McDonald's McRib returns to Vancouver, and you might want to prepare yourself for the experience

One of the most famously weird sandwiches in the long history of fast food is making a comeback in Canada for the first time since 2014.

McDonald’s has announced that the McRib will return to Lower Mainland menus after a 10-year absence. The sandwich will be back at participating locations across Canada starting January 30. In what’s good news for your arteries and sodium levels, it will only be available for a limited amount of time.

The McRib was first introduced in 1981 and after lacklustre excitement, was quietly taken off most menus just four years later (though it has remained McDonald’s staple at franchises in other parts of the world, including Germany and Luxembourg). As your great grandparents will confirm, it originally raised questions about what the hell the world’s favourite greasepainted clown not named Pennywise was thinking—though it has since become something of a pop culture icon. Perhaps for its absence more than its taste.

The creation is described as “a restructured boneless pork patty shaped like a miniature rack of ribs”, starting with “a patty of pork made from small flakes of meat taken from the shoulders of a pig.” Covering said offering are onions, pickles, and a “barbecue sauce” that tastes like the weirdest parts of Texas and Japan. 

The sandwich featured in a thousand standup routines resurfaces periodically on the shores or North America. Giving it something in common with Mötley Crüe, Kiss, and the acting career of Stephen Baldwin, the McRib periodically returns from the abyss for a farewell tour, only to inexplicably rise from the grave a couple of years later. You can evidently bury it for a while, but that’s not going to kill it.

So even though you know what to expect on January 30, you still might want to prepare yourself for the experience. And, more importantly, get to your favourite drive-thru before the Griffin family arrives.