In today’s WTF news, a Karen called 911 on a barbecue restaurant in North Carolina because she believed her food was undercooked. The customer, Annie Cooke, decided to alert authorities on Clyde’s Cooper in Raleigh because her pork was pink. You read that right: the woman called 911 because ironically, she doesn’t know the various ways pork can be cooked.
Cooke told The News & Observer in a phone interview: “Every barbecue I’ve had is all the way done, you don’t see pink at all,” she explained. “I asked if they could cook it some more, that I’m not eating any pink barbecue. They said it’s supposed to be pink, but I’ve never had it that way.”
The restaurant’s owner, Debbie Holt, had a reasonable response to Cooke’s complaint. “I kind of snickered a little bit and told her, ‘Honey, that’s when the barbecue is smoked. It turns pink,’” Holt stated. “And she was insistent it wasn’t done.”
Holt also said she offered to bring a different, all white-meat chicken alternative to Cooke. However, she claims the customer quietly left and proceeded to dial 911. “I had ordered some food from there and the BBQ is pink,” Cooke said to the operator. “I asked for either for them to cook it some more or exchange my order.
“They are saying that the meat is supposed to be pink. I asked for them to change my order and they said they are not giving me my money back or they are not going to trade out the food.”
Holt then explained that authorities soon arrived, but were on her side. “When the cop came in though, he had a cute little smile in his face and rolled his eyes, and just had his arms folded,” Holt said. “ I don’t even think he said much to me except, ‘I got you.’”
Cooke also left a one-star review on Google. “Tell her to come back and I’ll educate her about North Carolina, southeastern-style barbecue. I’d be happy to, Holt remarked.”
In the year 2022, people think it’s appropriate to call 911, which is literally meant for life-threatening emergencies, about a barbecue plate. I really do hate it here.