I notice that the French socialists won big in mid term elections. It must be appeasement!

Irony prevails... Actualy, the reason for their win was Chirac wanted to control healthcare costs.

Put me in the camp of pro-McDonald's. I absolutely love it, and I consider myself a foodie. It may be terrible for me, but I love it anyway.

I’m in a mean mood this morning. I wonder if the French are paying for the Mac burgers with money stolen from the United Nations Oil for Food program. Were those Macs suppose to go to Iraq? The irony is that I rarely eat at fast food restaurants. I’ve eaten perhaps one Mac in the least three years.

But the real question is, what wine goes with a 1/4 cheese?

It's not McDonalds, per se. It's burgers. There are a lot of burger places in Europe. People don't eat in them very much because the quality isn't very good or very consistent. Other places could have better quality control, but McDonald's actually does it.

Take it from someone who arrived in Europe as an exchange student who never ate at McDonald's in the U.S., who evolved towards eating there 4-5 times a week, and then came back to the U.S. and avoided McDonald's again.

Beef sucks in France. Thats why their sauces have to be so good. I can see how McDs could have the most consistant burgers around.

The European & Asian McDonald's I've been to seem to be better run than most that I've been to in New York - no surly teens with questionable hygiene giving you blank stares as they hand you the wrong order. I agree with David Tufte - no problems eating at McD's "over there", but avoid them over here.

When I was in Jordan, I found that McDonald's was kind of an expensive restaurant, as they kept close to American prices while all the Jordanian places had felafel and shwarma sandwiches for a quarter. As a result, families would eat there only a couple of times a year as a special occasion. They also delivered. And IIRC, you needed a college degree to get a job there, as fluency in English was a necessary skill since the American tourists all flocked to them.

Is McDonalds even a US based company any longer?

:P

Yes, McD's is an American company - based outside of Chicago. Other comments:

1. If you are worried about hygiene, then McDonald's is actually where you want to go. With the tight control they place over food supplies, storage, production methods, etc., they have created a system much less susceptible to contamination than most restaurants. I've worked in several restaurants and known enough waiters and cooks in my day that you should never assume that a fancy restaurant is any cleaner or safer.

This isn't to say that one should live in a bubble, or even commit the intolerable sin of ordering meat well-done, just that you are taking your chances when you do not have control over the food chain. Since only around 500 people die per year from food-borne illnesses, I definitely take my chances. Bring on the Steak Tartare and Bone Marrow!

2. As for what wines to serve with a 1/4-pounder, I suggest a nice Pinot Noir or Burgundy, something a little earthy, rather than fruity. A to Z Wines (out of Oregon) makes a nice one.

LOL!

I never expected an answer to that one.
Yeah, since I've served Burgundy at a steak-out, I suppose that'd work, at that, wouldn't it?

Just to state the obvious, but wouldn't going to a McDonald's in France be like going to a French restaurant in the US? It is an experience of a foreign culture that serves as a nice break from the everyday.

Come to think of it, I could really go for some Mexican food tonight.

“I've worked in several restaurants and known enough waiters and cooks in my day that you should never assume that a fancy restaurant is any cleaner or safer.”

Absolutely. Many years ago, I worked as a dish washer at the London Chop House in Detroit, Michigan. This restaurant is now out of business, but once served only the very wealthy. It even ranked in the top ten for the whole United States. I can well remember a worker using the squeegee regularly used on the bathroom floors---to pull down ice cubes in the ice maker! It was one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen in my life. I also saw a waiter accidentally drop a steak onto the floor. He merely picked it up and placed it back on the plate.

I hope some people could take a quick peek at the "Merde In France" blog from Aug 27 2003, where he describes the way French retirees enjoy a cup of water or coffee at a McDonald's, because it is clean, cheap, open better hours, and comfortable. The link is here.