IN defense of McDonalds (boy am I gonna get it this time!)

[Taverner]

Sure McDonalds does some nasty stuff in terms of lobbying. I'm not talking about that.

I'm just talking about the food, and the commercials about said food.

If you notice, unlike KFC and Taco Bell, they never present their food as meals. It's always seen as a 'treat.' Kid wins the big little league game, so they take him out to McD's. Band is rehearsing, they get it right and so they enjoy a Big Mac.

They sell their food as what it is - a nice little snack treat that if eaten intermittently, is fun, cheap and harmless.

I loved Super Size Me, but honestly - the head of PR for McD's saw the movie and said they thought what he was doing was crazy. He said something to the effect of "If I ate our food every day, I'd get sick too."

McDonalds is not selling addictive drugs, nor are they really selling meal-worthy food. It was never meant to be.

They do, however, have the only playgrounds in some very low income neighborhoods.

They also sell their food at a price that almost anyone can afford their food.

Granted, its not the healthiest stuff, but its not like they are selling poison either.

Most of what's in McDonalds food is sugar, starch and oil. Not much nutrition, but there's not much nutrition in an ice cream cone either.

Anyway, rant over.

[PVnRT]

1. IBTFW

[Shakespeare]

2. And their new southern-style chicken biscuit is GOOD.

I hate myself for saying that, but it is.

[TommyO]

17. I didn't care for it the first time I ate one

Should I give it another try?

[emilyg]

50. Yes it is.

Now I'm hungry.

[JVS]

3. "You deserve a break today"

[Mesteryo]

4. the taste..

McDonald's doesn't taste as good as it once did. But I agree, I'm not one of these people that needs to know the politics of a restaurant. Call me crazy.

[mainegreen]

5. I like their apple pies.

If I'm on the highway in the morning on a long business trip, I might just pull over and get one or two.

[Shakespeare]

7. And if you have one of their pies with a vanilla shake, it tastes like pie and ice cream.

Yummy shtuff.

[tigereye]

6. they're America's bathroom! You can always find them out in the wilds....

well, that's what my brother calls em.

[JVS]

14. I think I visited the restroom of every McDonald's between Cincinnati and Indianapolis on one trip.

[TommyO]

18. I visited every restroom between Vernon, CT and Easton, PA

because of McDonalds on one trip.

[tigereye]

48. I'm not going to ask...

:rofl:

[Swede]

8. I think all foods are okay if you use common sense.

Count the calories,nitrates,sodium etc. A big mac a day is ridiculous,however.

[FranMonet]

9. first job at Mc Donalds

I beleive the joker got his first job at McDonalds.

[Sequoia]

58. I like that poster!

Funny clowns are over rated.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. Three words: "Super Size Me."

Changes your whole opinion of McDonald's. It changed mine, anyway...

:toast:

[Taverner]

11. It didn't change mine

Yes, 10 out of 10 McDonalds execs will agree - don't live off of Big Macs!

They are treats!

It's like trying to live off of Baskin Robbins.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

13. And in all fairness, I WILL 'fess up to THIS thread, which I posted yesterday...

...oh, the irony:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=8081066&mesg_id=8081066

:rofl:

:toast:

[Initech]

15. Craziest part of the movie is on the DVD.

In the "bonus features" section, there's a scene where they take fries from 10 different fast food restaurants, put them in mason jars, and let them sit for several weeks. After about 5 weeks, the fries from all the other fast food restaurants started growing mold, like they should have. The McDonalds fries... stayed exactly the same. After 15 weeks, they were pretty much experimental at that point. McDonalds fries... stayed exactly the same. After 20 weeks, everything was thrown out.

I have not eaten McDonalds "fries" since I saw that, and that was almost 4 years ago. :puke:

[Amerigo Vespucci]

16. Makes me think of Clark Grisworld's "food varnish" invention...

...in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

I try not to think about the half-life of my food.

:rofl:

:toast:

[Phoonzang]

12. Exactly, McD's is not meant to replace a balanced meal.

It's no different than getting a pizza and eating that for dinner. A treat.

I'm sure this is heresy here, but Supersize Me was a moronic, dishonest movie. What the fuck do you think is going to happen if you eat 3 meals a day at McDonalds? Especially when you intentionally pick the most ridiculously unhealthy items off their menu. Hello...moderation?

[Sheets of Easter]

19. I enjoyed it's indictment of the modern American diet, though.

There are people (on some occasions, myself included) who wind up eating three fast food meals in one day. Our society moves so fast these days that sitting down to breakfast, lunch or dinner is a chore. That is a major contributing factor to obesity in this country- convenience.

Also, if people are going to eat at McDonald's, they have a right to know the nutritional content of their food, something that Mickey D's and their child companies were notorious for concealing.

Still, McDonald's is what it is- a quick meal or treat for those times when you just feel like having a quick bite out. It's not supposed to be a substitute for a square meal.

[Sebastian Doyle]

51. As opposed to the "healthy" items off their menu?

What's healthy at McDonalds? :shrug:

(I'm no hypocrite. I'll eat the occasional Quarter Pounder meal, or try one of their "limited time only" promotions if they sound at all good, but I never mistake it for healthy.)

[flvegan]

20. So the term "Happy Meal" was a mistake, then?

They also advertise their menus as "a great breakfast".

They also sell their food packaged to resemble a meal. Main course (burger, etc), side/vegetable (fries), drink with the option of an apple pie (dessert).

I do like the point you made about the playgrounds. Though I see it as a marketing tool to get more kids to want to go there, it is (I'd imagine) a nice treat every now and then for a busy mom to take her couple kids where they can get some food she doesn't have to cook and she can relax with some fries and a book while they play in a safe environment.

[Critters2]

21. I used to live about 3 miles north of the egg factory that (proudly) produces eggs for all McDonald'

west of the Mississippi. It's your average, horrible factory farm. The workers--most of them undocumented--are underpaid and worked long hours in horrendous conditions. The The stink from the manure lagoons makes life nearly unlivable for anyone near by. So far, none of those lagoons has leaked into the ground water nor the nearby Boone River, but give it time. They all do sooner or later. And the lives of the chickens--all 12 million of 'em--are full of suffering one can barely imagine.

This is how McDonald's sells "their food at a price almost anyone can afford". There are expenses to food production that can't be counted in money spent at the counter.

[Taverner]

24. Thing is most of the eggs you get at the grocery store are from similar circumstances

Unless you get Cage Free or an ethical egg producer.

It's the Meat Eater's Burden....

[Critters2]

25. Yep. So I don't buy eggs from grocery stores.

Or eat meat.

[flvegan]

26. Plant killer.

[Critters2]

28. I know. Poor plants.

[Tektonik]

53. I confess

I kill fungi as well. :o

[Ava]

22. fast food in general is awful for people

i don't understand why mcdonalds is seen as the only bad apple out of the bunch... all of it sucks and is unhealthy as hell. i don't eat fast food from anywhere anymore other than an occasional salad or baked potato from wendy's or a sub from subway.

[Taverner]

23. For me, sugar and grease taste good when mixed in the right format

But yes, it is awful for people

[bullwinkle428]

27. Hmm...that's a bit of a sweeping generalization. I like to eat

at one particular restaurant regularly that most would classify as "fast food", being that you place the order at the counter, and watch it get "assembled" in front of you.

www.pancheros.com

They press the tortillas to order, grill the meats right there in front of you, and IMO the ingredients are always fresh - nothing sits around, preserved by mega-amounts of chemicals. I'll admit to not over-indulging as well - once every week or two is my typical frequency...

[Celeborn Skywalker]

29. I agree with you.

It seems like most people by now should know that it's they serve very high fat, high sugar food and that it's meant to be eaten in moderation, not on a daily basis!

[Sequoia]

30. Bass Player: Eggamuffin....Mr. Rogers: Eye like the way you say that.

Anyone remember that from 1977's National Lampoon's, "That's Not Funny, That's Sick" album?

[Gormy Cuss]

57. You had me at "eggamuffin"

At one point I think my friends had the whole damn album memorized.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

31. Cardboard and paste ain't my idea of a "treat".

I haven't eaten at Mickey D's since it was only hundreds of thousands sold, not braillions and brazillions. I have no regrets.

[wickerwoman]

32. McDonalds pushed really hard to get into public schools.

Their approach was obviously to hook young kids and replace school lunchs (which suck, yes, but are at least held to some kind of standard of nutritional balance.)

They also sued a British journalist for saying that their food should not be eaten every day and they sued an Italian food critic for saying their food tastes like crap.

Watch the special features on the Supersize Me DVD. It goes into a lot more detail about McDonalds bid for world fast food supremacy.

[Left Is Write]

33. I'll have to disagree with you that they don't market their items as meals.

With terms like Happy Meal and Value Meal, it's pretty clear that they do.

[hippywife]

34. Apparently,

you haven't read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. I dare you to read it and come back with the same conclusion. :hi:

[SocratesInSpirit]

35. Oh, that was a good book...

I read it in college, and haven't eaten at McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, et al since (I do occasionally eat at Subway, though, mea culpa!). Food quality aside, my main objection to these places is the shabby way they treat their workers, and the horrid conditions in the factories (for both the animals and employees) that supply the meat.

[hippywife]

37. Ever since we read it

we eat only meat from our local food coop...no grocery stores or restaurants, fast food or otherwise. Good think I can cook. LOL

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[SocratesInSpirit]

41. A very wise idea, especially with meat quality control issues nationwide...

We try to buy local/organic wherever possible. My husband is an excellent cook, and we eat in about 95% of the time (makes for a lot of dishes for me to wash, LOL). We also patronize our local farmer's market during the summer - there's this one booth that has the most delicious organic spring mix for salads. And buying local meant we didn't have to stop eating tomatoes during the salmonella scare. I loves me my tomatoes!

Thanks for the welcome! Haven't heard that in awhile (I lurk more often than I post). ;-) :hi:

[hippywife]

43. Boy, do I hear you on the dishes! LOL

But at least I can control what goes on our table and I can eat good, clean, nutritious food with a clear conscience. I can't support any of the practices that makes all that meat possible.

NPR has been running stories on the meat packers and the hiring and treatment of immigrant workers lately. I keep wanting to write in and tell them that this is not news to anyone who pays attention. But I guess it's just like the political landscape...littered with folks who don't pay attention. Unfortunately in this area, people pay with for it with illness, and sometimes their lives.

[SocratesInSpirit]

45. Hopefully the more people realize, the more will demand

better meat. It's like every generation needs a new "Jungle" to reinvigorate them. As a young child, I remember hearing a story about a little boy around my age who died of e coli after eating a McDonald's hamburger, and it wasn't until college until I had the courage to try one again. And then of course I read Fast Food Nation, so that was a short-lived reunion!

Did you see the movie they made a little while ago, based on Fast Food Nation? They took the premise of the book and used it to spin a fictional story about several people connected to the fast food industry - a fast food exec, Mexican sisters who came to this country illegally and got jobs in a meatpacking plant, a teenage restaurant employee, a group of activists concerned about the mistreatment of animals, etc. I was especially appalled at the treatment of the factory workers - I was literally weeping at the end, along with one of the characters as she contemplated her dismal fate. :-(

[Taverner]

36. Oh I did

And I still eat fast food

Because that book just reconfirmed that there is nothing nutritious about it

I feel great that chemists in Jersey are trying to make rotten offal taste like grilled sirloin :thumbsup:

[hippywife]

39. The book also confirmed

that eating the meat that comes from the major meatpackers, less than a handful of which control the lion's share of all meat consumed in this country, is like playing Russian roulette. So what if your burger is cooked well done, it still contains well done fecal matter. Ditto on that chicken sandwich. :puke:

I will admit that I do like the taste but if you think about it, Michael Pollan has a point. When you get done eating it, you have to admit that nothing about it tasted like hamburger. It's a cheap nasty condiment delivery system. It's that HFCS laden combo of condiments that make it taste so good you crave it.

[Taverner]

40. Ahhh but only if you eat it regularly

I eat fast food maybe once every season. I don't consider Subway Fast food btw (and FF Nation did distinguish the difference between Subway and the others in terms of health. However Subway literally abuses their franchisees.)

[hippywife]

42. That's true

about the franchisee abuse by Subway. But since most of the meat, in whatever form it comes in, is the product of poor sanitation, poor labor and safety policies, and poor working environments, I won't eat it period. I don't know how anyone with a conscience can after reading that. It's your choice but it really is a matter of choosing to support the abuse or not, letting your money say it's okay by you. :shrug:

[Midlodemocrat]

38. Best and cheapest Fast Food unsweet tea out there. $1,00 for the car cup.

[Monk06]

44. When they start doing poutine you'll know they're trying to kill you.

[ironflange]

46. They have an Angus burger here

A really mice patty with lettuce. tomato, red onion, pickles, and some sort of mustard mayo. Cheese and bacon if you want (of course I want). By far the best thing they've ever served, it's really delicious. I'm carefully rationing them so I don't get tired of them.

when I was in Alaska this summer I saw something called a "Denali Mac." This was in Kodiak, at lunchtime, but I just wasn't hungry enough to order it. It's a Big Mac made with Quarter Pounder patties instead of those sad little things they normally use. I'd like to try one; maybe the local Golden Arches Supper Club would make me one.

[Danger Mouse]

47. OMG BAD PROGRESSIVE FUCKIN DIE IN A HAIL OF NINJA BLADE STORMS.

[elshiva]

52. BOOWAHA AHAHAH AHA!

We got you now you evil progressive. No more happy meals for you. And the clown gets it.


buffy/

[yellowdogintexas]

49. one place you know you can get a COKE and not Pepsi, no matter where you are. And good coffee

at least decent anyway with real cream not coffee bleach.

and a bathroom, of course



or the tea

[npk]

54. For some reason, I don't know what it is, but McDonald's has the best coke

In the world. It always taste like it just got piped in from the factory.

[yellowdogintexas]

56. exactly! I don't drink the stuff anymore but when I do want one, I want it from

McDonald's

Maybe they are secretly using cane sugar formula instead of HFCS ....

[Dogtown]

55. "They do, however, have the only playgrounds in some very low income neighborhoods."

But, what about the *SNAKES*?




:scared: :hide: :scared:

[kay1864]

59. Bwah!

Hadn't heard that one in a while, tanks!

[dembotoz]

60. I always liked Mickey'Ds--quarter pounder with cheese is yummy

and when traveling with the kids it is quick and cheap and consistant. And best of all it shuts them the hell up.

Just wish the new one by my house did not look like the paddlewheeler from the movie "Porkys"

[yellowcanine]

61. My wife is trying to turn me into a vegetarian but I sneak a Big Mac when I can.

I also like the McRib sandwiches but you hardly see them anymore.
And I like the vanilla shakes.

[realisticphish]

62. Believe me

i can go to Whole Foods, spend 500 bucks on organic ingredients, and whip up a filling meal that has 8 bajillion calories without batting an eye.

Why do people think that fast food places inject calories, or something. It's not being mcdonalds that makes their food unhealthy. It's that the food they serve is unhealthy, the menu choices themselves. very different.

And, side note. One of our family friends was a health inspector, and when he was on vacation, McD's was the only place he would eat. He said in all his time as an inspector, they had NEVER failed a health code violation, and every ingredient was frozen until the second it hit the grease.