The McRib is back!

Forsyth Mo. - The McRib is back and is (supposedly) available at the local McDonald's in Forsyth on Hwy 160 and Coy Blvd. For those who've never enjoyed eating one, it's 'a barbecue-flavored pork sandwich periodically sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was first introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1981, following test marketing the year before. After poor sales, it was removed from the menu in 1985'. The previous statement was taken from Wikipedia. Well, that used to be true, but now the McRib is back to stay! And did I run out to purchase one with fries? You bet your ass I did! (Actually, I planned to go there about noontime and will report back when I confirm that it's available.) Update: They are available!

Now, what I'm still unsure of is whether or not this iconic sandwich is really back to stay or will it remain on the 'periodic offering' page? (The article I read was unclear either way). Whatever. The thing is, my body craves one right now! Sadly, whenever the body craves something, you can be sure that it's also not a particularly nutritious item to consume... As the panel, shown below clearly illustrates, the pork sandwich has 480 calories per serving all by its lonesome. Add in a medium order of fries and you're a tad over 800! Whoa Nellie! Thar goes my diet all to hell and back!

My next post will be titled: How I hide unwanted fat.

Every touch screen tested had fecal matter present!

London England - According to a research paper, they swabbed the new self-order machines in six different England locations—six in London and two in Birmingham. The breadth of different and concerning bacteria on each one worried Senior Lecturer in Microbiology at London Metropolitan University Dr. Paul Matawele, who told the Metro: "We were all surprised how much gut and [fecal] bacteria there was on the touchscreen machines. These cause the kind of infections that people pick up in hospitals."

Among those bacteria was staphylococcus, which has been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome. Matawele called the bacteria "so contagious." He was also concerned about the listeria, klebsiella, and proteus strains found, each of which contributes to a different serious illness.

100 gloves cost about $10

I saw this post and then wondered if the McDonald's located in my small town of Forsyth Missouri would also be acquiring one of these devices to help cut back on the number of people working there. (I understand that with the rise of minimum wage requirement, restaurant owners have needed to cut back on the total payroll in order to stay profitable). I hadn't seen any thus far, but wondered just how long it would take for them to make an appearance. When that occurs, there will then be the question of just how sanitary those device surfaces will be. My thought would be to purchase a package of disposable surgical gloves that could be worn when ordering and then tossed, along with the remains of the meal, once I'd finished eating.

Only a penny more tax at McDonald's? So, why am I gripping?

Click on this picture to enlarge

Just recently, I had occasion to stop at a local McDonald's for lunch where I ordered a cheeseburger and a medium fry. I'd stopped there and ordered the same thing back in mid September, but what to my surprise, the cost was a penny in tax more! Now, I know that in a world of trillion dollar deficits, where no one cares about a single penny, this might not mean much! But, maybe that's exactly the problem with those who rule over us – maybe it no longer cares about the pennies or the dollars or the billions of dollars of tax payer money that is unaccounted for each day! So, I wondered what gives? Was this a mistake? Was it a rounding error. Was a new tax being applied, and if so, by whom?

I contacted McDonald's Corporate to ask them for clarification, but have not heard back yet. If I do, I post their response, if I don't I'll post that too.

Update: A friend named Josh Smith informed me that the 1 cent tax was one the citizens approved in a ballot to help support the fire departments. Well, that actually good to hear. No maybe they won't have to stand around at street intersections begging for money....

McDonald’s Wholesome Starts Coupon Book

I’m not sure just how wholesome food from McDonald’s actually is, but the promotion is halfway decent, even if you’re a single guy like myself.

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I received a four page coupon book in the mail a few days ago and then took the trouble of digitizing the coupons into a data file. This gives me a visual readout on what’s available and when. I broke the offerings up into five categories including; 1 for 1, drink, kid deal, side and sides. Of these the 1 for 1 represent the best deal in that the food is essentially half price while the last item labeled ‘sides’ comes in a close second as you are getting the fries and the drink together for free. Of the rest of the items, I like most of the ‘side’ offerings with the exception of the oatmeal and OJ. I can see where the ‘kid deal’ would be of interest to some moms and dads, but that would not be for me.

So, if you didn’t get one of these books in the mail, perhaps you can ask for one at the McDonald’s near you. 

Disclaimer: Any material contained in this post is and opinion based on the author's best knowledge.