Inside the Bizarre McRib Obsession

There's even a 'McRib Locator'—yes, really
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 11, 2010 1:24 PM CDT

The McRib is not made from ribs—heck, some would argue it’s not even food—yet the McDonald’s sandwich has inspired intense loyalty and a bizarre mystique. McRib fans’ passion is stoked by the fact that the boneless pork rib-shaped patty is only available for brief periods, and then only at certain locations. One McRib lover bought six on a recent trip to visit his parents in Nebraska and brought them back to his Minnesota home in a cooler; another drove 10 hours to buy the sandwich after hearing of a McRib sighting.

“You don't know when it will appear,” that man tells the Wall Street Journal. “It's the girl who you are in love with who has always been a tease to you.” But it's making a big appearance on Nov. 2: McDonald’s will sell the McRib nationwide for the first time in 16 years—but only for six weeks. "It doesn't sell well all year long because people get tired of it," says the chain's US president. Fans will certainly be excited, but not everyone is sold on the sandwich: “It's a conglomeration of pork waste, as far as I can tell,” says one non-believer. For other questionable fast food offerings of the past, click here.
(More McRib stories.)

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