Do you remember where you were on June 19th, 1998? That was the day Disney’s Mulan hit theaters.
No? How about October 7, 2017?
I was at New York Comic Con that day and I was heavily debating if I should even attempt a trip to McDonald’s. Why? Because to coincide with the film’s release, McDonald’s offered a limited edition Chicken McNugget sauce in 1998: SzeChuan Teriyaki Dipping Sauce. I vaguely remember trying it…
Fast forward to April 1, 2017 as Adult Swim’s series Rick And Morty premiered its third season:
Rick And Morty fans are pretty hardcore. By Justin Roiland’s character (specifically Rick, since he actually voices both Rick & Morty) giving a brief history lesson on the sauce, fans went wild on social media! Original 1998 sauces started to sell for thousands and thousands of dollars! (Who’d eat that though?)
Needless to say, with one quick glance on Twitter while still at New York Comic Con, I was able to see that the situation was out of control.
Customers lined up the night before at their McDonald’s locations to obtain the limited edition designed sauce, plus collectible posters.
https://twitter.com/mcdonalds/status/914626606680952832
But alas, the select McDonald’s locations across the country had at most 20 each to give out, which means they ran out in seconds. Because of this, I’ve read some reports where there were fights and even worse outbreaks in attempt to get a pack or 2. Tension built up and demand went higher, leading to more eBay auctions at soaring prices.
Trying to right their wrong, McDonald’s announced that starting today 20 million Szechuan Sauces would be available at every McDonald’s in the country… So let’s see what happened.
I got a few packets to try with some Chicken McNuggets and the new Buttermilk Crispy Tenders.
My McDonald’s location was very strict and only gave a specific number of sauces based on the kind of chicken you order. And depending on your location, they may not even offer it with the Buttermilk Crispy Tenders… no clue why.
The packaging is nice. In fact, I much prefer this black, gold, and red look over the limited edition art from last year. The actual sauce is pretty good, but I’m glad I didn’t stand outside mid-fall to get it (or more likely: not get it). Still, it was fun munching on some nuggets while watching that clip from Rick And Morty.
I’d give this sauce a 7 out of 10.
If you’ve always wanted to try it for yourself, ask yourself: “How quickly will 20 million packets sell out?”
LesDudis 