McDonald’s Notorious Szechuan Sauce is Now Available in China, Locals Aren’t Loving It

McDonald’s Szechuan sauce, first introduced two decades ago as part of promotional material for Disney’s “Mulan,” finally reached China and locals were surprisingly not happy with the condiment.

The sauce, which is called wanghong zanjiang in China, is available for 10 yuan ($1.59) and comes with five pieces of chicken nuggets, according to Shanghaiist.

Instead of being wrapped in “Mulan” references, pandas and mountains are printed on its packaging as a sort of nod to Sichuan’s Giant Panda Sanctuaries.

Users on China’s Weibo expressed their negative reaction to the hyped up sauce in the United States. “I don’t think it taste good,” one commenter wrote.

“It’s more like soy sauce,” another user said, with another one describing the taste as salty and not spicy.

“I don’t understand Americans’ taste,” says user Chocberry.

McDonald’s Szechuan sauce was first released by the fast food company back in 1998 as a tie-in with the Disney movie.

Then, 19 years later, the sauce was name dropped in an episode of the popular American cartoon series “Rick and Morty” in April 2017.

Fans immediately started a petition to urge the fast food chain to bring its popular sauce back. In October, McDonald’s announced a limited time offer for its Szechuan sauce in selected locations across the U.S.

The return of the sauce was so successful that it sold out moments after it was released. Some customers even lined up at 4 a.m. just to taste it.

However, not everyone got their hands on the sauce. Fans began protesting the shortage of McDonald’s Szechuan sauce, with some initiating a riot. Police were eventually called to intervene.

In February 2018, McDonald’s decided to release the Szechuan sauce once again to make it up to the fans who didn’t get to taste it back in October. The second release was not limited to selected U.S. branches — and made available to all outlets in the country.

Featured Images via Shanghaiist

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