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True symbol of '80s returns: Behold the McRib




Oh, it's back. And there's nothing you can do about it. The McDonald's McRib sandwich. Available for a short time only. Probably until a cardiologist intervenes. (Read nutritional content here.)

In case you're wondering what the connection is: Yes, the McRib was born in the '80s. 1982 actually. And I'm pretty sure there are still some pork cutlets from that year still swimming around in a sauce vat. (All that being said, I'll probably still order one before they go away.)

True story: I once worked at McDonalds back in the '80s. And yep, we had to make the McRib, which then was a regular menu item. I worked the grill (as a male, that was the only job we held; only females worked the counter at this particular location) and the McRib was the one thing the grill guys hated to make. Why? Because, like all their meat at that time, the McRib patty came frozen stiff, much like a corpse, and required probably five times the amount of grill time as a Quarter Pounder.

Once it was thoroughly cooked, we dropped the patties into a warm vat of BBQ sauce, where they sat until a McRib was ordered. (That was pretty much the only sandwich prepared to order those days.) God help us all if there was a rush on McRibs because there was no way to speed up the process -- pre-microwave days, people! -- short of dropping a frozen patty into the boiling french fry oil. Which we never did. As far as I remember.

Long story short: Celebrate the McRib sandwich today. By ordering a Filet-O-Fish instead.

[Last modified: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 10:49am]


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