DAILY DIRT: Keep an eye out for some new items at your favorite fast-food stop of choice

Some of the McDonald’s items sound incredibly interesting … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,077 of The Daily Dirt

1. This fall promises to be an interesting time for your fast-food palate.

Here’s a few of the new offerings expected to arrive at some of the nation’s leading fast-food outlets:

Burger King: Earlier this year, Burger King officials launched the inaugural Million Dollar Whopper Contest, allowing customers across the nation to submit ingredients for their dream Whopper sandwich and the chance to win $1 million, plus seeing their creation sold nationwide for a limited time. The following are the three finalists:

• Fried Pickle Ranch Whopper: This Whopper features quarter-pound patty topped with pickle ranch, lettuce, fried pickles, bacon and Swiss cheese – all on a toasted sesame seed bun.
• Maple Bourbon Barbecue Whopper: This quarter-pounder will be topped with maple bourbon barbecue sauce, crispy onions and jalapeños, maple bacon seasoning, bacon and American cheese – all on a toasted sesame seed bun.
• Mexican Street Corn Whopper: This quarter-pounder will be topped with street corn spread, lettuce, tomato, seasoned tortilla crisps and Mexican spicy queso – all on the proverbila toasted sesame seed bun.

Arby’s:  A new barbecue Bacon Burger will showcase a thick beef patty, crispy onion strings, bacon, American cheese, special sauce and pickles on a toasted brioche bun.

Domino’s Pizza: Its new New York Style Pizza will be a new crust option that features hand-stretched thin crust cut into six big, foldable slices. It replaces Domino’s Brooklyn Style Pizza. Domino’s describes its New York Style Pizza as “hand-stretched to be perfectly foldable to offer a perfect balance of sauce, cheese and crust in every bite.”

Baskin-Robbins: The flavor of the month for October is Twix Caramel Crunch. Also look for Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream.

Dairy Queen: Caramel Java Chip is scheduled to be the October flavor of the month.

McDonald’s: The Golden Arches have a number of new items scheduled to be rolled out in the coming days, weeks and months: A Chicken Big Mac with tempura battered patties, the return of the McRib sandwich and McCrispy Snack Wraps and Tenders, plus McCrispy Chicken Strips (a new product that tested recently in North Carolina — these strips will be used in the new snack wraps).

In addition, McDonald’s is currently testing its new Big Arch Burger in several other countries. One of the key ingredients is a new signature Big Arch sauce that is “tangy”. The Big Arch will also include three pieces of white cheddar cheese and two quarter-pound patties, plus “fresh and crispy” onions for what should make for a massive burger.

2. Did you know (Part 141)

• That the thumb is the only finger that can touch all of the other fingers.
• That hating the sound of someone eating or breathing is called “misophonia”.
• That Canadian $1 and $2 coins are called loonies and toonies.
• That bamboo can grow up to one foot per day. It is the fastest-growing plant in the world.
• That, in many cases, hot water can turn into ice faster than cold water, and there is no specific scientific reason why.

3. The best of this week’s “Found on Facebook”:

• “I’m at the age when I need at least three weeks advance notice before doing anything spontaneous.”
• “The four seasons are all different. Summer warmer than others.”
• “No, I can’t do Snapchat or TikTok, but I can write in cursive, do math without a calculator and tell time on a clock with hands.”
• “Don’t tell me about your childhood problems. I was forced to watch Lawrence Welk as a kid.”
• “Adam and Eve: The first people to not read the Apple terms and conditions.”

Steve Thought O’ The Day — One other fast-food note: Krispy Kreme doughnuts are coming to McDonald’s nationwide by (probably) late 2025. What exactly is the delay, Ronald?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He’s on a first-name basis with every fast-food drive-thru worker in Quincy.