Life is surprising. One minute, you think you know how things work, the next you are thrown into a wave of utter confusion. This happened to me recently after reading an article concerning McDonald’s famous McRib sandwich, a meal with such a large cult-following it has spurred thousands of websites, Facebook pages and blog posts that all essentially state the same thing: “Bring back the McRib.”
And McDonald’s listened. This fall has brought back the elusive sandwich — previously unavailable nationwide — to every single McDonald’s location in the nation until this past Monday. Fans were raving, people were jumping with joy and McDonald’s had even released a commercial with grown men running toward the sandwich — placed on a pedestal — at the beach, with expressions of such rapture one would only expect to see after someone wins the lottery, or a date with Beyoncé. Instead, this joy is directed toward a sandwich.
At first I was baffled by this amorous devotion to something that, to my eyes, seemed so … average. This isn’t some insanely crazy sandwich we’re talking about here. This is two slices of bread with a rack of boneless ribs (no bones. Basically, it’s puzzle piece-shaped meat), pickles and onions. There are no gold flakes encrusting the top, nor are there numerous cheeses shoved inside the bread. This is bread, meat, pickles and onions. Yum.
It awoke a rabid curiosity in me. What was so special about this McRib? What could be so deliciously tantalizing about bread and boneless ribs? What would cause thousands of fans to spend their valuable time searching for McDonald’s locations that served McRibs? In true investigative journalism style, I took it upon myself to dig up the truth about this McRib. I decided I had to try one.
Thus is why I found myself in the McDonald’s drive-thru on a Tuesday at 12:30, purchasing a McRib. Surprisingly, the sandwich is under $3, thus making it an affordable meal for those willing to drive through McDonald’s to purchase it. After the lovely drive-through clerk threw my meal into my face, I eagerly drove off and parked, unable to wait any longer. This was the moment, this was the sandwich that launched a thousand web pages.
I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but when I opened the little cardboard box I was somewhat disappointed. Instead of finding a golden paragon of sandwiches, I found this: two slices of bread, fake ribs, pickles, onions and a smattering of sauce. Hesitantly, I took that first bite and found, surprisingly, the McRib was actually pretty dang delicious. Turns out the giant horde of fans weren’t completely insane. For a boneless pork sandwich from a fast food chain, it certainly exceeded expectations.
Though the hype this sandwich has garnered seems to be a bit much, there is something to be said for the power of the human race to utilize technology in such a way as to make their voices heard. How incredible is it a group of people managed to bond together — in a world where such cooperation seems quite impossible — and work toward a common goal, using all the resources available at their fingertips, from social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to good old-fashioned group gatherings and handwritten letters. Granted, this amazing example of the human spirit was used to bring back a mediocre sandwich. Still, it’s a start. First the McRib, then on to human teleportation. Obviously, it’s just the next logical step.
Claire Mosley is a freshman majoring in pre-accounting. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.