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There are a few reasons why we go to US fast food joints in other countries. Taking India as an example
1. There is only so much local food that you can take before it becomes boring and too much.
2. The McDonald's of India are nothing like ones here and the veggie options are delicious.
3. They are clean and hygienic and you don't have to worry as much about the hygiene of the cooks and other food handlers ( relative to local owned joints). They also have AC and Wi-Fi.
4. It is intermediate in price between the cheap hole in wall joints and the expensive five star hotel meals which are too rich and creamy.
6. Even though McDonald's and Pizza Hut might be expensive in Indian currency they are about the same in US$ and hence it does not bother me that I spend so much at a meal as long as I think in USA and not rupees.
I've been to about 45 different countries over the years and not once did I get bored with the local food and yearn for American fast food.
Using India or any number of non-western countries with heavily spiced/sauced cuisines with flavors sometimes challenging in their strength & unfamiliarity.... never mind their heat factor, it's probably just to take a break from this occasionally that is the main factor, cleanliness & aircon is the cherry on top. A cherry & not a durian.
The local cuisine is definitely one of the main attractions in travel for me but I've gotten past the stage of demanding of myself that I eat all local cuisine in country . Case in point was an absolutely knock-out Spaghetti Bolognese I had in an expat area in southern Thailand, the "nonna" from the old country was in the kitchen herself, I remember that meal more than any other meal that trip & coming from NYC I'm not exactly deprived of good Italian food. I ate 90% local on plastic stools on that trip, but I also visited the Japanese, Korean & a few other cuisines if recommended.
I think the occasional McD's can be forgiven if it's only occasional & not habitual.
This happens a lot with Italians. We've stumbled upon Italian joints in some relatively small cities in Asia and Latin America where you wouldn't expect to find good Italian food, but sure enough there is an Italian dude running the place often with a local wife. It's like them and Salvadorans, they have something in their genes that makes them want to open restaurants in other countries.
Using India or any number of non-western countries with heavily spiced/sauced cuisines with flavors sometimes challenging in their strength & unfamiliarity.... never mind their heat factor, it's probably just to take a break from this occasionally that is the main factor, cleanliness & aircon is the cherry on top. A cherry & not a durian.
The local cuisine is definitely one of the main attractions in travel for me but I've gotten past the stage of demanding of myself that I eat all local cuisine in country . Case in point was an absolutely knock-out Spaghetti Bolognese I had in an expat area in southern Thailand, the "nonna" from the old country was in the kitchen herself, I remember that meal more than any other meal that trip & coming from NYC I'm not exactly deprived of good Italian food. I ate 90% local on plastic stools on that trip, but I also visited the Japanese, Korean & a few other cuisines if recommended.
I think the occasional McD's can be forgiven if it's only occasional & not habitual.
lol, I had the opposite experience. After over 3 weeks in Italy, we were ready for something different and hit up a Chinese restaurant. Italian food is wonderful, but a change of pace was nice.
I do have to confess that I found it very surreal to see Chinese waiters speaking Italians, which I know is provincial of me, they lived in Italy so of course they spoke Italian! But it still seemed funny. I wish I remembered more of the menu, the only thing that stuck with me was ordering "zuppa di wonton"
What's sorta interesting is the local spin "Chinese" restaurants put on their food in different countries in order to appeal to locals. I know there is a very specific Indian-Chinese cuisine & there are a few old "Chino-Latino" places here in NYC that if I had to guess are Cuban in origin, most of the long time Latinos here locally were from the islands.
Jamaica has a significant Chinese population too. I remember in one show Bourdain visited a latin country with a very localized version of Chinese food by a family who had been in the country for several generations, perhaps it was Panama? Can't remember. And of course we all know our American version containing Gen Tsao's Chicken, Chow Mein & Chop Suey, etc...
If I visit an American chain overseas, I order the local specialty items that aren't available in the US. Traveling thousands of miles to just get a Big Mac seems like a waste.
Traveling thousands of miles to just get a Big Mac seems like a waste.
But you aren't traveling thousands of miles just to get a Big Mac. You're traveling thousands of miles to see the castle, or the cathedral, or the temple, or the local market, or hike the mountain, or visit the museum, or sit on the beach, or explore the cave, etc.
Eating a Big Mac doesn't stop you from doing any of those things.
But you aren't traveling thousands of miles just to get a Big Mac. You're traveling thousands of miles to see the castle, or the cathedral, or the temple, or the local market, or hike the mountain, or visit the museum, or sit on the beach, or explore the cave, etc.
Eating a Big Mac doesn't stop you from doing any of those things.
I don't know if I'd call it the BEST, but I did have to laugh when I encountered McDavid's in Israel. It's basically a kosher knockoff of McDonald's, and I enjoyed being able to eat without worrying about the meat they used... I'm not 100% kosher, but do try to avoid "trayf" meat sources. Now I just want to try a McCurry in India!
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