買不到醬，美國民眾上街示威！美國麥當勞於1998年，隨著電影「花木蘭」推出四川醬，最近在《瑞克和莫蒂》（Rick and Morty）當紅卡通中又重新出現，讓不少卡通粉絲為之瘋狂。但麥當勞承諾再度銷售四川醬時，許多店鋪卻都有限量，讓美國人當街怒吼「我們要醬！（We want sauce）」
據《BBC》，美國麥當勞於7月時，送給《瑞克和莫蒂》的製作人1大罐四川醬，並宣布會在10月7日販售醬汁。但麥當勞卻搞起限量發售，有店家只分配到20盒的量，還有一些分店根本沒有配送四川醬。
許多美國民眾發現買不到後，開始示威發洩怒火，光是在某家麥當勞分店外，就有數百人抗議，「我們要醬！我們要醬！我們要醬！」的口號此起彼落，警察忙著維護秩序。
美國麥當勞在社群網站上，對向隅的民眾致歉，但仍重申醬汁的限量供應不會改變。目前在網拍上，這款醬汁1盒加1張海報售價最高可達1200美元（約新台幣3萬6000元）。
The excitement from Rick and Morty fans was palpable when McDonald’s announced it was bringing back Szechuan sauce for one day. Fans were disappointed when they showed up at their local McDonald’s only to realize the line had begun hours before. Other stores that were supposed to get the sauce didn’t receive a shipment in time, leading to more disappointed customers.
Twitter filled with stories from people who drove hours to a specific McDonald’s location or even crossed the border from Canada into the United States to get their hands on a packet of sauce. Testimonials from upset, avid Rick and Morty fans led to hashtags popping up accusing McDonald’s of being ill-prepared for the launch.
McDonald’s did reply to the horde of angry visitors on Twitter, apologizing for not having enough Szechuan sauce to meet demand. Polygon has reached out to McDonald’s for further comment and will update if more information becomes available.
Some who managed to get their hands on a packet of the sauce posted reviews on Twitter and YouTube. Even those reviews, however, mentioned the long the lines and complaints from people who didn’t receive the Szechuan sauce.
The reaction hundreds of people had to McDonald’s supply problems has, in itself, become a topic of conversation that requires some additional context. A few weeks ago, a phrase started circulating through certain factions of Rick and Morty fans: “Rick and Morty is a show for smart people.” The phrase was used as a way to retaliate against the third season, which many considered to be dumbed down.
Polygon spoke to Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon about the toxicity among certain fans and he addressed the issue.
“We try to outdo each season,” Harmon said. “If it was dumber, it was an accident. Maybe I got dumber! I think if you’re talking to someone about whether or not something sucks it’s a good indication that they’re not watching TV right.”
When people started complaining about the McDonald’s situation, threatening to never eat the restaurant again, the phrase “Rick and Morty is for smart people” was hurled back at them. Do smart people wait in line for hours for … dipping sauce?
Still, for sincere fans who just wanted to get their hands on a packet of sauce inspired by a joke in the show, the situation was a disaster. It’s unclear if McDonald’s is planning on bringing the sauce back for a wider release, but one tweet to an annoyed customer shows some promise.
McDonald’s did not directly cite Rick and Morty as its inspiration for bringing back the Szechuan sauce, but the conversation began with the show’s season three premiere. Then Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland received his own container of the sauce, which was originally released in 1998 as a tie-in for Mulan, earlier this year. Other celebrities, like Deadmau5, found their own ways to get their hands on the sauce.
Rick and Morty’s third season has come to an end, and it’s easily one of the show’s best, but its lasting mark on the world may be the Szechuan sauce pandemonium it inspired.