McDonald’s is advertising the return of the McRib sandwich.  I like the McRib, even though I find it odd that the meat seems to have been pressed into a shape resembling a portion of a rack of ribs much like particle board is pressed into the shape of furniture.

Still, I like the taste of it, and I generally get in the mood for one just about the same time that the Golden Arches decides to bring it back for a “limited time.”

Two days ago, I started seeing commercials advertising it.  Two days ago, I went to my nearest two McDonald’s restaurants in search of it.  Neither one has it.

I’d like to throttle Ronald.

In a local news weekly, West Of, Jeffrey Gredlein writes a column called BeerSnob, in which he critiques varieties of beer.

This week’s column is about the history of Budweiser, the “Great American lager,” which has recently been sold to a Belgian company.  He’s less than enthusiastic about Bud, but then so are most of the people who would consider themselves “beer snobs.”

I’ve tried Budweiser.  I’ve tried Michelob.  I’ve tried a variety of beers, including two different types brewed locally at a steakhouse.  One of the varieties is described as having a slightly swee, almost caramel-like finish.  Another claims to have hints of chocolate.

Yeah.

Perhaps, if I had a bartender line up a row of such brews in front of me, and I went down the line tasting one after the other, I might notice subtle differences.  Maybe I’d actually detect that “slight caramel-like finish” or the “hints of chocolate.”

But I’m clearly not a beer snob.  In fact, I’m more content with a Diet Coke.  I don’t drink to get drunk, and actually have never really been fully drunk, because that “buzz” feeling so many people seem to think is the greatest thing in the world feels to me like the start of a panic attack, which, in case you weren’t sure, is definitely not one of the greatest things in the world.

So I’m left to see a beer with an interesting description on a menu, order it to see if maybe, just maybe, this one will be the one that really surprises me taste-wise, then take that first sip and say, “Nope, it tastes like every other beer I’ve ever tried.”

I’m glad I’m not a beer snob.