My friend eats McDonald’s chicken nuggets like a psycho - but he’s not alone

I was out for drinks recently with a group of friends when we somehow got onto the poignant topic of McDonald’s chicken nuggets.

It turned into a surprisingly heated debate.

Since being launched by Maccy’s back in the early 1980s, they’ve become something of a cult icon, beloved by many for their golden, savoury charm.

According to McDonald’s, when McNuggets were introduced, the goal was to create a ‘fun, shareable way to enjoy chicken that felt unique to McDonald’s’.

“What followed was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon,” its website explains.

“Coated in their signature tempura-style batter, Chicken McNuggets® quickly became a household staple, equal parts comfort food and conversation starter.”

Chicken nuggets have become a cult staple of the fast food scene (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The fast food giant isn’t exaggerating about their talking point potential, as proven by our discussion around the table that night, which at some point veered from standard holiday chat to McNugget etiquette.

Specifically, my friend revealed how he likes to hold the tip of a nugget in his hand – between his thumb and forefinger – and carefully nibble off all the batter.

It’s only once it has been completely stripped of all its coating (and dignity) that he goes in for the innards.

"I then devour the bottom nib whole," he reiterated in the group chat after word spread to those who weren't there.

After our shock had worn off, it didn’t take long for everyone to lay into his frankly psychotic method.

But when I later went to see what Reddit had to say about it, I was suddenly exposed to a whole world I never knew about.

“I remove my chicken nuggets' skin,” one user admitted, accompanying their post with a photo of three naked nuggets, so pale and pathetic that they were almost camouflaged by the beige cardboard box they sat in.

A grand total of 734 upvotes suggest that person isn’t the only one, with one ally agreeing: “Nah, that's SOP [Standard Operating Procedure] for McDonald's nuggies.”

“Thats my favorite way to eat em,” another said.

A third echoed: “Same, since I was a kid. Almost thirty still doing it.”

A fourth added: “I used to do this every time I got McDonald’s nuggets. Peel and eat the breading. Then you dip the meat in your sauce of choice.”

Honestly, you’re all sick.

Thankfully, however, not everyone was on board with the idea.

“This is just... Wrong. Evil. Enough to make Satan blush,” one person commented.

A second also wrote: "This isn’t a food crime. It’s a hate crime."

"Thanks, I hate it," a third moaned.

Amen.