"The modern chicken nugget began as a food-science invention by Robert C. Baker at Cornell in 1963 and was brought into the mainstream by a major burger chain in 1981 as a response to dietary shifts away from red meat. That product became a runaway success and exemplifies industrially engineered fast food: golden-fried, ideal for dipping, repeatedly reformulated over the years, and composed of more than 20 ingredients that reflect deliberate processing rather than a simple cut of meat." - Caleb Pershan