If anybody wonder in the upcoming weeks why people are carrying and buying bottles of McDonald’s curry sauce, you’ll understand after reading this article.
I have to admit that I don’t like most of McDonald’s offerings, even if writing the McLaoSai/McSpicy article makes it seem otherwise. But even I have to admit that I like McDonald’s Chili Sauce and Curry Sauce.
I would even go so far as to say those are the reasons to visit McDonald’s and not anything else on the menu. Or maybe I just like sweet things and I’m inclined to like anything with sugar in it. Don’t judge.
But less of me, and more of facts.
Table of Contents
Summary of Curry Sauce Saga
The entire McDonald’s Curry Sauce tragedy that can be found from sm ong. You can also browse it on Reddit r/Singapore if that’s what you prefer. Here’s a modified summary that I also wrote for GoodyFeed:
Sometime in the 1990s, Curry Sauce was added to McDonald’s in Singapore.
Before 14 Nov 2011, it was truly a great time to be living in. People had UNLIMITED CURRY SAUCE privileges.
A week later the curry sauce was back… but tasted different.
It just wasn’t the same. People cried. People rioted. The old sauce had peanuts. The new had soybeans.
From then on, unlimited curry sauce privileges were removed from the population and we had to ration curry sauces.
Times were bad, and people had to fork out hard earned money for a meager portion. Some even begged secondary school kids for curry sauce (evidence required).
Feb 2015, the sauce once again disappeared, this time due to a congestion at the United States West Coast ports.
Curry but not really curry. Some has described it to be similar to German Curry Ketchup or Currygewürzketchup, though looking at the ingredients, it’s likely that they are similar recipes/products with rather different tastes.
Despite being called curry sauce, it doesn’t actually taste that much like curry. Nobody really knows why it’s called curry sauce. But we know its unique to the region, and maybe even Singapore.
No one knows what the nutritional value of McDonald’s Curry Sauce is, but the ingredients include some spices used in curry, like Turmeric and Chili Pepper.
So how do we eat it? Dip nuggets in it, dip fries in it, pour it on burgers. Nobody really cares, just use it as you would ketchup.
Except you guys. You guys totally deserve all the judgement. Source
14 November 2011: End of Curry Sauce
This was the day McDonald’s released the following statement:
Before the statement, people already started noticing that some stores stopped giving the sauce. After the official statement, people started the #ripcurrysauce movement on Twitter. Surprisingly, there were a lot of comments asking for Mayo on the McDonald’s Facebook announcement.
“It’s more saddening than the death of Steve Jobs.”
Notably, it reveals that the sauce is made in the US, despite the sauce being not available there.
23 November 2011: End of Old Curry Sauce
About 1 week later, the curry sauce is back.
Except… it didn’t taste the same. People commented the new one is sweeter and more diluted.
The ingredients used were clearly different; the new one used soy beans and soy butter, while the old version had peanuts, which McDonald’s claim to be for allergy sufferers.
Not only that. We were also no longer allowed unlimited curry sauce privileges. And if you wanted more, you had to pay S$0.30.
Source: McDonald’s SG
Speculation: Why McDonald’s changed the recipe
There’s 2 reasons for this, though it’s all speculation.
First thing to mention for anything corporate would be price. Just checking online I don’t think the prices differ too much. Soy might even be slightly more expensive, assuming a 1 for 1 substitute. But then again, the pre-2011 recipe had both soy sauce (made from soy beans) and peanuts, so maybe if they make soy sauce in house it’s overall cheaper.
You know how there are labels on packaged food that says “may contain traces of nuts”? As long as food is produced in the same production line, the factory needs to put that for other non-curry sauce products as well, because there is a chance for small traces of peanuts or soy. Peanuts and soy are both top 8 allergies that people have in the US. Instead of having both, why not eliminate one so more people can enjoy products produced by the factory? Again, it’s all speculation since I don’t really know what else they produce there.
I could be wrong on both, but they seem plausible to me.
If McDonald’s knew how to do anything, it was marketing and controlling supply. Nearly 3 years after the previous sold out, thirst for the sauce is once again, at its height. Bottled supplies of the sauce run low. The July 2016 stock were basically non-existent at this point, and addicts had nowhere to go to.
Except McDonald’s.
30 May 2019, the evil M are to sell 375ml bottles again, but this time for S$5.50, a S$1 increase in price. It is still limited to 4 per customer, Purchase with Purchase.
I worry of the time curry sauce goes out of my economic capacity, but for now I can only pay up and pray McDonald’s don’t decide to bankrupt me by preying on my addiction.
To McDonald’s: If the curry sauce sells out again, it’s clearly totally all me. I demand a commission.
3rd June Update: Curry Sauce Sold Out
A mere 5 days after the release, the curry sauce has sold out. And for the work I did, I have received no commission.
And perhaps worse than that, no curry sauce either.
I warned people of the fact that the evil M was trying to squeeze our money. But I was wrong.
It turned out that the real evil was among us all along.
People saw the mass of addicts and decided that time was prime for a killing. These had no desire for the golden curry sauce, but they had a had desire for another equally golden, shiny object called money.
