Sichuan chili adds "spice of life" to regional cuisines

Speakers: Li Ningjing and Sam Duckett

Many people, waiting in line, want to try the Szechuan Sauce.[Photo: from xinhua]

Recently, thousands of people showed up at select McDonald's stores in the U.S. to purchase the limited-time Szechuan sauce, a long-discontinued condiment for Chicken McNuggets created in 1998 to coincide with The Walt Disney Company's animated feature film "Mulan."

The sauce was popularized by the Cartoon Network's "Rick and Morty." The limited-time offering caused riots on streets prompting police to intervene, as most fans were left empty-handed. The promotion also caused an online backlash with angry posts flooding social media.

On eBay, new, unopened packets of the sauce were auctioned for nearly US$ 1,000. Upset fans of "Rick and Morty" have demanded McDonald's to reintroduce Szechuan sauce to the menu, and McDonald's listened.

In a statement released recently, McDonald's said: "Szechuan sauce is coming back once again this winter. And instead of being one-day-only and limited to select restaurants, we're bringing more, a lot more, so that any fan who's willing to do whatever it takes for Szechuan sauce will only have to ask for it at a nearby McDonald's."

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.