A man who purchased steaks from a parking lot tent is upset about its quality.
A TikToker who goes by Innercity Rogue (@innercity_rogue) posted a two-part complaint against a meat supplier, claiming that the business is shilling "lab-grown" wares to customers, and warning folks, both online and in person, not to buy the advertised 20 ribeyes for $40.
According to Rogue, the deal is too good to be true. Several folks who responded to his video referenced "meat glue" which Healthline wrote about at length. In short, it's a compound known scientifically known as Transglutaminase, which, although a naturally occurring compound, can help bind together strips of meat from different animals to form certain "cuts" of meat one would may think is coming from a single portion of a single animal.
"20 fake Ribeyes for 40 dollars," a text overlay reads on the video, which shows someone standing outside of what appears to be a farmer's market with sales tents in the background. A white tent with the word "RIBEYES" printed on decorative banners lines the tent.
However, according to the TikToker, viewers are looking at a tent of lies. Meat lies.
"You guys ever see these ribeyes for $40, these trucks stop all across the United States selling fake meat over here, and then when you expose them these guys want to call the cops on you," Rogue claims, filming another person who is allegedly on the phone with the police.
"Just cause you're out here trying to talk to people about what they're putting in the meat these days folks if you see these across the United States don't eat at 'em folks don't buy their meat, it's all lab-grown, folks," he says in the video.
Rogue added further details in a caption for his video.
"When something sounds like a really good deal…it's usually 'cause there's something wrong," he wrote. "My last video shows what was wrong with the steaks so I had to come down here to warn others of what they're buying. The guy didn't like me talking to his customers so he called the cops…"
The second video of Rogue's series continues his conversation with who he claims to be the fake ribeye meat man.
"Can you wait out here for them to come this way?" the meat salesman says, presumably in reference to the police he rang up after the TikToker tried to warn others.
"What's your name?" the TikToker asks the meat salesperson.
"Can you hang out here for them to come this way..." the man repeats before referencing that the police are going to arrive shortly.
"I don't have to hang out nowhere man and I'm not violating anything, I'm not doing anything illegal!" the TikToker says. "It's not trespassing this is a public parking lot...you're tripping cause...putting a little dent in your business, you're pushing fake meat, bro! You should be ashamed of yourself this is Bill Gates meat over here. Lab, mechanically tenderized bro, you know what that means? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. It's not all natural, it's not grass fed, it's not natural bro. You ain't selling real stuff out here."
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he repeats again, before focusing his attention on vehicles he says are associated with the meat-selling business. "You see these trucks stop anywhere in the United States you guys better not buy it, and don't ingest it 'cause it's poison."
In the lengthy caption, Rogue shares his experience having previously purchased these ribeyes. He says he was "traumatized" by cooking them on the grill, due to the smell. He claims the fact that the meat is "mechanically tenderized" means they are "not only poking giant holes in your meat but also inserting a bunch of chemicals of God knows what." There is no evidence to substantiate that claim.
Mechanically tenderized meat is broken up with sharp blades or needles to soften the meat and make it easier to chew. The primary risk with this meat processing is the potential for bacteria to contaminate the steak, not chemicals, per the USDA and PBS.
Rogue says he ended up leaving the market and did not interact with the police. He also says he received a refund for his ribeyes.
He identifies the company selling the meat as Stampede Ranch & Farms, and his review of the ribeye was less than positive.
"Don't buy it, folks, take it from me...it ain't real, it smells horrible, if you cook it...you will be taken back like I was. If you have a brain and if you like deals... don't buy it cause you will feel ripped off once you open the package to smell that disgusting lab meat," he says. "Watch my first video of me cooking this disgusting porterhouse fake steak that looked like human flesh on the grill...no joke. Not saying it's human flesh but it's not steak I can tell you that."
The Daily Dot has reached out to Stampede Ranch & Farms via Instagram direct message and inquired into Rogue's claims.
He isn't the only social media user who has accused a business of selling "fake" or lab-grown meat. Another user who purchased chicken, not out of a tent in a parking lot but from the world's largest brick-and-mortar retailer, Walmart, accused the chain of selling strange, stringy poultry that they were convinced wasn't actually chicken. Again, there is no evidence of this meat being "lab-grown," however, this "spaghetti meat" is a result of fast, commercial farming.
One commenter who saw Rogue's post didn't think it was, in general, a good idea to buy meat from a tent: "Never stop to buy meat from a tent lol."
Someone else penned: "My boy mad cause he fell for it."
Another remarked: "Who buys meat from a tent on the side of the road? what the heck."
One person remarked that they know someone who sells these steaks but won't consume the product themselves: "My sister sells these and she won't eat the it!!!!!!!"
However, someone else said that their grandma's been enjoying a steady diet of these: "My granny been eatn them stakes for I know 20 yrs probably, she’s still kickn."
Another said that this meat serves it's purpose. "I once stopped & saw the 20 ribeyes for $40. Knowing $2 a ribeye is unrealistic. I looked at them anyway. It was the kind to make like a cheesesteak," they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rogue via TikTok comment for further information.
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