I have a small beef...actually a quarter pound one. As you know we are now living in the UK. Lots of BIG and small changes for this American girl living abroad. Some things we expected and some we didn't. I knew we would be driving on the opposite side of the road. I knew I wouldn't have my glorious discount stores like Walmart and Target. But what I didn't know was that McDonald's would be different. I googled McDonald's prior to leaving the United States just to make sure they had them over here and they do...but it isn't McDonald's like you and I know. Oh noooooooo!
It must have been about a week or maybe even two after arriving in England before I ever saw a McDonald's. By that time I was in serious need of a fix...an ice coffee fix. I had dreams of myself sitting in a corner hunched over my McCafe beverage. Like a homeless schizophrenic guarding my crack. So when we finally saw a McDonald's I gasped out loud and pointed! So shocked I couldn't even form words, I reverted back to cave man speak and just grunted uh uh uh.
Hubby being the special man he is patted me on the back and said "wait here and I'll go get you one." We were shopping in a local village with new friends and I think he was afraid I might start running for the doors like an animal so he offered to go get it. I did my best to contain my enthusiasm...the friend I was with said she wanted a Starbucks so I went along with her to get one. I know what you're thinking, why would I want McDonald's coffee if Starbucks was right there? Because McDonald's is better and cheaper. I am convinced McDonald's puts some addictive chemical in their ice coffee...perhaps the same magical dust the sprinkle on their fries too.
I casually glanced back to see where my ice coffee was and saw my husband coming back towards me EMPTY HANDED!!! OH MY GOSH! I couldn't believe they could possibly be out of ice coffee on the very day I was there needing one! He approached me slowly, and as he got closer I could see from the look on his face it wasn't just a case of an inventory snafu. That was when I learned not all McDonald's are created equal! The McDonald's in the UK do NOT have a McCafe menu and do not make ice coffee of any kind. In fact I think the entire country would be perfectly happy without iced anything. They don't even have ice tea!!! WHAT THE *&@!!
Since that dreadful day, a day I now refer to as the "Mc incident" I have learned even more about McDonald's. Their menu is very limited. I would imagine it is about as basic a menu as when McDonald's first opened in the 1940's. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, milkshakes and fries. To be honest they do carry a few more items than that like chicken nuggets and wraps but the things they do not sell far out weigh they items they do sell. Some things I have noticed not on the menu are...Ice Coffee, ice tea, Sausage biscuits, Egg Mc Muffin, McGriddle, Hot Fudge Sundae, Hash browns, Hot cakes, Breakfast burritos, and so on...things I have seen on the menu that I'd never seen on any American McDonald's meu...cheese sticks, minced pie, donuts and onion rings!
I don't even bother to eat at McDonald's here. I think their beef tastes different (and it could just be me) they don't carry the dipping sauced for the nuggets that I like and why get fries if you can have it with a good old fashion McD burger. One night while sitting and watching the family eat their burgers it hit me...McDonald's should be the same everywhere. I can understand introducing an item that would be a local favorite like rice in Japan or cheese sticks in England but other than that, the menu should be the same. I think McDonald's should adopt the slogan that no matter where you travel in the world there is always one place you can go for a taste of home...McDonald's. Whether your home be in Arkansas, California, Korea, Germany or even England...when you're tired of trying new foods on your travels and just want a bite to eat of something you know and can count on to be good come to McDonald's.
9 comments:
What a disappointment for you. I love McDonald's Sweet tea and also their bacon egg and cheese biscuits. They do have some secret ingredients as I've tried to make the same things at home and they just never taste as good. Hopefully you'll find someplace to satisfy your cravings while you are over there. Have a terrific Tuesday!
Oh my, that does sound like a disappointment for you. Hope you find a different outlet that does cater to your needs, couldn't name a brand though.
Some things never change...sounds the same as when I was in Europe over 20yrs ago...start counting the days til you come Home for a visit! hang in there...
I full on laughed out loud! The day I found out Iced Mocha came in large? OHHHMAHHHGAHHHHH. You poor girl!
(thinking on it....none of the chain restaurants in Mexico taste the same as here, either!)
AMEN Sister! Speaking as a person who just got a fresh one yesterday...I think all McDonald's all over the world should have a standardized menu. Let them add their local items but everything else should be the same. I know in Hawaii McDonald's has Spam meal on their menu.(Yuck) So I think you should start a campaign to get some of those missing items (the Mmmmmm being first) on their menu.
Bob wants to know if they guard the ketchup over there. He said when he was in Germany, he had to beg for ketchup....he thought they kept it in the back somewhere in a guarded safe.
LOL..when I was stationed in the Philippines, I came to love some of their food. When I worked in a hospitla in Boston, there were some filipina nurses that I became very friendly with. They often brought me in food but it just didn't taste the same. When hubby and I got married, and I learned that one of the nurses he works with is fromthe Philippines, I made friend with her in the hopes of having filipino food. The same thing happened. I finally decided that the cows/chicken/pigs, are fed differently . While they might be fed the same types of grain, the grain is grown in different soil, and the DNA of the animals must be different giving them different taste...
Just my thoughts on the matter..
so, I hear you on the food....
my kids don't like the Mcdonalds in England either...or the ketchup over there...
Wow that would take some getting used to not having the iced cofee or the iced tea!! And no hot fudge sundae? Those make us so happy quite often... my kids and I love those!!
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