Mystery Meat

Angus beef is the new chipotle, but what is it exactly? Most people don't seem to know. I got to thinking about this when a friend of mine insisted that it was simply old meat on the verge of going bad. Another friend was equally convinced that Angus beef is beef from a bull as opposed to a cow.

So I asked a McDonald's employee what it meant (realizing of course that McDonald's employees are known to be bastions of knowledge and wisdom), and she told me it referred to their Third Pounder Angus Burger.

"But what does the word 'Angus' mean?" I asked. I was told it's a leaner cut of meat. "It has less fat you mean?" Yes, it has less fat, she assured me. Now I can sue them when their "low fat" burgers contribute to my morbid obesity. In truth, a typical McDonald's Angus Burger has about 40 grams of fat, compared to about 29 grams for a Big Mac. Angus Beef itself is named after the breed of cattle it comes from and is not significantly different from any other beef. "Angus Burger" does have more of a ring to it though than "Hereford Burger" or "Zebu Burger" I think. It does have that going for it.