McD’s, McDoof, McDo . . . part II

Apparently, I am not the only one who has strong feelings about McDoof, as I have previously affectionately called it in the vernacular, the German Vernacular, that is. For those who missed my previous very enlightening comments, McDoof is roughly “McStupid” in German.

Since writing my last post, G added his comments about how people in sunny Spain view McD’s. He remarks that “McD's is first and foremost seen as an affront to their strong and rich culinary heritage. The fact that it hails from the Great Satan doesn't help it much either, though. The general perception, then, is quite negative, but this doesn't stop McD's from doing business here. The pull on children is too strong for a lot of parents to fight, and I think many young Spanish couples are more than happy to have a dining experience while their children swing around on -- well, things that are meant to be swung around on, rather than chairs, legs (table and human), ceiling fans, etc. That said, my wife, now 35, grew up not being allowed to go to McDonald's; she was to stay clear away, as if they were pool halls on the wrong side of the tracks.”

I truly hope that G. has rectified the lapses in his poor wife’s upbringing.

A, from I’m not sure where, also wanted us to know that she had a scintillating essay submitted in response to an assignment which required the student to “write about a product and the way it shapes the minds of people.” Here’s what she reported to all of us: “The student's answer was that the cheeseburger, defined by Wikipedia as a hamburger that contains cheese, is so popular because it is affordable, has many variations, and tastes great."

A, if you are reading this post, I want you to know that when it is time to go around the table tomorrow at our Thanksgiving celebration, that I, for one, plan to thank this student and subsequently you for reporting his findings as to what a cheeseburger is. Wiki does it again! I really never could have figured that out. Personally, I hate cheeseburgers. Having lived in Holland, chief exporting country of excellent cheese, I believe that what I know to be cheese tastes very different from the yellow goup on a cheeseburger (which I now know absolutely and definitively to be cheese, thanks to your student). I believe the cheese on cheeseburgers is remarkably akin to plastic, adds extra fat to an already calorie-laden burger, and looks nasty.

I would love to add a fourth reason, if convention allows, which is that my three preschool and elementary school children's thrill of anticipation quickly turned to tears the first time their grandmother gave them a "cheese treat" on a visit to America. The "cheese" turned out to be the aforementioned product instead of good ole Gouda. They falsely assumed they had to eat it, since Mama's rule, passed down from grandmother, was applicable 99% of the time: "You don't have to like it, you just have to eat it." This turned out to be the 1% exception that proved the rule. After that, I reminded them before every subsequent visit to relatives that "cheese" in America was not what was commonly known as "cheese" in Holland.

Meanwhile, I don’t remember how I got to this link, but for what it is worth, this website reveals such startling information about world-wide cultural adaptation of McDonalds, such as the "Bulgoki burger" in Korea, McSpaghetti in the Philippines, and the McChutney burger in Pakistan.

http://wwff.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/royale-with-cheese/

In response to my comments about the McChutney burger, E. reported that her personal favorites are the “McArabia from Dubai and the McTurco from Istanbul. Out of sheer morbid curiosity, my intrepid husband tried both, and both turned out to be the exact same McUnitentifiable-"lamb"-patty on stale pita. Haute cuisine, indeed."

E reports further that she “is not partial to Americheese, either, but readily admits it's better than the Indonesian interpretation of cheese.” She’s also “disappointed that her computer's spell-check does not recognize "’Americheese,’ as an actual word." E, this is an issue I plan to take up with the student whose essay on computers being so much better than dogs certainly qualifies him to explain. Personally, my dog recognizes Americheese as an edible substance, even if I do not. I’ll let you know what the expert student says when he responds.

After all this hard work, I'm thirsty. Wonder if I can find one of those green tea flurries somewhere?