A Change of Eatery

Whenever I go to McDonalds, which is more often than I should admit, I’m always loyal to the crispy ranch snack wrap. I haven’t strayed from the order in a long time, so my taste buds were all sorts of shocked and confused when I succumbed to the hype of the McRib earlier this week. On Tuesday, the official date of the sandwich’s comeback, I was lured to McD’s for a taste-test with Nick Caito– mostly out of curiosity and because his overwhelming enthusiasm got the best of me. The lovely, fast food-craving-inducing photos are thanks to him.

Beforehand, I tried my best to get on board with some of the hype by understanding it. Here’s some background if you have no idea what I’m going on about. The McRib, a ground pork patty smothered in barbecue sauce and topped with onions and pickle slices was a staple in McDonalds back in the 80s and has since been dropped from the menu.

Even a brief skimming of the McRib wikipedia page left me intrigued and intensely creeped out by the scores of devoted McRib enthusiasts…evidenced by A McRib farewell tour back in 2005- at the end of a limited release. A Save The McRib campaign. Tons of cultural references, including an episode of How I Met Your Mother where one of the characters takes up smoking after he realized the McRib has been taken off the menu. Before I go any further, if you’re still skeptical about the level of this McRib buzz, just pay a visit to McDonalds.com, specifically this very link. It’s truly amazing.

I guess it’s like how I felt when Dunkin Donuts took away the Dunkaccino for a few years, and then the second I found it was back (uhmm…New Years Day, 2009) I drove to my best friend’s house to hassle her into joining me for the grand return, as she was similarly heartbroken during its absence. It felt like a homecoming.

I digress. What I mean to say is that I know this is a joyous occasion for many folks out there. Sometimes we don’t realize how much we miss something until it’s back in arm’s (stomach’s) reach. It’s deep stuff.

Ok…the verdict? Mmmmm. I enjoyed the McRib, and I expected to, since I’m a fan of just about anything slathered with barbecue sauce. Tasty in that artery-busting, strangely satisfying kinda way. However, I have to be honest; even though this was a successful taste test, I’m going to stick with the snack wraps. Old habits, especially those guilty pleasure ones, die hard.