Posts tagged McDonald’s
Food in the News: 8/21–8/27
Aug 28th
It has been a busy week for me, starting to promote my upcoming Sriracha cookbook via Twitter (@SrirachaBook), and getting more and more serious with my second book, the details of which will be posted here on the blog as soon as they are finalized! I’ve also been trying to persuade all you nice folks to take a few precious seconds out of your day to vote for my Anthony Bourdain essay, “Opposable Thumbs Up”. (It only takes a few seconds, and you can vote for me EVERY day to help my chances of winning!)
While all this was happening, plenty of other stuff has been going on in the crazy world of food, and I’d like to take a minute to catch you all up!
Math Lessons for Locavores (The New York Times)
This Op-Ed piece by Stephen Budiansky caused quite a stir amongst bloggers and supporters of the local food movement. Some thoughtful rebuttals:
Math Lessons for Budiansky (The Ethicurean)
The Myth of the Rabid Locavore (The Huffington Post)
Eating Locally, and Other Victimless Crimes (Eyes Wide Stomach)
Wright Egg Recall–550 Million Reasons to Support Pasture-Based Farming (Animal Welfare Approved)
McDonald’s Burgers Don’t Age (GOOD Blog)
Two Foodies to Win John Lennon Peace Award (Slashfood)
Giving Students a Better School Lunch (The Los Angeles Times)
You Could Be Serving Eggs From Contaminated Farms in Iowa (The Arizona Republic)
Currently Reading:
A History of Beer and Brewing
Ian S. Hornsey
Wright Egg Recall–550 Million Reasons to Support Pasture-Based Farming
The McRib Is Back — Dear God, Why?!
Dec 21st
Chef Grim McReaper — creator of the McRib
Dr. Kevorkian may not be performing assisted suicides any longer, but rest assured you can still turn to Ronald McDonald for help. As the McRib sandwich returns once again (now after its third “Farewell Tour”), it’s a strange reminder that pork, bun, tangy “BBQ” sauce, pickles, and onions can go dangerously wrong. Sure you can develop hypertension, diabetes, or any other slow killer from just about any fast food chain, but McDonald’s wants to set the record straight – guns don’t kill people, McRibs kill people.
Using no doubt the cheapest finest cuts of what may have been considered pork in another life or in some perverse dimension, McDonald’s pulverizes this “meat” into an appetizing convalescent home texture, mixing in a secret blend of water, salt, dextrose, BHA and BHT, propyl gallate and citric acid to optimize shelf life flavor and to ensure that you, the consumer, enjoy a slow, painful death sometime thereafter. To rub figurative salt into the wounds (not to mention the 980mg of actual sodium), some culinary cacodemon thought pressing the porcine pulp into some form vaguely resembling ribs would add to its charm and instill some sort of subconscious association with true barbecue.
Never missing a beat, The Simpsons famously parodied the McRib with Krusty Burger releasing its own “Ribwich”:
Krusty: Listen, about the Ribwich. We won’t be making them anymore. The animal we made them from is now extinct.
Homer: The pig?
Otto: The cow?
Krusty: You’re way off. Think smaller…think more legs.
