Popular mirror-recording TikToker Jordan (@jordan_the_stallion8) responded to fellow user @Dohyun Kim’s (@youraveragetechbro) clip asking folks on the platform what the “weird flex[es]” in their respective worlds that would look strange to folks on the outside looking in.
Jordan, who appears to have worked at every single fast-food chain known to mankind, often divulges knowledge about different joint as he is “president of the fast-food secrets club.”
@jordan_the_stallion8 #stitch with @Dohyun Kim #fypシ ♬ original sound – Jordan_The_Stallion8
After pulling off his trademark “Come here” and then zooming into the mirror, he says, “I already have a mental note about the recipes for a lot of the things that restaurants have. … If the restaurants are rude to me or other customers, I’ll share the recipes out. If they’re not rude, and if they’re not mean, I’ll leave it alone.”
“At McDonald’s today, there was a young lady that wanted an extra sweet and sour sauce. … McDonald’s would not give her an extra sauce. … She was very kind to them, but they were being very rude, so if the person’s watching this right now who wanted the sweet and sour sauce, and you wanna know how to make it,” he continues before the video cuts to Jordan holding a clipboard with his glasses on.
He rattles off the supposed ingredients in the recipe: “one-fourth cup of apricot preserve, one-fourth cup of peach preserve as well, 2 tablespoons of corn syrup, 5 teaspoons of white vinegar, one-half teaspoon of soy sauce, one-half teaspoon of mustard, one-fourth teaspoon of salt, one-eighth teaspoon of garlic, and one-and-a-half teaspoon of cornstarch.”
Ingredients are one thing, but how does one prepare this amalgamation of ingredients in order to attain the same texture, consistency, and beloved sweet and sour chicken nugget dipping experience that they’re used to from the popular fast-food chain?
Jordan’s got you covered, and it doesn’t seem like you need any specialized cooking utensils to make it, either. “You’re gonna put it in a saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of water, let it simmer for five minutes, you got sweet and sour sauce. Now all I ask is that you enjoy that sauce as much as possible, so McDonald’s doesn’t have to be burdened with having to give extra sauce out. So enjoy, OK?” he says.
While the idea of placing apricot or peach preserves in a dipping sauce for nuggets may seem strange, there is also this copycat recipe that pretty much delineates the exact same list of ingredients and preparation methods listed in Jordan’s video.
Numerous commenters thanked Jordan for sharing the alleged sweet and sour sauce recipe, with one user claiming they’ve tossed the recipe into their own cookbook. “Love the stuff and they always seem to forget it!” they wrote.
Others asked the popular TikTok user when he was going to compile his list of fast-food secrets for his fans. “When is this fast food secrets club cook book coming out sir president?” one person asked.
“When the hell is your cookbook coming out my guy???” another echoed.
One might think that Jordan could be subjecting himself to some real legal trouble from the golden arches; however, copyright laws for secret recipes aren’t as clear cut as they are for other intellectual properties. Fast Casual cited an opinion from a legal representative on the matter. “Recipes can usually be copyrighted, but that generally only provides protection from copies of the exact written recipe. A competitor substantially changing a written recipe or just using it without writing down an exact copy may not be in violation of the copyright,” they stated.
And if you’ve ever wondered why a lot of food Influencers tend to talk endlessly about their own experiences when revealing a cool new recipe they just learned and wanted to share with their followers, it could be that they’re trying to avoid potential legal issues with the original recipe’s poster. That’s because recipe copyrights reportedly only protect the recipe as they’re written, not necessarily the contents of the secret recipe. So if they’re presented in a new fashion, they could be bypassing any potential legal action.
Maybe Jordan knows this, which could be why he provided so much additional context and added commentary when sharing the recipe with folks online: “Recipes can be protected under copyright law if they are accompanied by “substantial literary expression.” This expression can be an explanation or detailed directions, which is likely why food and recipe bloggers often share stories and personal anecdotes alongside a recipe’s ingredients,” Copyright Alliance reported.
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s and Jordan via email for further comment.
