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Ray Kroc opened up his first McDonalds in my town, Des Plaines, Il. The original building is still there, as a walk/drive by musuem.
When I was a kid, I would run over there and buy myself a burger and fries, cooked by Ray himself. To me, the fries taste much different, although I still like them, when they are hot and crispy, I detest soggy fries.
I have been vegetarian for years, but well remember the "All American Meal" we would get at McDonald's as kids back in about 1969 or 1970. It was a burger, shake and fries, and the burger was browned with crispy edges, and not a pale grey party like it is now. The fries had such a good flavor, and just the right ratio of crisp and soft. I don't remember stacks of pre-made burgers under heat lamps back then either.
When I was a kid in the late 60s and early 70s I loved going to McDonald's and I loved the taste of the hamburgers there.
I still love hamburgers, but now McDonald's is usually my last choice for hamburgers because their hamburgers just don't taste as good as when I was a kid. I have tried to figure out why this is.
Could it be:
1. As I have grown older, my taste buds have changed and what appealed to me when I was 10 is different than what appeals to me now. or
2. Mc'Ds burgers aren't a new experience like they were when I was a kid so the excitement and anticipation isn't there anymore. or
3. Maybe McDonald's cooks their hamburgers differently than they did 40 years ago, using different ingredients or frying them a different way that has ruined the taste of them.
Or maybe it's all 3? I still like hamburgers so why don't I care for McDonald's anymore?
I'm in my early 40's...... Going to McD's was a big deal for us when we were kids, maybe a 2 or 3 times a year treat so I can't really tell if the food is different (I don't really eat it now either) but I suspect it's you rather than the food .....
My Southern husband often talked about MoonPies from his childhood (mostly Mardi gras memories). then one year, my in-laws sent some - we unwrapped the little cakes and took one bite each before declaring them HORRIBLE and "sawdusty".
This is a great topic! I have a fast food review show on YouTube (GrubGripe.com) and I was speculating about the same thing! I was wondering if a McDonald's Hamburger today tastes the same as one from the original McDonald's in San Bernardino, CA. I've been really curious about this.
I'm in my early 40's...... Going to McD's was a big deal for us when we were kids, maybe a 2 or 3 times a year treat so I can't really tell if the food is different (I don't really eat it now either) but I suspect it's you rather than the food .....
Late 40's here and was going to say the same thing. We went so seldom then (and it was a drive across town!) that I don't have a clear recollection of how it tasted compared to today.....
Excellent topic. I too feel the hamburgers at McD's has taken a dive. They were delicious in the 60s. My taste buds may have changed a bit, but I think the way they make the hamburgers has drastically taken the flavor out of them. Pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard can't hide this fact. I rarely eat them now, and when I do, I never order more than one (w/o onions).
I don't detect any changes. Placebo effects don't mess with my mind or taste buds. Many different new products yes. No big mac when I was a kid. Nothing but 15¢ cheese burgers and 10¢ hamburgers. I remember eating 5 of those 10¢ hamburgers and was a happy camper. Of course had fries and a milk shake and stayed skinny too.
Not only were the original fries cooked in fat a lot better, but so was the coke with real cane sugar. The burgers taste similar but not quite the same due to the onions, which appear to be dehydrated ones that have been re-hydrated rather than fresh. The only thing that tastes the same is the
filet-o-fish.
When I worked at McDonald's in the mid-late 1980's, they used rehydrated onions on the small burgers, but fresh onions on the Quarter Pounders.
Excellent topic. I too feel the hamburgers at McD's has taken a dive. They were delicious in the 60s. My taste buds may have changed a bit, but I think the way they make the hamburgers has drastically taken the flavor out of them. Pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard can't hide this fact. I rarely eat them now, and when I do, I never order more than one (w/o onions).
They've been bullied by government into using "healthier" ingredients which don't taste as good.
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Of course had fries and a milk shake and stayed skinny too. 
