Fad Foods - Reconstituted from Meat Flakes and Delivered in a Cheeto-Dusted Dorito Burrito

For a limited time only\*, you can check out this week's episode IN SMELL-O-VISION as we talk about fans of fad foods! Plus, we've got a special guest: Nick H of the Epic Film Guys and RestauRant podcast! Next week, we're closing out the season with a callback to the first episode. We'll be getting our D-4 classification to learn about the world of the SCP Foundation! \* Only at participating locations ## Where can I learn more about EFG Nick and the Epic Film Guys? > **Epic Film Guy Nick** has been in love with film and filming for as long as he can remember. When he’s not listening to Justin’s lisp, he is focused on his two sons, fiancee, and working on his own screenplays. Other interests include beer and playing music. > > — [Epic Film Guys - About Us](https://epicfilmguys.wordpress.com/about-us/) To find out more, check out: - The [Epic Film Guys podcast](http://www.epicfilmguys.com/) - The [RestauRant podcast](http://restaurantpod.podbean.com/) - The Epic Film Guys on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/epicfilmguys) and [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/epicfilmguys) - Nick H on Twitter: [@thedraylives](http://www.twitter.com/theredraylives) ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Search Data:** We had no idea how to even broach this topic; what is the search term for fad food? What we learned is that [interest in the McRib](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=hipster%20food,fad%20food,mcrib), for example, dwarfs interest in search terms like 'fad food' or 'hipster food'. If you remove that, there is a noted increase in interest in 'hipster food' and decrease in interest in 'fad food' since 2004 (though overall, fad food is the more popular search). The vast majority of results come from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. ### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/breakfast-cereals-part-of-a-fanss-complete-breakfast/) Famous Last Words **Z** Is there a fad food fan out there who collects wrappers (or similar)? **G** What was the first fast food restaurant to have a secret menu? **T** Are there people who collect and preserve fad foods? If so, how do they do it? ### The Verdict **T is out.** Fad food fans are not a thing. **G is out.** Not tailgatin' in a McDonald's parking lot. **Z is out.** Not chasing down fad foods. **EFG Nick is out.** Can't... no. Just eat something else. McRib is garbage. ### This week's spotlight **[Ronald McDonald House Charities](https://www.rmhccanada.ca/) or [in the US](https://www.rmhc.org/)** > Ronald McDonald Houses provide families of sick children with a home to stay at while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital. Ronald McDonald Family Rooms also provide a comfortable place for families to rest and recharge, right inside hospitals. And through Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles, we help to bring basic medical care to vulnerable communities. So families can stay together and kids can heal better. ### Famous Last Words This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, SCP Foundation! **Z** Is there a writer who is at least internet famous who got their start with the SCP foundation? **G** How influenced is it by pop culture? **T** Are they supposed to be creepy? **EFG Nick** Time travel creepypasta. ## Where can you find us online? We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media: - If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time! - For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast) - To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast) - For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast) - We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating! - if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) - You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff. - Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that! ## What is "Fanthropological"? How did you read this far without asking this question?! Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish. ## Who is "The Nickscast"? *We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative). *Ahem* We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more. We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.* ## Thanks Special thanks to Nick H of the Epic Film Guys for making the time to join us on this week's podcast amidst his many other podcasting engagements! ## Credits ### Sources - [Google Trends - McRib](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=hipster%20food,fad%20food,mcrib) - [Google Trends - Hipster food, fad food](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=hipster%20food,fad%20food) - [Buzzfeed - 22 Outrageously Hipster Foods That Must Be Stopped](https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/22-outrageously-hipster-foods-that-must-be-stopped?utm_term=.xgya6lzzv#.hsyw19LL8) - [Buzzfeed - 19 Ridiculous Hipster Foods That Will Either Make You Very Angry Or Very Happy](https://www.buzzfeed.com/crystalro/a-twentysomething-and-a-thirtysomething-give-hot-takes-on?utm_term=.db9ekjJJ0#.mrN6x3kkY) - [East This, Not That! - The 10 Weirdest Food Trends of the Last 10 Years](http://www.eatthis.com/weird-food-trends/) - [Dorkly - McDonalds Let the Internet Create Their Own Burgers and Guess What Happened](http://www.dorkly.com/post/79724/mcdonalds-let-the-internet-create-their-own-burgers-and-guess-what-happened) - [Entrepreneur - For McRib Fans, Search for the Sandwich Is Worth the Effort](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230063) - [McRib Locator - Home](http://mcriblocator.com/) - [CBS North Carolina - McRib Fans Rejoice — McDonalds is Bringing Back Pork Sandwich](http://wncn.com/2017/11/07/mcrib-fans-rejoice-mcdonalds-is-bringing-back-pork-sandwich/) - [Belfast Telegraph - KFC’s Double Down is arriving in the UK, and fans are very much ready for it](https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/Viral/kfcs-double-down-is-arriving-in-the-uk-and-fans-are-very-much-ready-for-it-36191001.html) - [Maclean’s - Taco Bell breaks its Cool Ranch Dorito taco promise, fans go ballistic](http://www.macleans.ca/news/taco-bell-breaks-its-cool-ranch-dorito-taco-promise-fans-go-ballistic/) - [Quora - If people love the McRib sandwich as much as McDonald's thinks they do, why isn't it a regular menu item?](https://www.quora.com/If-people-love-the-McRib-sandwich-as-much-as-McDonalds-thinks-they-do-why-isnt-it-a-regular-menu-item) - [Munchies - This Guy Has a Collection of Almost 500 McDonald's Boxes](https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/j5gb3d/this-guy-has-a-collection-of-almost-500-mcdonalds-boxes) - [Munchies - But the McRib is Delicious](https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/3djg49/but-the-mcrib-is-delicious) - [Munchies - How US Army Technology Gave Rise to the McRib](https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/zmv5nx/how-us-army-technology-gave-rise-to-the-mcrib-fastfoodweek2017) - [The Atlantic - McRib Everlasting](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/mcrib-lto-fast-food/494585/?utm_source=atlfb) - [Yahoo! Finance - Why Burger King Is Copying a McDonald’s Cult Classic](https://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/why-burger-king-copying-mcdonald-sandwich-172120222.html) - [Association for Consumer Research - Consumer Responses to Discontinuance of Favorite Products: an Exporatory Study](http://acrwebsite.org/volumes/8637/volumes/v29/NA-29) ### Music / Sound - ["Backwater Route 66"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=1061&Genre=Rock) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) - All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green! ### Artwork - ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/) - ["Fast Food Server"](https://thenounproject.com/term/fast-food-server/973877/) by [Gan Khoon Lay](https://thenounproject.com/leremy) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)