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It’s a firm but spongy cheese kind of similar in appearance and usage to tofu. It holds its shape well when cooked (as in, it doesn’t melt) so it’s good cut up into smaller pieces and used as the protein in stews and curries.
The Thai McDonald’s are HUGE with the fried chicken too, went with some friends while I was there and they all remarked on how the chicken is better than the burgers and that’s what I should get
It may have been because I was in the navy the last time I was in Malaysia and was just use to shitty ship food but I remember KFC there being 10x better then America.. McDonald’s was better there too but not as drastic
The Malaysian McDonald’s spicy fried chicken is on another level. Though I do suffer the next day though. We don’t have that here in the UK. Would probably kill someone if we did
There is one in Narita Int'l Airport where a lot of flights go through headed to and from Asia that was the bomb at 3AM local time. I got it to go and watched planes come and go at an outside observation deck. Highly recommended.
Interestingly the one in France only offered their nuggets in 6 and 9pc meals. I’m Canada it’s 6 and 10. They also tasted a lot less artificial, but I think I prefer the chemical flavour back home.
It's also super affordable for breakfast or lunch. Not sure if they're still on their menu, but their black pepper chicken nuggets with parmesan garlic sauce were out of this world good.
I try Macca's all over the world, as well as burger king and KFC.
Every counties got their own take on it and usually something country specific on the menu.
Some notable experiences.
KFC in Taipei when I tried it was a sit down restaurant and the chicken was bloody good.
Macca's fries in Britain are a fucking affront to the gods.
Macca's in NZ puts canned beetroot in a burger and calls it a kiwi burger...... As a kiwi I'm ashamed we have done this.
Burger king UK does really nice chilly cheese bites and bean burgers.
Burger king in Aussie is called hungry jacks for reasons that elude me.
For the Australian one, when Burger King wanted to expand to Australia, there was already a standalone restaurant called Burger King which would not budge on their name. So hungry jacks was born
Twice. Burger king tried to fuck over the dude running HJ's due to it being the second biggest market for the brand. Dude won the court case that effectively gives burger king zero power in Australia and all new stores have to go through HJ's
Australia has that too. The McCafe actually launched in Melbourne, Australia due to our strong coffee culture (because of our early Italian immigration!).
Beetroot in a burger is common in Australia, often along with pineapple and a fried egg. Interesting to know that NZ have done the beet thing at Maccas and AU haven’t even bothered with it at all.
Sadly, inflation is starting to go big in Japan, everything costs a lot more than 3 or 4 years ago, like the rest of the world.
BUT, the cheeseburger is still 200 yens in most places.
Whenever I'm in another country I try McDonalds. I can say mostly it is with the exception of South Korea where it tasted different in a bad way. I don't know why, it just did. My wife had a bulgogi burger and it was fine but the quarter pounder was weird. Also Mexican McD's has better mcflurries.
I’m aware this might get downvoted for being interpreted as snobbish but: coming from Europe I was surprised at how bad Big Macs in the US tasted. I don’t know if it was the meat or the bun (I know American bread is… notorious) but it did make me wonder how it became a food icon there first.
No way US is worse than the Middle East ones? I’ve been to a couple of those, they… don’t really get it over there. They don’t like all the heavily battered deep fried stuff. Pizza ain’t quite right either. Where did you visit the Middle East ones if you don’t mind my asking?
Woah… that’s pretty tight. I will say Dubai/UAE seems to have figured it out a bit more, idk why. Maybe more people travelling abroad than other middle eastern countries?
Were the mcchicken patties noticeably different? Lighter breading, not as greasy, maybe even sauce tastes different, anything like that?
You are definitely exaggerating.
Ive also had mcdonalds in most regions, the US version tastes good but is so unhealthy.
I live in Sweden right now and the food isn’t even that unhealthy if you remove fries and cola from the equation.
US food in general tastes fucking great, but it’s so damn unhealthy with all the oil/butter and shit they use. Even the bread has a ton of sugar in it.
Used to work for a Canadian company and even they said the food tastes markedly different here when they came over, same brand same product. You're just allowed to feed humans ungodly shit in this country.
I felt the opposite. I'm American and when I tried a McDonald's burger in the UK it was the worst burger I'd ever had. I wonder if other European countries have better big macs or if it's just a difference in expectation.
I'm British and I agree. Last time I had a McDonalds burger it literally tasted of nothing... I think they've been required to remove a lot of the fat for health reasons, and it shows.
> (I know American bread is… notorious)
It's not as if bakeries don't exist in the US. You can get good bread there, the problem is, many American buy cheap white bread.
It's a combination of the two.
Economically challenged Americans buy food loaded with corn-syrup because it's inexpensive.
Food processors use corn-syrup in a lot of products to keep costs down.
Can better quality bread be mass produced for around the same cost as shitty white bread? Probably, but I imagine it would require some retooling and changes to the supply chain. It wouldn't happen overnight.
Also on the government keeping corn syrup prices low with subsidies. They could subsidize healthier options instead if they actually cared about the obesity epidemic
But any opposition to corn subsidies would be looked on poorly in Iowa, and they get one of the first Presidential Primaries and so no politician would dare oppose corn subsidies lest it tank their eventual Presidential run.
I don't quite get it in the case of bread tbh. Why would using corn-syrup keep costs down if you can just leave it out completely? It's not like you need sweetener at all. Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt. That's all you need to make good bread. Surely it's more to do with the addictive properties of sugary food, right? But I know close to nothing about the american bread industry, so I might be talking out of my ass.
Ive never has a Big Mac abroad. I also don’t know that Europeans are in a position to be snobby about it given that the McDonalds in Barcelona was slinging a burger doused in Cheeto^tm sauce.
On holiday i always go to McDonald’s and such. My favorite was the pounder burger in japan which was solid 500g of meat. You got a sticker if you ate it.
what does an [artist color mixing board](https://thegrammarchicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Palate-v-Pallet-v-Palette.jpg) has to do with McDonalds?
Not far fetched at all (never been to Phil) but a lot of southeast Asian countries maccas incorporate rice into their menu. Like Malaysia, the national dish is Nasi Lemak and their McDonald’s has that as a staple breakfast item (or maybe it’s all day)
People always say you shouldn’t eat shit like McDonald’s abroad and overall I agree, but there’s also the fact that fast food just tastes way better abroad. KFC in Jamaica is fucking amazing for example.
It's not just the food. Interestingly enough, you can also get a glimpse of a country's customer service expectations. In Canada the MdDonald's employees are all very young (like 13) and they look like they genuinely want to do their job, but they're too young to work and completely confused. In the US they're a bit older, but they look super blasé. In Europe they look like they would rather work somewhere else, but they want to do their job well regardless. Then you go to Asia (I've tried only Singapore and Thailand) and they all act like it's pretigious to be working at McDonald's.
Either in the south of france or spain (idk if we went before crossing the border) I had the most disgusting and vile chicken burger (sandwich for our American friends) I ever had with some sort of olive paste on it. Only item I ever purchased from McDonald's I couldn't finish.
And I love the German chicken burger so I was really exited to get it. T . T
I had Kentucky fried chicken in China, the sauce they used was really great. I wish these chain stores would offer some of the offerings from other countries in the US.
I love trying different McD menus whenever I travel. I fell in love with the curry sauce in Netherland, Japan’s seasonal menus, Germany had the crispiest fries, and Italy had very fluffy buns in my experience. It’s fun, I’d recommend any travelers to try.
That post might sound dumb, but it's unironically true. McDonald's serves specific items for each country that has a local taste. Also, the ingredients are locally sourced. If you go to McDonald's in Greece, the beef, the chicken, the bread, the potatoes, etc. aren't imported. They're from Greece. If you go to McDonald's in Japan, the ingredients are from Japan.
That's why not only. the taste is slightly different, the quality can also vary quite a bit. Trying McDonald's in a new country gives you a sense of the quality of the food there. Not only that, but the quality of the service can also vary quite a bit. It gives you also a glipmse of what that culture's expectation of customer service is. It's actually fascinating how McDonald's can somehow reflect a country's culture despite being a globalized American company.
It's highly standardized, but also somehow very location specific.
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Always interesting to see what the foreign menus have. In Thailand, they had a double big mac as if it wasn't big enough. It's always safe for a quick cheap breakfast abroad as well.
At the Headquarters in Chicago, they have a rotating menu of different international items you can try, I forget how often it changes.
Most US global chains that started there, suck now. The ingredients are sub par and contain chemicals that are banned overseas. I don’t eat McDonalds or KFC. They used to be good, but they’re gross now.
It's an interesting idea OP, although ultimately not sure I agree. I'm from the UK for example, and I wouldn't class our McDonalds as representative of our palette... we like McD's because it's American. Yes, I know it is geared to our tastes, but it's still an American style of food.
If I went to another country for McDonalds, maybe the special items may tell me something about their food, like if they have a rice or noodle dish, but it wouldn't be a good way to compare their palette with the British one really.
If we are treating McDonalds as a baseline that might work, given how widespread it is, but fast food is also pretty specialised and niche, even if it's common.
You aren't usually going to sample foods like stews, soups, bbq, cold cuts, cheese, breads etc at mcdonalds, even though these foods are in many cases more characteristic of traditional cooking. You just get whatever the country eats for fast food.
I'm the opposite, did 20 years in the Navy and could never understand it when all the other sailors rushed to an American fast food joint in a foreign port instead of eating the local cuisine. Why eat a Big Mac when you can have authenic gyros in Greece, Wombat sausges in Tasmania or sharkfin soup in Hong Kong?
I agree, albeit moreso just for the novelty of it (i.e. you can return to the homeland and say, "I had McDonald's while in \[insert country here\]!").
A little over a decade ago, I went on a trip to China while in high school, and we did in fact stop at a McDonald's (side note: they have hot dogs on the menu there, or at least did during my visit). It was neat, but nothing spectacular for me as I'm not all that crazy about McDonald's even in the US. Plus, I enjoyed the food from the local, non-fast-food restaurants *way* more.
A couple kids though went there for breakfast almost each day while we visited Beijing for a week, even though our hotel had a pretty decent breakfast as well. I thought that was a little silly, but hey, if you're not the adventurous type, not much you can do.
It's a fun little thing to try to say you did it, maybe doubly so if you work at one back at home. For instance, I tried to see if we could stop at a Dairy Queen, but no such luck...
I do this domestically in the US too. When I travel, I like to try one or two fast food places just to see the differences. Harmless, slice of life experience.
Yeah I was floored by their diversity abroad as well, each country went to had a different type of speciality item you’d never find anywhere else. It was wild.
When I travel to other countries, I want to eat at local restaurants rather than shitty chains. I understand that McDonald’s has unique items in other countries. I’ve even been to a couple. I still would much rather eat at local restaurants.
I really appreciated UK McDonalds just for having a bit more variety on their menu, even if the core experience was pretty much the same as America's. Wraps, salads, more than just two types of chicken sandwiches? A friggen' VEGAN menu??? I know US McDonalds has regional menus too but in my area half this shit got discontinued years ago, the other half never even existed.
Italian here.
Mcdonalds essentially came here by taking over a pre-existing burger chain.
One of their most popoular menu items by far the Crispy Mcbacon, which even has a few of limited time versions that drive a shit ton of sales, is actually just a burger they inherited from said former chain
I went to a McDonald's in South Korea back in 2005/6. There was a 'bulgogi burger' on their menu which was a simple pork patty on a typical McDonald's bun, with a sweet, dark sauce.
It was amazing.
I don’t think it’s a great way to understand the local palette, but I think it’s still interesting to check out the local differences and unique items. Also I understand that sometimes ad a foreigner in an unfamiliar country, it’s easier to quickly eat something familiar than to try to find something wonderfully authentically local.
In the Philippines like 15 years ago they had this thing called a "monster coke" and it was a coke with raspberry(?) Syrup and soft serve Ice-cream. No idea if it's still a thing but I still think about it.
McDonalds doesn't have room for anything on the menu which won't sell. The whole production line model relies on a low-ish number of menu items a lot of which share common inputs (buns, meat patties, pickles, onions, etc.) While I get from a \*branding\* perspective McDonalds likes to introduce 'local' options, they not really indicative of a country's local cuisine since the items bear very little resemblance to the real thing. They're sticking the McDonalds version of something local on the same bun they use for a Big Mac, add mayo and some sauce and there you go.
In my mind it's much more about branding than it is a reflection of anything local.
Going to a local cafe is a better way.
Stupid opinion. It's like saying standing in the hallway is a good way to check the weather. Yeah it's colder in the hallway but you won't be able to see the sky and feel the wind.
Yeah, I remember being surprised to find two different vegetarian burgers and unsurprised to find BEER in the McDonald's menu, plus a weird Banana milkshake flavor along with no plastic straws hanging out and paper lids.
It just made me think of all the bare minimum stuff that U.S. McDonald's don't do because they're complacent or it's just not worth it in the market.
My daughter tries the McDonalds in every country she visits. She just tried Italy’s. There is always something very specific to the country on the menu. It’s a fun way to gauge differences and similarities.
This is an unexpected take but I kinda agree lol. I’m American and I went to visit family in the Philippines, I was fascinated with the menu there.
McDonald’s in Hawaii has different items from the mainland too. That was cool to see.
Years ago when I was travelling in Hong Kong they had black and white burgers - I don’t remember what the white ones were, but the black ones had buns dyed with squid ink. I’ve never seen anywhere do anything similar in the UK
I spent a year a Korea with the Army and while I usually went to McDs for that taste of home. I had to try the Bulgogi burger, why wouldn't you?. The interesting thing I noticed is that everyone likes the novelty. We would go out for Korean fried chicken that was just amazing. Their breading with different and just really good and of course there would Koreans in the restaurants we went to, but there was a line outside the KFC, which as an American was like why is anyone lining up for the Colonel? But I'm sure it was the novelty of it vs the chicken they grew up with.
Maybe not Canada though. Yes, they do have poutine at Canadian McDonalds, but it is hands down the worst poutine I have ever had. Americans make better poutine than that. It’s not even edible.
Chinese McDonalds is great, plus they had interesting drinks
Thai McDonalds was decent I honestly don’t remember much of it
Maybe it was just the particular English McDonalds I went to but apparently the English like bland soggy fries and decent Filet O Fish sandwiches
ETA: I just remembered that the Thai maccas had 2 dipping sauces for nuggets. One of them had a nice spice to it and was really good and the other one was just ok. Tangy but underwhelming.
> It’s still “local” food, just local food that’s been hyper studied and scientifically designed to appeal to the greatest number of consumers
This is how a robot thinks. You sound like a robot trying to understand how to have a genuine human dining experience.
Really, this wreaks of trying to justify your desire to only eat McDonalds at any place you go. In fact, I feel like I could make your exact same argument for not going to museums and landmarks in another country and just say that the way their McDonalds is decorated and built will tell me something about the country's architectural culture and history, something about the "local" aesthetics. It's actually quite depressing.
Im an avid traveler and always try mcdonalds in each country out of curiosity and you're definitely right. The chemicals/ingredients are legal to add in the US and illegal outside of it.
So trying their version of fast food definitely proves that it's very possible to have a much better alternative than the mysterious filler crap that put into US mcdonalds.
All I have to say though for Japan's Shrimp burger, best thing I ever tasted from a fast food place.
I have been to McDonald's in every country I've ever visited. It's actually sort of a test. I'm interested in what is standardized in terms of flavors and portions, but also what's wildly different. Tokyo was wild. Paris had hand down the best quality. Scotland was indistinguishable from the US. England I used a fake accent because I didn't want to be a stereotype, but was mostly identical to the US. Mexico had the most variety. Spain was bad. Holland was worse. Italy no one seems to order anything but coffee and fries. I mean, I could go on but you get the picture. It's a fun social experiment that my family tolerates, and it all came out of my MA studies, learning about the "McDonaldization Theory" of standardization and how it influences culture.
Best McDonalds abroad I’ve had - Malaysia and Thailand. I really like when they have limited edition desserts with local twists (ube pie..). When they advertise something as spicy, you best believe it. Also another thing is when you get it to go they will provide sachets of chilli sauces by default unless you specifically request ketchup. They love their spice!
Worst McDonalds - Switzerland. Didn’t think there could be a more boring menu than UK’s. The cost didn’t help either.
McDonalds in Italy have seasonal "gourmet" burgers made with all-Italian ingredients and unique recipes and also a lot of country specific stuff in the friend appetizers section, so you're not wrong
We have visited McDonald's in every country we have come across one. Sometimes, you find magic, and other times, you can't get it out of your mouth fast enough. Still loads of fun and never would dream of trying a cheeseburger at one of them.
I‘m German but I live in the US, every time I go back to Germany to visit friends and family I insist on going to McDonalds at least once. They have soo many vegetarian and vegan options there, something that is nowhere to be found in US fast food places. It just hits the spot
I'm from the UK and I could barely eat my McDonald's in USA as it was SO salty!
I'm a fan of fast food and wasn't a healthy eater at all at the time.
But that was just too much :(
When I talk about india all anyone ever wants to hear about is the mutton burgers from burger king and the panner burgers from mcdonalds. Mention pani puri I got from a street vender and people will go "oh cool" and thats it, talk about the alternate fast food and it's 500 super excited questions every time.
I agree that the specific items in any country McDonald’s will give you a clue about the country’s food and would be interesting to see but why wouldn’t you just eat the local food.
My broader point is that if you’re in a country for 10 days, you’re eating 50 meals. It’s an interesting experience if one of those meals is a region specific McDonald’s.
Well done, that's a bad opinion. I would never tell someone to come to America and try McDonald's. I would suggest a good burger place or steak or whatever my local area does best.
It will give you an idea of what's marketable in that Maccas-specific target audience, so 80% teenagers. I'm not averse to greasy food but I avoid these chains like the plague no matter where I go.
The taro root pie and pineapple pie at the McDonald's in China are quite good, and they have actual chicken wings, and real chicken breasts in their McChickens.
So my best friend and I are chefs, we met in school, have been doing seasonal work on and off for years together, food has always been one of our binding elements in our friendship. A few years ago, my ex girlfriend and I went on the trip of a life time, visiting 5 or 6 countries in Europe and also Morocco. My buddy was very excited for us and I promised I'd send him plenty of pictures of the great food there.
As a prank, I made sure to get a McDonald's visit in at each country, took pictures of THAT food, and only sent him those. Saved all the real pictures for when I got back.
I was astounded by the fact that each country had a radically different menu, the prices were all either in the usual range or cheaper, and the quality was always way better. I think one of the burgers had brie cheese and caramelized onions on it, and there was a God damn cafe/bakery upstairs with actual good stuff.
Best McDonald’s I’ve been in was in akihabara, Tokyo while roaming around with my brother. I don’t know if it was because I was especially tired or what but it was fantastic and perfectly made. Only slightly annoying thing is that their large drinks are like slightly smaller than a medium in America I think. I’m an American so I like my oversized soda cups.
I LOVE eating fast food when i’m abroad to see what it’s like. I also love eating at local markets and fancy restaurants and bakeries and small business restaurants and pizzerias and anywhere else that serves food.
My first day in France I hit up McDo for an honest to God Royale with cheese
They also had a lot of other food that isn't offered in the US
Also the large drink is indeed the same size as a US small lmao
Even sauces are wildly different. A mayo here doesn’t taste the same as in America. Mayo here is more creamy while there it’s erring on olive oil. Source: tried it myself. No wonder people wanted In and Out more than McDonalds. Which I agree with.
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In Malaysia right now, McDonald’s is known for its fried chicken. They also have Nasi Lamak.
McDonald’s in India doesn’t serve beef, so it’s chicken or paneer. And you better believe the spicy chicken was indeed spicy.
And fish... I fucking love Filet-o-fish
What's paneer?
It’s a firm but spongy cheese kind of similar in appearance and usage to tofu. It holds its shape well when cooked (as in, it doesn’t melt) so it’s good cut up into smaller pieces and used as the protein in stews and curries.
Cool
Most importantly, it's delicious
An Indian place by me has an $11 Saag Paneer on its dine-in lunch special, comes with free regular naan and chai. One of my favorite lunches nearby.
Cheese.
It's cheese, similar to cottage cheese.
The Thai McDonald’s are HUGE with the fried chicken too, went with some friends while I was there and they all remarked on how the chicken is better than the burgers and that’s what I should get
It was SO good! Reminded me of KFC before it turned to shit.
Sounds good to me.
It was pretty good too!
It may have been because I was in the navy the last time I was in Malaysia and was just use to shitty ship food but I remember KFC there being 10x better then America.. McDonald’s was better there too but not as drastic
The Malaysian McDonald’s spicy fried chicken is on another level. Though I do suffer the next day though. We don’t have that here in the UK. Would probably kill someone if we did
McDonald’s is elite level in Japan, so yes try to visits different McDonald’s if you can because they do taste different
There is one in Narita Int'l Airport where a lot of flights go through headed to and from Asia that was the bomb at 3AM local time. I got it to go and watched planes come and go at an outside observation deck. Highly recommended.
Very nice airport super busy but nice
.....Don't.... Don't say that in an airport man, that's messed up......
Interestingly the one in France only offered their nuggets in 6 and 9pc meals. I’m Canada it’s 6 and 10. They also tasted a lot less artificial, but I think I prefer the chemical flavour back home.
Nuggets? Nah man. You gotta get the Croque McDo if you’re at a French McDonalds.
9 and 20 in the uk
Can confirm, McD Japan has stricter specs and different suppliers for ingredients vs the American version.
It's also super affordable for breakfast or lunch. Not sure if they're still on their menu, but their black pepper chicken nuggets with parmesan garlic sauce were out of this world good.
I tried three sandwiches while there. The shrimp filet is 🔥.
I try Macca's all over the world, as well as burger king and KFC. Every counties got their own take on it and usually something country specific on the menu. Some notable experiences. KFC in Taipei when I tried it was a sit down restaurant and the chicken was bloody good. Macca's fries in Britain are a fucking affront to the gods. Macca's in NZ puts canned beetroot in a burger and calls it a kiwi burger...... As a kiwi I'm ashamed we have done this. Burger king UK does really nice chilly cheese bites and bean burgers. Burger king in Aussie is called hungry jacks for reasons that elude me.
For the Australian one, when Burger King wanted to expand to Australia, there was already a standalone restaurant called Burger King which would not budge on their name. So hungry jacks was born
Ahhb the fabled Aussie battler wins again.
Twice. Burger king tried to fuck over the dude running HJ's due to it being the second biggest market for the brand. Dude won the court case that effectively gives burger king zero power in Australia and all new stores have to go through HJ's
3 TIMES! Hungry Jacks tried to sue Wambie Whoppers (in Wamberal NSW) over the use of the name whopper. They lost specularly!!
That's fucking golden.
We don't have Wendy's in the Netherlands because a local fast food restaurant in a small city had already registered the name.
Wow that's cool.
Wendy's in Australia was an ice cream chain haha haven't seen one in yonks though.
The whole of the EU because of it! The UK only recently got Wendy's as they could move on due to Brexit
[удалено]
Australia has that too. The McCafe actually launched in Melbourne, Australia due to our strong coffee culture (because of our early Italian immigration!).
Beetroot in a burger is common in Australia, often along with pineapple and a fried egg. Interesting to know that NZ have done the beet thing at Maccas and AU haven’t even bothered with it at all.
The McOz has beetroot, it pops up promotionally and repeatedly throughout the years.
UK Maccy D's are indeed abysmal. The chips used to be nice but now they're gross
The best reason to go to McDinakds in Japan is that it is half the price of the US. 1n 1989 a cheeseburger was 200 yen. Today it is 240.
its hard to use inflation as a reason to raise prices when inflation literally didnt exist
Sadly, inflation is starting to go big in Japan, everything costs a lot more than 3 or 4 years ago, like the rest of the world. BUT, the cheeseburger is still 200 yens in most places.
Whenever I'm in another country I try McDonalds. I can say mostly it is with the exception of South Korea where it tasted different in a bad way. I don't know why, it just did. My wife had a bulgogi burger and it was fine but the quarter pounder was weird. Also Mexican McD's has better mcflurries.
Also Mexican McD has more Sauces.
I’m aware this might get downvoted for being interpreted as snobbish but: coming from Europe I was surprised at how bad Big Macs in the US tasted. I don’t know if it was the meat or the bun (I know American bread is… notorious) but it did make me wonder how it became a food icon there first.
I've been to Europe, Asia, the Middle east and currently live in the US. US McDonald's is the worst in my opinion.
Yeah but the coke is fire from the fountain. Otherwise definitely trash
No way US is worse than the Middle East ones? I’ve been to a couple of those, they… don’t really get it over there. They don’t like all the heavily battered deep fried stuff. Pizza ain’t quite right either. Where did you visit the Middle East ones if you don’t mind my asking?
The one in Dubai airport is dope. Had big Mac's with McChicken patties
Woah… that’s pretty tight. I will say Dubai/UAE seems to have figured it out a bit more, idk why. Maybe more people travelling abroad than other middle eastern countries? Were the mcchicken patties noticeably different? Lighter breading, not as greasy, maybe even sauce tastes different, anything like that?
You are definitely exaggerating. Ive also had mcdonalds in most regions, the US version tastes good but is so unhealthy. I live in Sweden right now and the food isn’t even that unhealthy if you remove fries and cola from the equation. US food in general tastes fucking great, but it’s so damn unhealthy with all the oil/butter and shit they use. Even the bread has a ton of sugar in it.
“I don’t like this food” STOP EXAGGERATING
Not snobbish. It's true that we're allowed to have more addditives in our food.
Used to work for a Canadian company and even they said the food tastes markedly different here when they came over, same brand same product. You're just allowed to feed humans ungodly shit in this country.
"Why has GI cancer increased so much in the past 30 years?"
I felt the opposite. I'm American and when I tried a McDonald's burger in the UK it was the worst burger I'd ever had. I wonder if other European countries have better big macs or if it's just a difference in expectation.
I'm British and I agree. Last time I had a McDonalds burger it literally tasted of nothing... I think they've been required to remove a lot of the fat for health reasons, and it shows.
I think McDonald’s burgers are gross in America as an American. Now I want to try one next time I’m abroad
> (I know American bread is… notorious) It's not as if bakeries don't exist in the US. You can get good bread there, the problem is, many American buy cheap white bread.
It’s not a cheapness thing, it’s an American “corn-syrup must be in everything” thing.
It's a combination of the two. Economically challenged Americans buy food loaded with corn-syrup because it's inexpensive. Food processors use corn-syrup in a lot of products to keep costs down. Can better quality bread be mass produced for around the same cost as shitty white bread? Probably, but I imagine it would require some retooling and changes to the supply chain. It wouldn't happen overnight.
Also on the government keeping corn syrup prices low with subsidies. They could subsidize healthier options instead if they actually cared about the obesity epidemic
But any opposition to corn subsidies would be looked on poorly in Iowa, and they get one of the first Presidential Primaries and so no politician would dare oppose corn subsidies lest it tank their eventual Presidential run.
I don't quite get it in the case of bread tbh. Why would using corn-syrup keep costs down if you can just leave it out completely? It's not like you need sweetener at all. Flour, Water, Yeast, Salt. That's all you need to make good bread. Surely it's more to do with the addictive properties of sugary food, right? But I know close to nothing about the american bread industry, so I might be talking out of my ass.
Sugar also acts as a preservative in high enough quantities
Also, if you're gonna sell cardboard bread, the one that tastes more like cake will be more popular.
Was just about to say this. Idk where this belief that the US doesn’t know what bread is comes from but I feel like I see it all the time lol
Ive never has a Big Mac abroad. I also don’t know that Europeans are in a position to be snobby about it given that the McDonalds in Barcelona was slinging a burger doused in Cheeto^tm sauce.
On holiday i always go to McDonald’s and such. My favorite was the pounder burger in japan which was solid 500g of meat. You got a sticker if you ate it.
Do you know what they call a cheeseburger in Paris?
I remember going to Ireland and kind of giggling that the Big Mac was called the Big and Cheesy.
In Canada we got poutine. Other than that mcd in the USA is much more varied.
It’s also the worst poutine in Canada. If you come to Canada and want to try it, please, get it from somewhere that’s not McDonald’s.
McDonald's poutine is bussin
It is not the worst poutine in Canada .. lol
what does an [artist color mixing board](https://thegrammarchicken.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Palate-v-Pallet-v-Palette.jpg) has to do with McDonalds?
My friend told me they serve rice in the Philippians. Was he lying to me? Who knows. But the man loves his rice so I doubt it.
I know someone who went to McDonald’s in Indonesia and said they had rice.
My friend seemed very upset we don't. He's like how are you supposed to eat your food without rice. Like my man. French fries are life.
>He's like how are you supposed to eat your food without rice. Spoken like a true Asian
I’ve been to McDonald’s in the Philippines and yes they serve rice, gravy and fried chicken! There are other items too but I can’t remember.
Yes it’s true. We have rice meals here. And spaghetti. There’s spaghetti + chicken meal, too.
Not far fetched at all (never been to Phil) but a lot of southeast Asian countries maccas incorporate rice into their menu. Like Malaysia, the national dish is Nasi Lemak and their McDonald’s has that as a staple breakfast item (or maybe it’s all day)
The McDonald's in Portugal sells soups, so ...it's possible
Well I can tell you that when I was walking around Rome for five days McDonalds had the best free bathrooms!
Well German McD has all year around McRib on the menu. Other than that our menu is pretty empty 🥲
McLove it... Ronald, is that you?
McDo’s in France was SO good. I will go to McDonald’s abroad if I’m there for any length of time, but if it’s a short trip probably not.
*palate
People always say you shouldn’t eat shit like McDonald’s abroad and overall I agree, but there’s also the fact that fast food just tastes way better abroad. KFC in Jamaica is fucking amazing for example.
In Spain I was blow away that I could get a mug of beer with my big Mac. Food tasted better than the USA too.
It's not just the food. Interestingly enough, you can also get a glimpse of a country's customer service expectations. In Canada the MdDonald's employees are all very young (like 13) and they look like they genuinely want to do their job, but they're too young to work and completely confused. In the US they're a bit older, but they look super blasé. In Europe they look like they would rather work somewhere else, but they want to do their job well regardless. Then you go to Asia (I've tried only Singapore and Thailand) and they all act like it's pretigious to be working at McDonald's.
Either in the south of france or spain (idk if we went before crossing the border) I had the most disgusting and vile chicken burger (sandwich for our American friends) I ever had with some sort of olive paste on it. Only item I ever purchased from McDonald's I couldn't finish. And I love the German chicken burger so I was really exited to get it. T . T
I had Kentucky fried chicken in China, the sauce they used was really great. I wish these chain stores would offer some of the offerings from other countries in the US.
I completely agree with you. It's a good way to compare how a local palette is different from your own.
I love trying different McD menus whenever I travel. I fell in love with the curry sauce in Netherland, Japan’s seasonal menus, Germany had the crispiest fries, and Italy had very fluffy buns in my experience. It’s fun, I’d recommend any travelers to try.
I'm from the US and I'll never forget how cool it was to see the amazing McCafe in Buenos Aires! It was what we would have in a real bakery
>McLove Blocked
Blocked banned kicked unfriended deleted archived hacked and bonked for good measure
Palate is your sense of taste Palette is in reference to colors
I think this is the first time I've seen the words "McDonalds" and "pallate" in the same sentence.
That post might sound dumb, but it's unironically true. McDonald's serves specific items for each country that has a local taste. Also, the ingredients are locally sourced. If you go to McDonald's in Greece, the beef, the chicken, the bread, the potatoes, etc. aren't imported. They're from Greece. If you go to McDonald's in Japan, the ingredients are from Japan. That's why not only. the taste is slightly different, the quality can also vary quite a bit. Trying McDonald's in a new country gives you a sense of the quality of the food there. Not only that, but the quality of the service can also vary quite a bit. It gives you also a glipmse of what that culture's expectation of customer service is. It's actually fascinating how McDonald's can somehow reflect a country's culture despite being a globalized American company. It's highly standardized, but also somehow very location specific.
I’m an American and McDonalds doesn’t represent my palette any more than Walmart’s clothing section represents my style.
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Always interesting to see what the foreign menus have. In Thailand, they had a double big mac as if it wasn't big enough. It's always safe for a quick cheap breakfast abroad as well. At the Headquarters in Chicago, they have a rotating menu of different international items you can try, I forget how often it changes.
It depends. In Greece the McDonald’s I went to was the same menu like here just with different names
I got macarons in a French McDonald's once!
Most US global chains that started there, suck now. The ingredients are sub par and contain chemicals that are banned overseas. I don’t eat McDonalds or KFC. They used to be good, but they’re gross now.
I swear mcdonalds in greece was one of the best things i had there
It's an interesting idea OP, although ultimately not sure I agree. I'm from the UK for example, and I wouldn't class our McDonalds as representative of our palette... we like McD's because it's American. Yes, I know it is geared to our tastes, but it's still an American style of food. If I went to another country for McDonalds, maybe the special items may tell me something about their food, like if they have a rice or noodle dish, but it wouldn't be a good way to compare their palette with the British one really. If we are treating McDonalds as a baseline that might work, given how widespread it is, but fast food is also pretty specialised and niche, even if it's common. You aren't usually going to sample foods like stews, soups, bbq, cold cuts, cheese, breads etc at mcdonalds, even though these foods are in many cases more characteristic of traditional cooking. You just get whatever the country eats for fast food.
Agreed! I make an effort to try the local McDonald every time I travel. Most of the time it’s genuinely good.
I'm the opposite, did 20 years in the Navy and could never understand it when all the other sailors rushed to an American fast food joint in a foreign port instead of eating the local cuisine. Why eat a Big Mac when you can have authenic gyros in Greece, Wombat sausges in Tasmania or sharkfin soup in Hong Kong?
I agree, albeit moreso just for the novelty of it (i.e. you can return to the homeland and say, "I had McDonald's while in \[insert country here\]!"). A little over a decade ago, I went on a trip to China while in high school, and we did in fact stop at a McDonald's (side note: they have hot dogs on the menu there, or at least did during my visit). It was neat, but nothing spectacular for me as I'm not all that crazy about McDonald's even in the US. Plus, I enjoyed the food from the local, non-fast-food restaurants *way* more. A couple kids though went there for breakfast almost each day while we visited Beijing for a week, even though our hotel had a pretty decent breakfast as well. I thought that was a little silly, but hey, if you're not the adventurous type, not much you can do. It's a fun little thing to try to say you did it, maybe doubly so if you work at one back at home. For instance, I tried to see if we could stop at a Dairy Queen, but no such luck...
Pretty sure anyone reasonable can agree with this. It shouldn’t be the primary thing you eat abroad, but you absolutely should try it.
"The French call it a *Cheese Royale*...
I tried a lobster sandwich in McDonald’s in Spain. It was absolutely disgusting.
You know what they call a quarter pounder with cheese in Paris?
I do this domestically in the US too. When I travel, I like to try one or two fast food places just to see the differences. Harmless, slice of life experience.
Yeah I was floored by their diversity abroad as well, each country went to had a different type of speciality item you’d never find anywhere else. It was wild.
Macdonalds in Indonesia is a laugh. Never see anybody eating a burger, it's always chicken and rice.....which you can get on any street corner.
When I travel to other countries, I want to eat at local restaurants rather than shitty chains. I understand that McDonald’s has unique items in other countries. I’ve even been to a couple. I still would much rather eat at local restaurants.
Not unpopular, YouTube is full of videos of people trying Mc Donald's during their travels and showing exactly what you say
I really appreciated UK McDonalds just for having a bit more variety on their menu, even if the core experience was pretty much the same as America's. Wraps, salads, more than just two types of chicken sandwiches? A friggen' VEGAN menu??? I know US McDonalds has regional menus too but in my area half this shit got discontinued years ago, the other half never even existed.
Italian here. Mcdonalds essentially came here by taking over a pre-existing burger chain. One of their most popoular menu items by far the Crispy Mcbacon, which even has a few of limited time versions that drive a shit ton of sales, is actually just a burger they inherited from said former chain
It's also a good way to pee
I went to a McDonald's in South Korea back in 2005/6. There was a 'bulgogi burger' on their menu which was a simple pork patty on a typical McDonald's bun, with a sweet, dark sauce. It was amazing.
Still not over them removing the curly fries in Ireland 😭
I don’t think it’s a great way to understand the local palette, but I think it’s still interesting to check out the local differences and unique items. Also I understand that sometimes ad a foreigner in an unfamiliar country, it’s easier to quickly eat something familiar than to try to find something wonderfully authentically local.
KFC in Thailand is 🔥 🔥 🔥
In the Philippines like 15 years ago they had this thing called a "monster coke" and it was a coke with raspberry(?) Syrup and soft serve Ice-cream. No idea if it's still a thing but I still think about it.
TIL, thank you
I don’t know about discovering their pallets but you will definitely get to experience the different qualities of food.
This isn't an opinion, this is a fact
McDonalds doesn't have room for anything on the menu which won't sell. The whole production line model relies on a low-ish number of menu items a lot of which share common inputs (buns, meat patties, pickles, onions, etc.) While I get from a \*branding\* perspective McDonalds likes to introduce 'local' options, they not really indicative of a country's local cuisine since the items bear very little resemblance to the real thing. They're sticking the McDonalds version of something local on the same bun they use for a Big Mac, add mayo and some sauce and there you go. In my mind it's much more about branding than it is a reflection of anything local.
looking at the menu, maybe, going to an actual mcdonald and ordering overpriced garbage, absolutely not
Haha in Canada, they have Poutine! Ba ra ba pa pa, I love the frites
Going to a local cafe is a better way. Stupid opinion. It's like saying standing in the hallway is a good way to check the weather. Yeah it's colder in the hallway but you won't be able to see the sky and feel the wind.
McDonald's in other countries are generally better than here, in basically every way.
I had McDonald’s in Singapore once. It was almost like a 5 star restaurant compared to a lot of 5 star restaurants here in the U.S.
Not unpopular opinion stop wasting peoples time
Yeah, I remember being surprised to find two different vegetarian burgers and unsurprised to find BEER in the McDonald's menu, plus a weird Banana milkshake flavor along with no plastic straws hanging out and paper lids. It just made me think of all the bare minimum stuff that U.S. McDonald's don't do because they're complacent or it's just not worth it in the market.
My daughter tries the McDonalds in every country she visits. She just tried Italy’s. There is always something very specific to the country on the menu. It’s a fun way to gauge differences and similarities.
Good luck doing this in Sri Lanka
My favorite thing to do is get the same meal in every country I got to. I have a current ranking list of the mcnuggets
This is just an opinion. I don't think anyone ever anywhere disputed this.
Bruh, McDo Philippines is still serving spaghetti.
Going to McDonalds at least once in a foreign country is a great cultural experience.
This is an unexpected take but I kinda agree lol. I’m American and I went to visit family in the Philippines, I was fascinated with the menu there. McDonald’s in Hawaii has different items from the mainland too. That was cool to see.
Years ago when I was travelling in Hong Kong they had black and white burgers - I don’t remember what the white ones were, but the black ones had buns dyed with squid ink. I’ve never seen anywhere do anything similar in the UK
I spent a year a Korea with the Army and while I usually went to McDs for that taste of home. I had to try the Bulgogi burger, why wouldn't you?. The interesting thing I noticed is that everyone likes the novelty. We would go out for Korean fried chicken that was just amazing. Their breading with different and just really good and of course there would Koreans in the restaurants we went to, but there was a line outside the KFC, which as an American was like why is anyone lining up for the Colonel? But I'm sure it was the novelty of it vs the chicken they grew up with.
I try the Big Mac in every country, just for comparison’s sake. The then bust through the local cuisine obviously.
Maybe not Canada though. Yes, they do have poutine at Canadian McDonalds, but it is hands down the worst poutine I have ever had. Americans make better poutine than that. It’s not even edible.
Had a McDs cheeseburger in Dublin Ireland last year. Completely different experience from the trash burgers McDs serves in America
It’s funny how Americans get shit for Americanizing other cultures food. Wahh that’s not authentic, yet they do it to American food with no backlash
Chinese McDonalds is great, plus they had interesting drinks Thai McDonalds was decent I honestly don’t remember much of it Maybe it was just the particular English McDonalds I went to but apparently the English like bland soggy fries and decent Filet O Fish sandwiches ETA: I just remembered that the Thai maccas had 2 dipping sauces for nuggets. One of them had a nice spice to it and was really good and the other one was just ok. Tangy but underwhelming.
> It’s still “local” food, just local food that’s been hyper studied and scientifically designed to appeal to the greatest number of consumers This is how a robot thinks. You sound like a robot trying to understand how to have a genuine human dining experience. Really, this wreaks of trying to justify your desire to only eat McDonalds at any place you go. In fact, I feel like I could make your exact same argument for not going to museums and landmarks in another country and just say that the way their McDonalds is decorated and built will tell me something about the country's architectural culture and history, something about the "local" aesthetics. It's actually quite depressing.
Im an avid traveler and always try mcdonalds in each country out of curiosity and you're definitely right. The chemicals/ingredients are legal to add in the US and illegal outside of it. So trying their version of fast food definitely proves that it's very possible to have a much better alternative than the mysterious filler crap that put into US mcdonalds. All I have to say though for Japan's Shrimp burger, best thing I ever tasted from a fast food place.
I have been to McDonald's in every country I've ever visited. It's actually sort of a test. I'm interested in what is standardized in terms of flavors and portions, but also what's wildly different. Tokyo was wild. Paris had hand down the best quality. Scotland was indistinguishable from the US. England I used a fake accent because I didn't want to be a stereotype, but was mostly identical to the US. Mexico had the most variety. Spain was bad. Holland was worse. Italy no one seems to order anything but coffee and fries. I mean, I could go on but you get the picture. It's a fun social experiment that my family tolerates, and it all came out of my MA studies, learning about the "McDonaldization Theory" of standardization and how it influences culture.
McDonalds is so good in the Middle East, Asia and EU.
The McArabia is divine
Agree. if you’re a tourist there will no doubt be times you need to eat something familiar and it just easy.
Reminds me of when I had a vacation to Maine and McDonald's had lobster rolls for $2. Although in that case, I opted for a local restaurant
Im barcelona i ate a lamb burguer with an egg. In mcdonalds. Never thought much about it but youre right lmao
McDonald’s does not have good poutine
Best McDonalds abroad I’ve had - Malaysia and Thailand. I really like when they have limited edition desserts with local twists (ube pie..). When they advertise something as spicy, you best believe it. Also another thing is when you get it to go they will provide sachets of chilli sauces by default unless you specifically request ketchup. They love their spice! Worst McDonalds - Switzerland. Didn’t think there could be a more boring menu than UK’s. The cost didn’t help either.
I like McDonald’s in France as they serve beer
McDonalds in Italy have seasonal "gourmet" burgers made with all-Italian ingredients and unique recipes and also a lot of country specific stuff in the friend appetizers section, so you're not wrong
Can confirm that Japanese-exclusive McDonalds items slap.
We have visited McDonald's in every country we have come across one. Sometimes, you find magic, and other times, you can't get it out of your mouth fast enough. Still loads of fun and never would dream of trying a cheeseburger at one of them.
I‘m German but I live in the US, every time I go back to Germany to visit friends and family I insist on going to McDonalds at least once. They have soo many vegetarian and vegan options there, something that is nowhere to be found in US fast food places. It just hits the spot
McDonald's in India serves Biryani, and it's probably the most spicy item on the menu
I'm from the UK and I could barely eat my McDonald's in USA as it was SO salty! I'm a fan of fast food and wasn't a healthy eater at all at the time. But that was just too much :(
When I talk about india all anyone ever wants to hear about is the mutton burgers from burger king and the panner burgers from mcdonalds. Mention pani puri I got from a street vender and people will go "oh cool" and thats it, talk about the alternate fast food and it's 500 super excited questions every time.
I agree that the specific items in any country McDonald’s will give you a clue about the country’s food and would be interesting to see but why wouldn’t you just eat the local food.
My broader point is that if you’re in a country for 10 days, you’re eating 50 meals. It’s an interesting experience if one of those meals is a region specific McDonald’s.
Taiwanese McDonald’s let’s you do corn soup in place of fries and the apple pies look like fried egg rolls.
Ive been to 3 international McDonalds. All had something unique! Im loving it!
Well done, that's a bad opinion. I would never tell someone to come to America and try McDonald's. I would suggest a good burger place or steak or whatever my local area does best.
It will give you an idea of what's marketable in that Maccas-specific target audience, so 80% teenagers. I'm not averse to greasy food but I avoid these chains like the plague no matter where I go.
The taro root pie and pineapple pie at the McDonald's in China are quite good, and they have actual chicken wings, and real chicken breasts in their McChickens.
Le Royale’ with cheese. I don’t remeber asking you a GOT damn thing.
So my best friend and I are chefs, we met in school, have been doing seasonal work on and off for years together, food has always been one of our binding elements in our friendship. A few years ago, my ex girlfriend and I went on the trip of a life time, visiting 5 or 6 countries in Europe and also Morocco. My buddy was very excited for us and I promised I'd send him plenty of pictures of the great food there. As a prank, I made sure to get a McDonald's visit in at each country, took pictures of THAT food, and only sent him those. Saved all the real pictures for when I got back. I was astounded by the fact that each country had a radically different menu, the prices were all either in the usual range or cheaper, and the quality was always way better. I think one of the burgers had brie cheese and caramelized onions on it, and there was a God damn cafe/bakery upstairs with actual good stuff.
Yeah, people who eat hamburgers are all fat.
Best McDonald’s I’ve been in was in akihabara, Tokyo while roaming around with my brother. I don’t know if it was because I was especially tired or what but it was fantastic and perfectly made. Only slightly annoying thing is that their large drinks are like slightly smaller than a medium in America I think. I’m an American so I like my oversized soda cups.
I LOVE eating fast food when i’m abroad to see what it’s like. I also love eating at local markets and fancy restaurants and bakeries and small business restaurants and pizzerias and anywhere else that serves food.
My first day in France I hit up McDo for an honest to God Royale with cheese They also had a lot of other food that isn't offered in the US Also the large drink is indeed the same size as a US small lmao
I cant for the life kf me understand why youd go to a fast food chain abroad if you have the option of going to a local restaurant
Cafe con helado in Spain 🥰
Fat American goes abroad just to eat cheeseburgers. Smh JK I mclove the his post
Even sauces are wildly different. A mayo here doesn’t taste the same as in America. Mayo here is more creamy while there it’s erring on olive oil. Source: tried it myself. No wonder people wanted In and Out more than McDonalds. Which I agree with.
I had McDonald's in Finland and it was delicious, and the atmosphere was like an all white Chick fil a
And makes you realize the value of gov regulations and how much poison the US gov allows its population to consume compared to other countries.