Have you tried McLobster?

Only sold in New England and eastern Canada, and only during the summer, the McLobster is something that I would really have to try if I ever managed to get to Nova Scotia. If only to say that I had eaten lobster at McDonald's. Because by all accounts, the McLobster is pretty terrible.

McLobster is widely considered a failure, both from a culinary perspective and as a business decision. And yet, McDonald's continues to roll it out every summer, as this recent forum thread of people discussing the sandwich can attest.

Based on a lobster roll, McLobster is wads of dry lobster meat mixed with tons of lettuce and "McLobster sauce" stuffed into a hot dog roll. It bears only a passing resemblance to the New England traditional lobster roll, which is filled with lobster meat that has only the slightest touch of mayonnaise (just enough so that the meat holds together). In place of meat, the McLobster has shredded lettuce, and plenty of it.

Part of the problem is that the McDonald's food supply chain is just not set up to deal with a meat as sensitive as lobster. In order to get it out to stores, it has to be frozen, reconstituted, and basically treated very poorly. The result is a nugget of rubbery badness that frankly could be anything by that point.

The second problem is the cost. In order to make a profit, McDonald's has to charge more for the McLobster than they would for a cheeseburger, because lobster meat costs more than beef. But in order to keep the costs reasonable for consumers, they have to put a minimum amount of meat in the roll. Thus, you end up paying seven bucks for a really pitifully small portion of lobster meat.

Frankly if you're going to get intrigued by a seasonal McDonald's offering, I recommend the Shamrock Shake!

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons