As the winter season approaches and U.S. consumerism reaches its peak, so comes new holiday themed releases, one of which being the Grinch Meal at McDonalds. I first heard about this meal when my mom sent it to me on Facebook. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but when I saw it was available at the McDonalds across from the Valley Mall, I took the opportunity and wasted a little money.
This meal is unique; you get all of the components of a normal Big Mac meal or 10-piece Chicken McNugget meal, but instead of having just your main dish, fries, and drink, you get “Grinch Salt.” “Grinch Salt” is a new dill pickle seasoning that you can add to your fries. You also receive a pair of collectible Grinch socks. For the $14.03 I paid for the meal after tax, it has more ups than downs.
For starters, I got the Big Mac meal. I ordered on the McDonalds app and chose the curbside pickup option. The ordering process was quick and easy, per usual. When I received the meal, the first observation I made was the cute box it came in. It was festively decorated and quite large. Upon opening and inspecting the contents, I saw my sandwich, my fries, my socks, and…an additional bag? I soon realized that the extra bag is where you can put your fries and the “Grinch Salt” together, shake it up, and eat it. Everything was spectacular up until this point. My burger was banging (who can resist that special sauce?), my Sprite was hitting the spot, but when I got to the fries, I was skeptical. Alone they were fine, soggy as I like them. But the dill pickle seasoning smelled sour and unpleasant. I also just generally hate pickles. Pushing past my rising levels of hesitation, I mixed the fries and the seasoning in the designated bag and unfortunately, put the abomination in my mouth. The once sour seasoning became sweet. The pickle taste wasn’t all there but it was still unsettling.
Moving onto the object that’s only edible if you try hard enough, the socks. They are SO cute. You could probably expect to pay at least $8-$10 alone in stores for them if they were on regular sale, so I don’t believe the $14 price point for the whole meal is terrible. I got the green socks featuring the Grinch, Cindy Lou Who, and Max surrounded by yellow and red dashes and a red ornament with the classic yellow McDonalds “M” in the middle. They’re like your normal knee high socks, cozy and stylish.
Overall, the meal was great! If you’re looking for a quick, festive meal for the holidays, and feel like giving your money to yet another company slurping up the Christmas spirit floating in the air, this is a good option. My only advice is to just eat your fries like a normal person. Though it may be enticing, eating the “Grinch Salt” will definitely NOT make your heart grow three sizes.
