Lollapalooza is exciting for the obvious reasons: a long weekend, dozens of bands performing, basking in the sun, thousands of people, so on and so forth.  But it is also exciting for some less obvious reasons.  The number one less obvious reason that Lollapalooza is exciting is the food.

Now, I’m no foodie, but I do love food. Boy oh boy do I love food, all different types, from all difference places.  I like fancy foods that I can’t pronounce, foreign foods that I can’t pronounce, foods that aren’t considered food in other places, I do not discriminate (please nothing healthy though).  One particular item, an item that comes between two golden buns that may possibly have been baked in the ovens of pharaohs, an item that comes smothered in sauce whose deliciousness could bring nations to the brink of war, is an item which has the power to provoke as much excitement during this long weekend as all the other reasons combined, is the rib sandwich.

A rib sandwich? You ask.  So what? You continue.  I’ll tell you what. The rib sandwich first taste of fame was when it was released as a specialty sandwich at McDonald’s, before I was born.  That’s right, I missed it the first time around.  The sandwich would be so sorely missed by it’s fans that McDonald’s held a farewell tour for it.  Fortunately it was re-introduced several times over the past two decades as a result of a petition posted on it’s website and is currently on it’s third (and supposedly final, but please say it ain’t so Ronald) farewell tour.  The McRib has had more farewell tours then Aerosmith, and the Rolling Stones, combined. Wrap your head around that.

But while McDonald’s was toying with the hearts of so many McRib lovers around the world, two places needed not fret about its availability.  The first: Germany.  I know what you are saying, Germany?  Buy why? McDonald’s in Germany apparently serve the McRib as a regular menu item, and have since it’s initial availability in the 1980’s. It makes sense.  How else could a nation whose past was riddled with pour decisions, mainly the whole Nazi thing and being the sole financial support for David Hasselhoff’s musical career, rectify all the wrong they had done?  The second: Chicago.  The McRib was not served in McDonald’s here since it’s release, but several barbecue restaurants across the city are home to the rib sandwich with barbecue sauce that is identical to that found slathered on it’s cousin the McRib found at one of the more popular establishments, the Fireplace Inn.

Traditionally, at the mini food-cities found at Grant Park for the three day festival, there is at least one (if not more) barbecue establishments present providing rib sandwiches to thousands of hungry festival attendees who enjoy combining their love of the to M’s, music and and meat. Over the course of 72 hours a near bakers dozen will be consumed by yours truly.

Oh no, I can hear the screaming already.  How could you fly nearly 8 hours across the Pacific ocean and half the continent, and only manage to eat a dozen or so of the sandwich that some philosophers use as a proof in their ontological arguments?  Well children, I have heard your cries, which is why I will be eating dinner in only a few hours at the Fireplace Inn. What I will be ordering: “The Original Boneless Rib Sandwich”.  No reason not to start the night before the festivities.  After all, did I mention it is the original?  Rumor has it, it’s almost worth keeping your pants on for.

Tags: Aerosmith, Chicago, Colbie Caillat, Fast Food, Fireplace Inn, Food, Germany, Lollapalooza, McDonalds, McRib, Rolling Stones

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.