So I order a quarter pounder BTL at McDonald's the other day.

Zombie_Babies · Jan 28, 2014

Bullgrit said:
I don't understand the hate directed at McDonald's. Granted, I rarely eat there nowadays*, but I've never had a bad meal from McDonald's. Their burgers are decent, (for what they are -- fast food), their breakfast is decent, (for fast food), I like their milkshakes, and I can even keep on a proper/good diet with their menu. McDonald's food doesn't taste like cardboard, and it's not especially bad health-wise.

* My not eating there in recent years has nothing to do with the menu/food. It's not even a conscious choice to stay away. Just that other options, (including cooking at home), have become more popular with my family.

Bullgrit

I got food poisoning from McDonald's once. It was hella bad. Other than that, they're a burger joint and, if you like burgers, odds are somewhere near you there's a burger joint that makes actual burgers. Ketchup and mustard shouldn't go on a burger. See, they're there to mask the poor flavor (or provide some depending upon what your tastebuds think) of the 'burger' you're eating. If you've never eaten at a gourmet burger place I suggest you try it. It should help understanding why some people give McDonald's and the rest the crap they do: If you're a burger joint that fails at burgering, well, you suck.

Kramodlog · Jan 28, 2014

It is horrible process food. It has to be loaded with salt and sugar to taste something, and salty and sweet aren't the most nuanced of flavors. Frozen, washed with ammonia pink slime is not my idea of quality food.

I think people think it taste good cause they haven't been exposed to quality unprocess food.

Vyvyan Basterd · Jan 28, 2014

Zombie_Babies said:
Other than that, they're a burger joint.

That's where the mistake is made. They are a fast-food joint with $1-5 burgers, not a burger joint. I agree with you regarding gourmet burger joints*, but those are typically $6-10 burgers. Very tasty burgers, but more than some are willing to spend regularly.

*I highly recommend Bulldogs in Grayslake, IL for those in the area.

Deset Gled · Jan 28, 2014

goldomark said:
I think people think it taste good cause they haven't been exposed to quality unprocess food.

It doesn't have to be a binary thing. It's possible to enjoy luxury foods but still see the value of the processed stuff. I've dined in some of the best restaurants in the world, but I still get occasional cravings for the most heavily processed meat I have ever eaten: the lovely chicken cosmo.

As for McDonalds, I try to not eat there when I don't have to, but I have nothing against them. I travel a decent amount for my job, and when I'm on the road I consider speed and simplicity of meals to be much more important than taste. McDonald's is a convenient standby for something fast and cheap that can be eaten on the go, especially when you're in an area you don't know. Nutritionally speaking, as long as you order properly it's going to be just and good/bad as most alternatives I could eat at while traveling. Plus, the coffee is cheaper than Starbucks.

Bullgrit · Jan 28, 2014

Vyvyan Basterd said:
They are a fast-food joint with $1-5 burgers, not a burger joint.

It's like hating a tabby because it's not a tiger. Or hating a Prius because it's not a Hummer.

The Big Mac is a pretty good burger/sandwich, (though I think I've only ever had two). McDonald's french fries are damn addictive, (can't eat just one). I used to eat a double cheeseburger, (with just mustard and ketchup), at least once a week -- cheap and fast, for a poor high schooler and college student.

Bullgrit

Kramodlog · Jan 28, 2014

Deset Gled said:
It doesn't have to be a binary thing. It's possible to enjoy luxury foods but still see the value of the processed stuff.

Quality doesn't mean luxury. Home made burgers is more tasty than what McDonald's offer. Process food doesn't mean quality and certainly not taste. It means salty and sweet.

Bullgrit · Jan 28, 2014

Deset Gled said:
It's possible to enjoy luxury foods but still see the value of the processed stuff.

If everything short of luxury whatever was considered bad, 90% of what most people eat, wear, drive, etc. would be crap.

My kids like Moe's, and I find it perfectly acceptable fast food. But sure, I'd rather go to a more "authentic" Mexican eatery for my Mexican cuisine. But I wouldn't ever insult Moe's burritos -- they're decent for fast food.

Bullgrit

Zombie_Babies · Jan 28, 2014

Vyvyan Basterd said:
That's where the mistake is made. They are a fast-food joint with $1-5 burgers, not a burger joint. I agree with you regarding gourmet burger joints*, but those are typically $6-10 burgers. Very tasty burgers, but more than some are willing to spend regularly.

*I highly recommend Bulldogs in Grayslake, IL for those in the area.

They principally make burgers and they principally do a bad job of it. I don't know what else to call them if they're not a burger joint. Fast food? Sure. But they're also a burger joint as evidenced by the fact that there've had 'over a billion sold'.

It is possible, after all, for McDonald's to be more than one thing. Their main product is something they do a damn poor job with. That's my point.

Bullgrit said:
It's like hating a tabby because it's not a tiger. Or hating a Prius because it's not a Hummer.

Bullgrit

No, it's not. It's not hate, either. It's simply recognizing that a business that specializes in a product doesn't make a quality product. It's more like 'hating' Yugo for making a bleeptastic car. They're a car joint that can't make a decent car.

Vyvyan Basterd · Jan 28, 2014

Zombie_Babies said:
It's simply recognizing that a business that specializes in a product doesn't make a quality product. It's more like 'hating' Yugo for making a bleeptastic car. They're a car joint that can't make a decent car.

But McDonald's doesn't specialize in making burgers. They're specialization is getting food into your hands quickly and moving the line to serve as many people as they can.

Actual restaurants that specialize in making burgers make them fresh so you have to wait. They don't rush you out the door. They cook the meat as you desire, not one-well-done-serves-all.

No one's denying that McDonald's serves lots of burgers, I just would never call it their specialty, especially as someone who worked there long enough to know what aspects of the job the company deemed most important. And that was speed above all else.

Kramodlog · Jan 28, 2014

Vyvyan Basterd said:
But McDonald's doesn't specialize in making burgers. They're specialization is getting food into your hands quickly and moving the line to serve as many people as they can.

Actual restaurants that specialize in making burgers make them fresh so you have to wait. They don't rush you out the door. They cook the meat as you desire, not one-well-done-serves-all.

No one's denying that McDonald's serves lots of burgers, I just would never call it their specialty, especially as someone who worked there long enough to know what aspects of the job the company deemed most important. And that was speed above all else.

And they use process food to do that. That helps with the low quality too.

So I order a quarter pounder BTL at McDonald's the other day.

Zombie_Babies

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Kramodlog

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Vyvyan Basterd

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Deset Gled

.

Bullgrit

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Kramodlog

Naked and living in a barrel

Bullgrit

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Zombie_Babies

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Vyvyan Basterd

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Kramodlog

Naked and living in a barrel

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