McDonalds!

Ok so let me give you my reason first. I love to travel and I always make my boyfriend come with me. His main problem with foreign travel is that he is a man that LOVES his fast food, mainly McDonalds. He usually makes it his mission to find a McDonalds where ever we may be. Most places now have the usual McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks, but sometimes it is still interesting to taste the difference or find the McDonald in some of the smaller places. Does anyone have any fun McDonalds stories?

Macdonalds ANYWHERE in the world is to be avoided at all costs.

Macdonalds ANYWHERE in the world is to be avoided at all costs.

Couldn't agree more.........:D :D

I watched an epsode of the 2nd series of Heston Blumenthal's (he of Fat Duck in Bray, UK fame - Snail Porridge, Egg & Bacon Ice Cream, Nitro-Green Tea Mousse, etc) 'In Search of Perfection' where he was preparing the perfect Hamburger.

He went to see & taste some excellent examples in the US as well as the disgusting outputs of Macdonalds, Burger King, et all.

Looking at the care taken on ingredients and technique Heston's final delivery compared with Macdonalds was as to British Wine (as opposed to excellent English wine, before anyone starts leaping down my throat) to Chateau Petrus.

Macdonalds ANYWHERE in the world is to be avoided at all costs.

I agree, although finding one in Klagenfurt, Austria was very helpful one Sunday morning when I awoke with the world's worst hangover and couldn't find anything else that was going to open until after church. A Hamburger Royale mit Käse and a glass of rotwein helped immensely... Do you remember when they opened in Paris in the early 70's and then were renamed O'Kitsch after the franchisee got into a fight with the parent corporation? Details can be found at http://amerloqueparis.blogspot.com/2005_10_01_amerloqueparis_archive.html

Well, yes I DO have a McDonald's story!

So, my then 17 yo son and I went on a trip with his friend's family to Athens, 5-day cruise, and 3 days in Istanbul. By the time we got to Istanbul, this teenager was DYING for fast food. He said (with his dry humor), "you know, you can only take just so much fabulous food, and then you just gotta have a Mickey D's hamburger!!".

So, we somehow found a McD's about 4 blocks from our hotel. Now, he had the hotel's fabulous breakfast buffet, but still wanted his food fix.

To make a long story short:

the Coke had no ice, and they didn't have any: it was totally NOT the custom

the hamburger was labeled by my son as "mystery meat", but was probably lamb.

with the bread, lots of mustard, and the pickle, he was satisfied.

the fries were GOOD!!

Luckily, McD's uses pictures all over the world for ordering...:D

McDonalds are handy places if you need the loo and they are usually clean

I spotted a McDonald's close to the Tower of London and made sure we had lunch there since I was craving a little bit of "home" after 10 days in Paris and London. Had the fish sandwich and fries since I was hesitiant to order beef while in the UK.

I spotted a McDonald's close to the Tower of London and made sure we had lunch there since I was craving a little bit of "home" after 10 days in Paris and London. Had the fish sandwich and fries since I was hesitiant to order beef while in the UK.

Why were you hesitant to order beef in the United Kingdom?

If you're going to McDonalds, you aren't worried about eating quality food, quite clearly.

Matthew

It was right after a mad cow scare so I thought I'd be safe.

Macdonalds ANYWHERE in the world is to be avoided at all costs.

I was checking out all the threads and was amused at this one . . . while we aren't particularly fans of McDonald's food, I have a tendency to look for accommodations that are close to a McDonald's because I know that should we have any problems finding a restaurant that isn't able to cater to all my children's food allergies, I know they can have something safe at McDonald's (at least in North America).

I'm assuming that all the McDonald's worldwide would have the same standard in food prep and ingredients. I emailed the UK McDonald's and they took a long time to reply. They did recently send some standard attachments (which I have to yet to read) but did not answer my specific questions like is there likely to be cross contamination of foods e.g. Is the cooking oil used for filet of fish used for cooking french fries? Would anyone happen to know?

Also, are restaurants in the UK sensitive and accommodating to customers who have food allergies (eggs, nuts, fish, soy, etc.)?

Ok so let me give you my reason first. I love to travel and I always make my boyfriend come with me. His main problem with foreign travel is that he is a man that LOVES his fast food, mainly McDonalds. He usually makes it his mission to find a McDonalds where ever we may be. Most places now have the usual McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks, but sometimes it is still interesting to taste the difference or find the McDonald in some of the smaller places. Does anyone have any fun McDonalds stories?

Remind me again why you're travelling to Europe?

Ok so let me give you my reason first. I love to travel and I always make my boyfriend come with me. His main problem with foreign travel is that he is a man that LOVES his fast food, mainly McDonalds. He usually makes it his mission to find a McDonalds where ever we may be. Most places now have the usual McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks, but sometimes it is still interesting to taste the difference or find the McDonald in some of the smaller places. Does anyone have any fun McDonalds stories?

April,are you sure that you're with the right guy. :eek:

It was right after a mad cow scare so I thought I'd be safe.

Also,Be careful of the Mooooooooooosli at breakfast. :eek:

I was hoping this thread, like McDonald's cows, had died a long time ago.

In 1975 my late father was Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Greenwich (having been Mayor the previous year). One of his duties was to open the very first McD's in the UK in Powis Street, Woolwich. Apart from being presented with an engraved silver salver to mark the occasion, he was also offered a 'Big Mac'. He took one bite...and never touched another burger in his life. Smart man my Dad!!

Simon

I watched a show on Travel Channel this weekend about a guy who visits McDonald's. He tried to find the most unique ones and claims to have eaten in almost 12,000 McDonald's. :eek:

http://mcchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/01/most-unique-mcdonalds-in-world.html

I do frequent McDonalds, and regardless of all the comments in this thread, there are millions of people that frequent the chain, or they wouldn't stay in business.

After 3-4 weeks of orange soda with no fizz and no ice, hamburgers that had a decidedly different taste, ham sandwiches with a slather of butter, roast goat or lamb, salami and cheese up the ears, I was one happy camper to find a McDonald's in London, Athens, Zermatt, Duran and Budapest. As a matter of fact, the most beautiful McDonalds I've ever seen was in Budapest. It's a rennovated train station, with chandeliers and etchings, absolutely amazing.

McDonalds hadn't arrived in Italy yet ('98) when we were there, or I would have tried them there too. It's really nice to see those Golden Arches after so many days of travelling.

I have eaten in McDonalds all over Europe and Australia, and I have to say, if they don't all have the same standards, I'd be surprised. You would not know you were in a foreign country. Other than you have to pay for catsup in the other countries, whereas in the US it is given out free. I was told by the manager of an Australian McDonalds, that they have to order their stuff from McDonalds Corp.

They have different standards. For instance in Spain, people wouldn´t accept fries cooked with anything but olive oil. Salads have Spanish tastes, dressings and mixtures. Some products are not in all markets, and meat simply taste different.

Quite similar, but different.

Ok so let me give you my reason first. I love to travel and I always make my boyfriend come with me. His main problem with foreign travel is that he is a man that LOVES his fast food, mainly McDonalds. He usually makes it his mission to find a McDonalds where ever we may be. Most places now have the usual McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, and Starbucks, but sometimes it is still interesting to taste the difference or find the McDonald in some of the smaller places. Does anyone have any fun McDonalds stories?

Mock if you must, but there are times when the golden arches are a welcome site, especially when you arrive late at night in a small French town and there's nothing else open for supper. I personally enjoyed my 'Trio Maconnais' - burger, fries, and a small bottle of red wine!

I have to walk by a Macdonalds that is inside our local shopping mall (as part of my job). Because the Macdonald's entrances are open to the rest of the mall all day, the smell of the place pervades the rest of the precinct. To my senses it smells of wind (what American's call gas?).

You would not know you were in a foreign country.

Just like the tour of Thailand that I was once booked on, rather against my will, from Hong Kong. One of the "features" of this tour was that all the food would be Chinese.

I mean, what is the point? Why bother leaving home?

Which seems to be the point of eating in McDonalds outside the US.

 

Just like the tour of Thailand that I was once booked on, rather against my will, from Hong Kong. One of the "features" of this tour was that all the food would be Chinese.

 

I mean, what is the point? Why bother leaving home?

I don't travel to eat at fancy restaurants, or pay more to sit down and eat in a restaurant. I eat plenty of the local food, when you are in a country for 3-4 weeks, you have to, but I am an AMERICAN and I do hunger for some good old American food now and again. I've had my share of many of the local dishes, and wouldn't touch them again, while some are good, not all appeal to my pallate. I travel to see the different sights of the World. If all I wanted was food, I can get good Chinese food, good Greek food, good French food, good Italian food right here in the USA. I certainly don't have to pay $5000 for a trip to eat locally.

You can rely on McDonalds to give you a burger and fries at a reasonable price at almost any hour of the day. I found having to wait until 7:00 for a restaurant to open not conducive to my eating habits. I don't eat dinner past 6:00, so traveling in Europe for food would never work for me. I like to see the sights, but I could care less about fancy food. I've even gone to grocery stores in Italy and Greece and bought groceries for a day or two. I'm not a gourmet. Slap two pieces of bread together with some salami and I'm good to go.

I eat plenty of the local food, when you are in a country for 3-4 weeks, you have to, but I am an AMERICAN and I do hunger for some good old American food now and again.

...

You can rely on McDonalds to give you a burger and fries at a reasonable price at almost any hour of the day. I found having to wait until 7:00 for a restaurant to open not conducive to my eating habits. I don't eat dinner past 6:00, so traveling in Europe for food would never work for me.

Even if you do want a burger and fries, there are plenty of places - including chains - which will serve you infinitely better examples than McDonalds. One London chain to look out for is the Gourmet Burger Kitchen, for example.

But, as said before, to each their own. If your tastes and preferences are so set in stone that you can't even being yourself to make a very modest adjustment to your dining times, then perhaps McDonalds is the right choice for you.

But personally I regard McDonalds much as Twickenham perhaps does: I eat there if the only other choice is to go hungry. (And so it is at least one step ahead of "corn dogs", in relation to which my choice would be to stay hungry.)

It's amazing isn't it.with all the rubbish food served up in the US,you would think that most people would be slim. ;)