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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.
Very true.
If you're traveling for long enough, sometimes you just want whatever is fast, filling, and cheap! When I visit a foreign country (or U.S. location known for regional foods), I will FIRST try whatever is locally known - but after a few days, you just wanna fill up the "gas tank" and be on your way to the next site. I didn't get sick of Italian food in Italy, however, but we were only there for a few days. Maybe by day 5 or 6 I would have gone looking for something else. But dang; I think I easily gained a few pounds just in the short time I was there. Sooooo good.
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.
Agreed.
In Quebec, I would stop at McDonald's to get a Coca-Cola with ice.
In Mexico, I would frequent fast food as it would cut the time I needed for lunch by at least 60% which would reduce the length of the workday.
In high school I was a huge devotee of the movie Pulp Fiction, so naturally I wanted to order a "royale with cheese" at a Parisian McDonald's. And Vince Vega (John Travolta) was correct, they did serve beer.
Otherwise, I try to stay away from US chains while traveling overseas and "eat local" instead.
I've had Burger King in Amsterdam, but I can't recall there being anything special there. I'm interested in trying this again. I think McDonald's tends to have more special items in foreign countries than Burger King.
I was in South Africa for two weeks last Spring. The place was absolutely riddled with KFCs, a chain I cannot abide.
When I was in New Zealand for three weeks on a project, my client insisted on eating at a Korean place one night in Queenstown. I'll eat pretty much anything, but Korean to me is like what you'd find at the bottom of a tackle box. So I picked at my food and, after we parted ways one night, I walked down the street to a McDonalds.
I bit into a Big Mac and what did I find? A beet. After I fished it out, I finished my burger. Have to admit it tasted awfully good.
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.
Ideally I wouldn't approach a foreign McDonald's at all. But if I visit an American chain overseas, I order the local specialty items that aren't available in the US.
I ate at McDonald's in Paris ( I know ) we were there for a week and we needed something affordable other than bread to tide us over from late morning, until 7 pm. It interestingly enough opened at 9:30 AM, but did not serve it's breakfast items, just its normal hamburger menu. The burgers were both different, and a bit better, meatier, but without that normal McDonald's taste you get in the US. I would rate it different, and maybe slightly better, but not exactly classic McDonald's either.
I ate at McDonald's in Paris ( I know ) we were there for a week and we needed something affordable other than bread to tide us over from late morning, until 7 pm. It interestingly enough opened at 9:30 AM, but did not serve it's breakfast items, just its normal hamburger menu. The burgers were both different, and a bit better, meatier, but without that normal McDonald's taste you get in the US. I would rate it different, and maybe slightly better, but not exactly classic McDonald's either.
The bulk of beef used in McD's in Europe is local from the EC, here is the US it is primarily US sourced. Issues like hormones as well as tariffs figure into this. I think the beef sourced from Ireland is primarily grass fed, not grain, I wonder if this is common to most EU beef too. GMO grains are banned in the EU as well.
It interestingly enough opened at 9:30 AM, but did not serve it's breakfast items, just its normal hamburger menu
Opposite problem with McDonald's in many parts of Latin America. If you arrive at 11:45 am expecting to eat lunch, forget it. It's breakfast food until noon.
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