously, everyone is free to eat their dinner in whatever way they see fit. But it takes a very particular kind of person to not see that there is not something fundamentally wrong with peeling a nugget like it’s a banana. No one should ever be punished for eating in a certain way. But surely we can expect some sort of apology for being forced to look at this crime against McDonald’s.