Food safety is a serious issue. And learning to prepare food safely is a learning curve. Sure, the thermometer might say the meat has reached an OK-to-eat temperature, but observation often says something else.
That was the case for TikTok creator Alexandria (@alexamdriaamee), who was ready to eat a nice chicken dinner her boyfriend cooked. On the outside, the chicken looks perfectly cooked: golden brown with grill marks. But then she cuts into the chicken, and it is discernibly pink in the middle—pink enough that it looks like if you touched it with a finger, it would feel cool.
But her boyfriend is saying it’s OK to eat. His digital thermometer reads 127.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the video, Alexandria says to the camera, “My boyfriend is sitting here and trying to tell me that this—this is not raw. And is OK to eat.”
She holds up a visibly pink-in-the-middle piece of chicken.
She pans the camera to him. He folds up the digital thermometer, holds out his arms in a frustrated “I give up” gesture, and walks away.
“And he has the audacity to be mad at me because I won’t eat his raw-a–, f——, chicken,” she says.
She then points at the pink chicken and says, “That is crazy work.”
A Third Opinion
She’s taking the issue to the internet because she’s not entirely certain she’s not overreacting. “Please tell me I’m not crazy,” says the video’s caption.
Reader, she is not. According to the FDA, chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Are there folks arguing for lesser temps? Yes. Food52 advocates for a temperature of 150 degrees F, but only if the chicken is held there for a couple minutes. This, explains the site, “also leads to pasteurization and [chicken] that won’t dry out and get a little tough,” as can happen at the higher temp.
The site then goes on to explain that different cuts and preparations for chicken can use minor tweaks to the 165-degree rule. However, it’s clear: “If the meat is white and not pink, then we win! If it’s not, put it back in.”
Because if the chicken is not cooked to about 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the Center for Disease Control warns there’s the possibility of food poisoning. It could be caused by a number of germs, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Clostridium Perfringens—all of which have (at the least) diarrhea as a symptom. According to that same source, one in 25 packages of chicken at the grocery store are contaminated with Salmonella.
He’s Wrong You’re Right
With 4.6 million views, the internet unequivocally sides with Alexandria.
“Any pink in the chicken is raw,” one commenter pointed out.
“Does he think it’s steak?” another asked.
Some viewers took issue with the boyfriend’s “attitude.”
“Y’all are missing the part where HE is mad at HER lol,” one said.
Another wrote, “His attitude is wild.”
What’s The Big Deal?
Beyond the fact that no one wants to risk eating raw chicken (unless you’re super into the Japanese delicacy, torisashi), why did he get upset?
Most of the users who commented suggested that it’s not so much about the chicken itself but about the fact that Alexandria took their quibble to the masses. “Can we normalize NOT publicly humiliating a partner!!” one viewer said in defense of the boyfriend.
“Been married 13 years,” another said. “We have had disagreements but neither of us blasted about it or embarrassed one another on social media. This is what not to do in a relationship.”
A Reader’s Digest article agrees, noting that you can often end up sharing more than you mean to in online spaces. These snippets are generally without context, which can lead to huge misunderstandings.
That same article notes that posting online while you’re in the middle of a disagreement or heated exchange can be “incredibly hurtful to your partner—not to mention tacky.” Additionally, whether you’re doing it to prove a point, as it seems like Alexandria was, or to seek consolation, it can “ruin reputations.”
All fair points. But also: Don’t serve someone visibly undercooked chicken and then get mad when they refuse to eat it.
Happily Ever After?
In a subsequent video, Alexandria makes light of “Chickengate.” She posts a video of herself, with Bella Kay’s song “The Sick” about a toxic relationship, playing in the background. As she kisses his hand—clutched tightly in hers—the lyrics, “And I think part of you hated me, so all of me was surviving you.”
But perhaps she should’ve used the line: “You were wrong for what you did to me. But I was sick for kinda likin’ it.”
BroBible reached out to Alexandria via TikTok direct message and with a comment on her post. We’ll update this article if she gets back to us.
@alexandriaamee Please tell me I’m not crazy #fypシ゚viral #raw #bf