McRib is McBack!

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Today, we are going to talk about the McDonalds McRib sandwich. Yes, this has to do with Christmas. Ehh... sort of, technically, but maybe not really? I am actually not really sure but since I took the time to photograph my lunch surrounded with Christmas lights we might as well talk about it. You have no idea how strange of a feeling that was.

McDonalds, despite the fact that I enjoy writing about some of the wacky things they have done over the years, I don't eat McDonalds. I am no health nut or anything I just really do not care all that much for the selection of items they have. If I am in a hurry I can go for one of there cheap cheeseburgers every now and then but beyond that, I will pass. There are really only two items that get me excited and they are both seasonal. Shamrock Shakes are amazing and if you do not know what those are... well just you wait until St. Patricks time, you can bet that those will be getting a full blown entry. The second seasonal McDonalds selection is obviously the one we are talking about today, the McRibb.

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The McRib dates all the way back to 1981 - 1985, where it was removed from the menu due to poor overall sales. Like all good canceled items it came back in 1994 as a promotional item for the live action Flintstones movie. How awesome is that? The sandwich had a second run from '94 until 2005. It was then that McDonalds decided to cancel the McRib sandwich, again, but not before giving it a "farewell tour" across the United States. Basically it was released in limited form at different parts of the country, sort of like how a band tours across country. As it turns out the whole farewell tour thing was just a giant publicity stunt and marketing ploy, because who has ever heard of giving a sandwich a farewell tour. This marketing stunt continued from 2005 all the way through 2011 ... only they stopped calling it a farewell tour a couple years ago and just started releasing it "for a limited time".

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While the McRib has never been packaged or sold as such, many of us define it as a seasonal Christmas item. Since 2005 its limited releases have all been in early November and lasted until the first couple of weeks of December. This is enough to make it feel like a Christmas related item, even though it was never meant to be. Christmas has the power to take over things that were never meant to be related to it and suddenly make them seem oh so Christmas-asy. A word I just made up that sounded better when I said it out loud than how it looks typed up on the screen. As for the McRib, you probably should go out and purchase one. McDonalds is actually surprisingly strict with how limited they release these suckers. If you don't snag one within the next couple of weeks you are libel to have to wait until next year to taste the McRib's saucy goodness.