02-06-2025
American living in the UK slams the taste of British chicken - before realising huge error
An American woman living in the UK has had a rude awakening after accidentally consuming raw chicken.
Gizelle Cade, who is from California but now lives in the UK, shared a video to TikTok in which she branded a breaded chicken product from Marks & Spencer 'so gross'.
In the clip, she held a piece of half-eaten chicken up to the camera to show the pink flesh and blood near the bone inside.
Criticising the chicken, Gizelle said: 'For the record, if you are ever eating chicken that has this kind of pink in it, it is bad.
'It's really, really bad. Look at that. So gross.'
She wrote in the caption: 'Tried M&S chicken. It was pink. Emetophobia kicked in. Instant panic.'
Emetophobia is the fear of vomit. Those who suffer from it often avoid foods that could make them sick and throw up, including undercooked meats that could lead to food poisoning.
However, Gizelle was quickly corrected by British viewers, who pointed out that unless she had bought the chicken from the picnic foods section of M&S, the meat required cooking before it could be eaten.
However, it transpired that the American had no idea the breaded chicken product had to be cooked at a high temperature for a set amount of time before it could be eaten
In one of her replies to comments, it was apparent she was under the impression that the chicken only needed to be heated, not cooked.
She said: 'It was cooked, it's the Southern Chicken that comes cooked, all you gotta do is heat it.'
But others reiterated that the product would have had to be cooked in the oven or air fryer for a certain amount of time, and the instructions were stated on the package.
'It's part cooked,' one person clarified, while another added: 'It literally says that you need to cook it.'
'It's not a ready cooked product,' a third explained. 'She bought it from the RAW MEAT section, didn't bother to read the packaging and just dug in.
'The top of the packaging literally says 'NEEDS COOKING' and there's detailed cooking instructions on the back.'
In a follow-up video, Gizelle realised her error thanks to comments from viewers.
'You literally just changed my life in like two seconds with one comment,' she said in reply to a message clarifying that the chicken needed to be fully cooked in the oven.
M&S's breaded chicken range can be found in the raw meat section and each package has detailed instructions on how to cook it in the air fryer or oven
However, Gizelle was still unhappy with the popular M&S product, explaining that the chicken already looks cooked thanks to its breaded exterior.
'This is the chicken that I was telling you guys was making me sick - why does it say 'needs cooking'?' she asked.
'Why does the chicken look like this, why do I have to cook it? Now I have more problems with the UK.'
She added in her caption: 'Proof one should never assume. Why did I go to get the chicken and it looks like my husband had some too! Lol! Hopefully he read the box.'
British TikTok users were largely unimpressed by Gizelle's complaint, but a few attempted to explain why the chicken is sold already breaded and partially cooked.
'They sell it pre-breaded so you can cook and eat it fresh,' one person said. 'We all know pre-cooked chicken is dry as hell.
'Unless it says 'ready to eat' on packaging, assume you need to cook it.'
Another added: 'Just because it's breaded doesn't mean it's cooked, friend! Also it's a requirement to shelve cooked and uncooked meats on different sections in a shop to avoid confusion, so you would've had to have bought it from the aisle/shelving units containing other raw meats.'
British viewers were quick to inform Gizelle that she was meant to cook the chicken before eating it, and it was revealed she thought it only had to be heated
Some people explained why the chicken looked cooked but needed to be put in the oven at home, while others bluntly told the American creator of her error
Others were less sympathetic to her grievance, to put it mildly.
'Why does it say 'needs cooking'... That'll be because it needs cooking. Hope this helped,' a commenter wrote.
'This is entirely on you, darling,' another said, while a third added that this was 'the definition of user error'.
'Why don't you read the label? Sis please,' one person commented, to which Gizelle replied: 'Girl, I assumed.'
M&S's breaded chicken range, which is stocked in the raw meat section in-store, includes cooking instructions to either air fry or oven cook the product at high temperatures to ensure it's cooked all the way through before eating.
The range also includes flavours such as Hot Honey Chicken Tenders, Korean Chicken Bites, Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Mighty Cajun Chicken Tenders, and Tempura Chicken Tenders.
