More of this Feature • Part 1: Family Sues McDonald's

Join the Discussion "McDonalds should just say this and the chicken head incident are just part of their latest advertising campaign, aimed at getting people to work there. You know ... 'Come to McDonald's and get ahead!'" — BRADLEY547

Related Stories • McChickenhead • McEyeballs • McPus Sandwich • Pizza Without the P

Elsewhere on the Web • McDonald's Sued Over Alleged 'Rat Head in Burger' • Kentucky Fried Rat

Here's an opportunity to clear up a common misconception about urban legends: Contrary to popular belief, a story need not be entirely false to qualify. There are true urban legends. The critical factor is not whether a tale is false or true, but that it be told as if true in the absence of any real knowledge of the facts. Sometimes urban legends start out as true stories, degrading into a hybrid of fact and fiction as they're told and retold with error and embellishment over time.

This happened with unusual rapidity last winter after a woman in Virginia showed reporters a deep-fried chicken head she allegedly found in a box of McDonald's wings. Published photos immediately began circulating by email, but, though the pictures were authentic, the accompanying stories sometimes weren't. One version claimed the disgusting object was found in a box of McNuggets; another said the incident had happened on the West Coast instead of Virginia. Instant urban legend!

And we've all heard the similar story, circulating for decades, about the person who drank half a bottle of Coke, then found parts of a dead mouse inside. Now, many people tell this tale with great conviction, but I'll wager few of them are aware that since the turn of the century literally dozens of lawsuits have been filed against soft drink manufacturers by people who claimed this really happened to them.

In folklore, the story's the thing; the facts — when there are any — take a back seat to drama. We all know that fast food horror stories like these could be true, and we're afraid — outraged, even — that we or someone we know could end up victims. In the telling, we imbue such stories with all the emotional impact we can muster.

Years from now, when people recount the tale of a little girl biting into a rat's head in a hamburger, few will remember how the court case was resolved, or where it was resolved, or even that there was a court case. They probably won't know any of the facts at all.

But that won't dampen their conviction. It never does.

Sources:

• Brunvand, Jan Harold. "Too Good to Be True." W.W. Norton, 1999.
• "Family Claims Rat Found in Hamburger." Toronto Star, 27 March 2001.
• "McDonald's Canada Lawsuit Claims Rat Head in Burger." Reuters, 27 March 2001.
• "Rat Head Put in Cooked Burger: Lab Report." Toronto Star, 29 March 2001