Remember Food?

The McRib. Wow. This lovely creation is a McDonalds sandwich made with ground pork meat shaped to look like a small rack of ribs, barbeque sauce and a sesame seed roll. I thought America had progressed past this boneless phenomenon. Now, I have to admit that I too once loved the McRib. I was hooked in 15 years ago when The Flintstones movie was used to cross promote the resurrection of the sandwich. The McRib was a fun and delicious break from my usual 10-piece Chicken McNugget order.

My favorite part of the McRib story is best described by Wikipedia: “On November 1, 2005, McDonald’s put out a press release stating that the McRib would be permanently removed from the menu following a “McRib Farewell Tour.” This appears to have been a deceptive kickoff to a viral/stealth marketing campaign;mcrib.com, a site registered to McDonald’s, featured a petition to “Save the McRib,” which was facetiously sponsored by the “Boneless Pig Farmers Association of America.”[1] So in a two-angled campaign, McDonald’s was simultaneously conducting a McRib farewell tour and sponsoring a petition to “Save the McRib” to create buzz. On October 16, 2006, the “McRib Farewell Tour II” site appeared, confirming the campaign was a marketing ploy. The petition to “Save the McRib” still existed as well as the “BPFAA” site.” We have always known that the McRib is a confused little sandwich, but I wonder - when will it come back again? Will consumers not want to buy McRibs in 15-20 years? I have a feeling that the McRib will never really die.

The rebirth of the McRib has taken me down a food memory lane of sorts. I was 13 when I had my first McRib and was at a point in my life in which I didn’t think or care about what I ate. In a way, I miss not having to put so much thought into my food consumption. However, the McRib now sounds disgusting to me and I know that I will not feel well after eating it. Having a better understanding of the source of my food has been a blessing. Knowing my farmer makes me feel safe and the McRib with its’ fake rib rack shape scares the bejesus out of me!

One last McRib morsel - a clip from the Colbert Report on the McDonalds classic: Colbert Report - The McRib is Back

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I have officially stolen The Reluctant Eater away from Mr. Ryan Wanger. After a year of neglect, it’s time to give the TRE a little love and revive the conversation.

Here’s the Deal: I’m Ryan’s potentially lovely wife who also loves food. Nope, that’s a lie - I’m obsessed with food. I plan to continue asking questions about personal and national food choices. In addition to Ryan’s amazing foundation, I will also talk about the relationship between health and food allergies. Food is a DRUG. The overall goal is to challenge the many relationships people have with food and share awesome (and sometimes awful) news, recipes, and food facts.

Have a healthy day!

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@KezzaMcDezza shows us why in under 140 characters:

It pisses me off that our HEALTH insurance company brings pizza and coke for a lunch and learn. #thisiswhyyourefat

(link)

Interesting to think about though. Why aren’t they interested in keeping us healthy? Shouldn’t we be granted lots of free preventative care? Won’t they save money since we’ll be paying into insurance that we won’t use?

The medical world has been messed up for a long, long time. Will our band-aid solutions be enough?

(PS - that last part of the quote is a reference to the incredible website This Is Why You Are Fat)

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Watch this three minute video of a food artist.

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