Image courtesy of McDonald’s

From the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Vettel and his August 9th column on portable breakfasts:

“In my humble opinion, McDonald’s is the creator of the greatest breakfast sandwich ever invented, and the most heinous breakfast sandwich ever invented. The former is the sublime Egg McMuffin, a fast-food sandwich virtually without artifice. … The latter is the profane McGriddle, which purports to create a hand-held version of eggs, bacon and pancakes with maple syrup. I hate the spongy feel of the “pancakes.” I hate its artificial-maple taste. And the Golden Arches imprint on the outside of each pancake virtually screams “make-believe food!” One of my great fears is that the person who thought up the McGriddle is thinking up something else.”

Maybe it’s a generational thing but I think the McGriddle is the greatest invention since Tostino’s pizza rolls. Blame it on being raised on artificial flavoring from the New Jersey turnpike laboratories and Swanson microwaved pancakes, but I love the McGriddle precisely because of the Log Cabin/Aunt Jemimaish tinged spongecake. I also dip my McNugget’s according to the following equation: one dip sweet and sour, one dip hot mustard, one dip sweet and sour, bite….so what do I know.