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I don’t eat at McDonald’s and in general only eat fast food a few times a year. It’s just not how I eat — the food is terrible and will shorten your lifespan, and I don’t have that kind of death wish.
I’ve pretty much got the girls in agreement with me about McCrap and they won’t eat there either. Think I’m kidding? A year or two ago, we were driving back from another part of the state and needed to stop to fill our bellies. The route we were on was so rural that wasn’t much along the way… except for a McDonald’s about 30 minutes from our house, so I offered to stop for milkshakes and burgers. The girls looked at me with abject horror and said that they could wait for food and drinks until we got home.
That said, Pete sent me a link to an article about McDonald’s around the world and variations on the menus and now I’m want to try some of them, if only to satisfy my curiosity.
- Japan – Deep fried pie filled with mashed potatooes, bacon, and cheese. I know, this is a heart attack waiting to happen, but I really just want a bite. Or two. Or maybe half of one.
- Russia – Brie nuggets. That’s right, deep fried brie. You know you want a bite.
- Australia and New Zealand – One kiddie meal option is “pasta zoo” — animal-shaped ravioli stuffed with cheese and vegetables.
- Canada — McLobster Roll, which is exactly what it sounds like: a lobstah roll. Need I say more?
- Canada, again – Poutine. Hell to the Y-E-S.
- France – Fried cheese nuggets. Definitely.
Clearly, it’s time for me to dust off my passport.
What do you think? Is there something on that list that you’d be willing to try? And do you eat at McDonald’s or do you avoid it?
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Every now and again I will get a small order of fries–I love all fries and McDonald’s especially. I live in the land of In-and-Out burger though and that’s a “junk food” treat worth having and it’s actually real food. My kids, like yours, won’t eat McDonald’s at all.
The foods themselves don’t sound that bad, but when I think about them being at McDonalds, I immediately associate them with a sort of greasy, salty taste that just isn’t that good.
I’m not sure my kids have even heard of McDonalds!!
I confess a weakness for the breakfast McMuffins. But for burgers, I’m with Jenn – In ‘n’ Out!
fried cheese nuggets are a staple here in Dairyland, but I’ve never seen them on a McDonald’s menu! The Japan dish sounds like our Pasty–a famous miner lunch item.
I would kill for an In ‘n’ Out here in the vast emptiness.
Yes, we eat McD’s now and then. I try to balance that with eating good whole foods the rest of the time. I grew up eating there every so often and figure it didn’t kill me (yet). Plus my kids are still in the “toytoytoy!” phase and those toys are great for sending to school/daycare when the kids just HAVE to take something. Who cares if someone swipes them/they’re broken (besides said kid). I would totally try any one of those you mention above. Hubby and I ate at a McD’s in A’osta, Italy. It was literally the only place open and we figured we had to do it once, right? It was much better than ours. They make you pay for ketchup (I don’t care, not liking that red sauce. But my husband uses about a quart for an order of fries. He was not happy).
I used to eat at McD’s every once in a while (I worked at one in high school). But we have two much better fast food options here: at one the food is much better, and the other it’s both better and healthier. The healthier one gets my business quite often, since they have truly wonderful salads.
I’d love to try a bite of that pie, but I’m not sure I’d want brie deep-fried.
Like most people, we eat the fast food every now and again. Mickey D’s is not either my nor my husband’s first choice in fast food if we’re going to go down that road, but we do occasionally go there. (Confession: you are more likely to find us going to our local McD’s during Monopoly time. We are weak-willed game-lovers.) I would try ANY of the items you’ve listed with the exception of the McLobster thingy…because try as I might, I cannot abide fish or seafood. Ick.
I admit it. On occassion I’ve given into temptation and I also still have my cheeseburger wrapper from 1990 when I stood in line to eat at the McDonalds in Moscow.
New Hampshire and Maine had lobster rolls when I was there a couple of years ago.
Oh man, I’d give my left arm for an In ‘n’ Out protein style, animal style cheeseburger right now.
I can’t think of the last time I ate at McD’s. My MIL comes out soon and her biggest complaint about visiting with us is that she doesn’t get her daily McD’s cheeseburger & fries for lunch. OH THE HORROR!
I like them when we’re on a road trip. I like the unsweetened iced tea, and the bathrooms are usually clean.
McDonald’s in Maine do lobster rolls, too. All over the US, you’ll find regional variations to the McMenu. And while I wouldn’t eat there all the time, I do enjoy a McDonald’s meal once in a while, and my kid’s all-time favorite treat is a Happy Meal. She eats the apples and leaves the mini-fires, which is fine, because then Mommy gets to eat the mini fries.
In the interest of full disclosure, McDonald’s is one of my clients and I’ve done quite a bit of market research for them over the years. So I have a bit of a soft spot for the Golden Arches that I don’t have for say, Burger King or Wendy’s. I don’t eat fast food all that often, but I do enjoy my McD’s once in a while.
We do still eat at McD’s. They are the closest fast food to us, and sometimes we just crave a double cheeseburger. It’s usually a last resort.
We don’t eat there often but occasionally it happens. I used to love their breakfasts but since I had my gallbladder out I can’t eat their breakfast without throwing up. Yay fat!
I have always said that I want to try a McDonald’s at every country I visit. McDonalds in England is gross. Grosser than America. I didn’t make it to one in France or Guatemala (though my host dad in Guatemala did because he was brave.) Now I have an excuse to go back!
I confess to purchasing a package of fries on my way out of town last Friday. It was the first McD’s fries I’d had in years… and finger-lickin’ good. Normally, though, I try to avoid them.
But now I want to drive north and have some Poutine…
In Norway they have a salmon sandwich called a McLachs.
Ooops, they had a salmon sandwich called McLachs in the ’90s. It looks like they don’t anymore.
http://www.mcdonalds.no/no/menu/mat_og_drikke/kylling.html
I have not been to McDonalds in about 16 years. When I did fast food it tended to be Carls Junior but not in a few years now.
If I were to try one of those options it would be the lobster roll. Don’t enjoy the deep fried.
Yeah, I read Fast Food Nation! I won’t eat that stuff. Well…almost never. ;D
I do stop at McDonald’s now and then because I am dreadfully undisciplined about taking meals from home, I am on campus and obligated elsewhere from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. some days, and McD’s is the only acceptable fast food option in that neighborhood. My favorite sandwich is the fish sandwich, which, surprisingly, isn’t a horrible choice. Also, their coffee drinks are goooooood. Absolute calorie bombs but the coffee/espresso/whatever has a strong, rich flavor without the bitterness I associate with Starbuck’s. Yum.
Brie nuggets? Da, comrade, da!!
We recently discussed McDonald’s international menu variances in one of my classes. I had no idea that they tailor their menus to local palates as much as they do. If they don’t sell a Big Mac in Macao what makes it McDonald’s?