Cow in Mario Kart World Eats Burgers, Steak

I feel like we've earned a break from the usual news cycle of tariffs and Nintendo Switch 2 pricing, so here's something fun for your Friday: IGN had the chance to play Mario Kart World at a Nintendo event in New York this week, and they confirmed that the new Cow character can indeed eat burgers and steak, along with many other items.

If you're wondering what we're talking about, let me introduce you to the recent announcement of Mario Kart World, which included the introduction of the Moo Moo Meadows Cow as a playable racer. The internet is buzzing with excitement, already generating countless memes and fanart of this adorable character, who was previously just a fun background element in a single Mario Kart track.

However, as news of Cow spread, fans began to notice a potential issue with another element of the Mario Kart World reveal. In the Nintendo Direct 2 trailer from Wednesday, Mario is seen eating a burger. Burgers are typically made of beef. This raised the question: would Cow, whose people are ostensibly a source of beef, consume beef herself? Fans were eager to find out.

Imagine if the cow gets a transformation costume. byu/Shinuto94 inmariokart

At the Nintendo preview event, we got our answer. The food items seen in the trailer are obtainable at Yoshi's diner locations scattered across the courses. These function like a drive-thru, allowing racers to drive up and grab a bag of take-out, similar to an item box. There are various food items available, including burgers, steak kebabs, pizza, and donuts.

And yes, Cow can eat them all.

Yes, Cow CAN eat steak in Mario Kart World. pic.twitter.com/qN5PZ9IIM4

— IGN (@IGN) April 4, 2025

During our session, we also saw Cow consume a number of other items, including the burger. We're still unsure about what these items do for Cow — other racers change costumes when consuming them, but Cow doesn't seem to experience any effects. Is she eating beef simply because she enjoys it? Is there a secret power-up she gets from burger consumption that Nintendo hasn't revealed yet? Or perhaps these are veggie burgers and Beyond meat kebabs?

IGN reached out to Nintendo to clarify these points, but we haven't heard back yet. It's likely because they're busy at their New York event, and not because this is an unusual question to ask their PR team. Yeah, that's probably it.

Be sure to check out our preview of Mario Kart World, the video version of which features an appearance by our friend Cow.