The following eight food-related urban legends have, at one point, buzzed over our plates like a pesky fly. Which is true and which is hoax?

Urban Legend No. 1. Cat meat is one of the main ingredients of Siopao fillings.

Incidentally, according to my mom, she ate a lot of Siopao when she was pregnant with me. No wonder I can be a little catty.

My opinion: Probably true. And knowing the adventurous palate of the Chinese, I'm hoping it's only cat meat.

Urban Legend No. 2. An irate former employee of Coke (or Pepsi) placed razor blades inside a number of Coke (or Pepsi) in cans.

My opinion: Probably false.

Urban Legend No. 3. The powder added to sago drinks like Zagu and Shagoo contains toxic chemicals (Aramanth, Tartrazinbe, Oranjeel S, etc.) which can make one ill with diarrhea eczema, etc.

My opinion: Industry evidence says rumor is not true, but who cares if it is? A cool Buko Pandan flavored Zagu shake on a hot, sticky afternoon is sometimes worth the purported adverse effects.

Urban Legend No. 4. Jollibee uses earthworms as extenders for its beef burger patties.

My opinion: This may have a smidgen of truth to it. After all, earthworms are widely used in the food industry as meat extenders.

Urban Legend No. 5. Pictures of women relieving themselves inside the lavatory of one Don Henrico’s restaurant have been snapped through a hidden one-way mirror.

My opinion: Most likely false.

Urban Legend No. 6. Those free temporary tattoo stickers from Chikadees and Cheezels (junk-foods circa ‘80s) have hallucinogenic, drug-like effects when applied to the skin.

My opinion: Maybe true but I couldn’t care less when I was a kid. Those fake tattoos were as cool as Visionaries back then. But like Visionaries, they didn't last very long.

Urban Legend No. 7. The apple in McDonald’s apple pie is actually sayote.

My opinion: Probably true. In taste, sayote and apple are close cousins anyway so no big deal.

Urban Legend No. 8. A guy consumed a bucket of KFC fried chicken while watching a movie inside a cinema. After the movie, the guy looked inside the bucket and saw, lying among the chicken bones, a rat’s tail.

My opinion: For that poor guy’s sake, I sure hope not. Besides, how indiscriminating could you be to not know the difference between rat and chicken? C'mon now.