You Want to Eat What?

Most of the people I know consume food typical of the American diet. There are some that I really admire for their hard work in helping their families to eat healthy, organic foods. Many times I wish that I had never tasted some of the chemical garbage we call food.

I don't tend to eat a lot of food, although looking at me you might think otherwise! I do love going out to eat though. My favorite place to eat is at my friend's house. There are actually two friends that I just love to eat with. They create some amazing culinary delights! Of course, I can't eat with them every night and I do cook from time to time at our house, but I really enjoy a meal at a restaurant from time to time. In fact, I love going out and discovering great cuisine so much that I really could plan a trip around it!

Tonight, my daughter asked if she could have an "ice cream" cone from McDonalds. I agreed. While standing there, my other daughter mentioned that she would like to try a McRib. Ooof! Did she not realize how wicked that sandwich is?  For a long time, barbecued ribs were one of my favorite meals. I did try a McRib when they first came out years ago. What a disappointment. I don't know what I expected or what I was thinking!

The more I learn about eating right, the more I am turned off by this stuff we put into our bodies for nourishment. As I was reading the news tonight, it just happened that there was an article about the McRib. I read it, then called my daughter in so she could learn what it was that she wants to eat. On the surface, it appears that this seasonal "treat" is simply made of pork, onions, and a pickle with barbecue sauce, served in a bun. Diving in further, we learn that the bun alone has 34 ingredients! This was the perfect example to start with since my daughter had just finished making a loaf of homemade bread with just six ingredients! WOW! That is 28 EXTRA ingredients! 

The most disturbing of these extra ingredients is azodicarbonamide — "a flour-bleaching agent most commonly used in the manufacturing of foamed plastics like gym mats the and soles of shoes." EWW! I eat that?! I had read an article once that talked about putting a McDonald's hamburger and bun in a case. It took forever for the mold to start forming. Now we know why! How is it that the FDA approves such things for us to ingest?

As for the meat in the McRib? Sure, it's pork - tripe (the rubbery lining of the stomach - cheap, yet nutritious), heart and scalded stomach. In order to get these parts to stick together and look something like a rib, the parts are cooked and blended with salt and water to extract the salt soluble proteins.

If the ingredients don't scare you, perhaps the nutritional values will speak to you. The McRib has a whopping 500 calories, 980 mg sodium, and 26 grams of fat - 10 of them saturated fat. So….what would you like for your midnight snack tonight? If it isn't a McRib, do you know what IS in your snack?

My apologies to anyone in my local audience who may truly desire a McRib at this time...

McDonald's actually closes at 11:00 PM.