DAILY DIRT: The way those McNuggets look is no accident

The Froot Loops thing really threw me a curve … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 935 of The Daily Dirt.

1. It’s time for another edition of Fun Facts About Food.

You’re welcome.

Did you think the shapes and sizes of those Chicken McNuggets were simply chance?

Think again. 

Those nuggets actually come in four shapes. There’s a boot, bow tie, ball and bell. They come out of a rotating mold and after getting shaped and dropped on a conveyor belt, they’re breaded and slightly cooked before going out to restaurants, where they’ll finish cooking and be served to customers.

In all of the years I’ve eaten those nuggets I had never noticed there were four specific shapes/sizes. By the time you are done reading today’s Daily Dirt I will have gone through the nearest Golden Arches and inspected an order of those little pieces of mystery meat.

Froot Loops are all the same flavor.

Another shocker.

Those “fruity” little circles come in a variety of fruity colors, as if they each represent a different fruit flavor. However, the color is the only real difference — because the flavor is the same throughout the box. You may still taste a difference between the colors, but it’s probably because your vision tells you to expect something different.

Interestingly, the name has always been spelled “Froot Loops” — contrary to a popular belief that the name changed because of a lawsuit over the cereal’s lack of real fruit, according interestingfacts.com.

One of my longtime journalistic buddies, Don O’Brien, has always claimed that McDonald’s Coca-Cola tastes better.

I don’t know if “better” is accurate, but it certainly does taste different. 

While the actual Coke flavoring is identical to the flavoring at other restaurants, McDonald’s gets its Coca-Cola syrup delivered in stainless steel tanks instead of the more common plastic bags, which in turn keeps the syrup fresher. 

McDonald’s also filters its water prior to adding it to the soda machines, and calibrates its syrup-to-water ratio to account for melting ice. In addition, McDonald’s utilizes wider straws than normal, allowing more Coke to “hit your taste buds,” according to the company.

2. Did you know (Part 4)

• That former Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson went to high school with Janis Joplin.
• Funny man Danny DeVito went to drama school with future award-winning actor Michael Douglas.
• Actor David Hasselhoff went to arts school with Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens.

3. I’ve always thought 1971 was a rather lame year when it came to pop music.

With that in mind, my choices for the five worst songs that reached “hit” status in April that year:

1.”Vehicle,” by Ides of March: I always thought this group sounded just like Blood, Sweat and Tears. Didn’t care much for them, either.

• 2 “Woodstock,” by Crosby, Stills Nash and Young: One of those songs I thought would never end.
• 3. “Easy Come, Easy Go,” by Bobby Sherman: I confess, I liked a lot of his songs at that point in my life. This was not one of them.
• 4. “Shiloh,” by Neil Diamond: One of the few Neil Diamond entries I never cared much for.
• 5. “Little Green Bag,” George Baker Selection: No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Well, while we’re here, let’s look at the best April songs of ’71:

• 1. “My Baby Loves Lovin’,” by White Plains: One of the great sing-a-long songs.
• 2. “Love Grows,” by Edison Lighthouse: Another of those great sing-a-long songs.
• 3. “Up Around the Bend,” Creedence Clearwater Revival: John Fogerty at his finest.
• 4. “Daughter of Darkness,” by Tom Jones: This was 53 years ago, and Mr. Jones is still going strong today.
• 5. “The Letter,” by Joe Cocker: The perfect compliment to the Box Tops’ original version.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Jell-O is the official state snack in Utah. Snack? I always looked at Jell-O as a vegetable.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. But do the husbands in Utah have to share their Jell-O with their multiple wives?