I LOVE Mickey D's. I'm not ashamed to admit it. It is tasty. Don't get me wrong, I will eat anything. And I like a top-flight restaurant as much (okay, more) than the next guy. But this doesn't diminish just how good McDonald's is.

Unfortunately, the McD's in Denmark is not really up to snuff.

As for the fattest people in the world, it ain't Americans. The fattest people on earth are Polynesians - Cook Islanders, Micronesians, etc. You know the line:

"I wouldn't go so far as to call the brother fat, I mean he got a weight problem. What's the ****** gonna do? He's Samoan"

I hate to see American fast food restaurants, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominoes and Starbucks invading Europe as they have in recent years but I must admit I love the McDo coffee.

Scatcat:

It's hard to beat the premium grilled chicken sandwiches but unfortunately they are not available in the European restaurants. Only the disgusting McChicken sandwich is available.

Larry J

I don't eat at McDonald's here in the US, so why would I want to eat at a McDonald's in Europe?

The only time I'll eat at a McD is when I'm on a road trip and that's what's available along the highways.

Well, I have to say, my daughter and I were in the Florence train station and needed to eat. We had two choices, McD's and a little enoteca-type sandwhich shop. The latter had made me terribly ill two days prior. So we went with the known item and ended up with McD's. Not ashamed of it. It was what it was.

Re service: Just today for lunch, I went to McD's. Used my Citibank MC to buy my lunch (trying to earn that next trip to Italy via A/A FF miles). But when I got the receipt from the cashier, I realized she charged me for someone else's meal, not mine. Manager apologized, ran a credit through on my card and then insisted I take my lunch for free. :) No miles, but free lunch. :)

Larry j

I have checked the menu of every McDonald's that I have been to in Europe. And you are right. None have the grilled chicken sandwich that I like. I have to wonder why they are not serving grilled chicken if they are concerned with fatty fried foods. I usually have nuggets and salad in Europe, but I also really like the Deluxe potatoes in France.

Not only would I like to echo Flanner & StCirq's remarks, but I would like to say the filthiest toilet I ever used in my life, bar none, in any location on the globe was in the McDonald's in the train station in Florence. Dear God, please let my bladder never make me that desperate again!

BC

Really Bookchick? I remember that washroom and it was amazingly clean! I was shocked (cuz I thought it would be gross too).

As for the comment that all North American's must be enormously fat....Are you referring to a specific North American, i.e., Canadian or American. There ARE two countries in North America.

I have to admit that I did eat at the McDonald's in Florence (not the train station one, the other one) and did feel guilty that I wasn't being more adventurous. However, that was the day that my BF threw me on the 6a bus from the burbs with only a map and her cell phone number in hand and was told to "explore" and have a great day! I spent the entire day wandering the center of Florence on my own and just couldn't handle the thought of having to wiggle through ordering lunch on top of the mass culture shock I was already experiencing.

Went back the following year with DH and the only thing we used the McDonald's for was to use the loo and grab a pop before heading out on our horseback riding/winery tour.

<b>camelbak</b>,

<i>There ARE two countries in North America.</i>,

it's actually three......

Yes, indeed. I'm not generally a squeamish person, worked in a hospital for about 12 years, but it was incredible and I hoped to get out of there without contracting something horrific.

BC

The most disgusting McDonald's bathroom I ever used was in Venice about 4 years ago. There were only 2 stalls used by men and women. I stood in line (oh God the smell) forever. There were no seats, but that's okay, I wouldn't have thought of sitting on them anyway. I think men do not have a very good aim if you know what I mean. There is no way women could have gotten the pee that far up a wall.

<b>scatcat</b>,

perhaps you should look into this?

http://www.send2press.com/newswire/2...1017-008.shtml

scatcat wrote: &quot;I think men do not have a very good aim if you know what I mean. There is no way women could have gotten the pee that far up a wall.&quot;

Don't attribute that to an inability to aim.

I think I might like that P-Mate.

Starbucks has reached Europe? I'm with Thin---I LOVE Starbucks.

But, I must say that I really like the little cafes in Italy. Their coffee always weans me off Starbucks so that I want to order &quot;due cappucino, per favore&quot; the first time I'm back home.

McDonald's???? Eeeewwww!

Let's put it this way...

I have rarely been to a Mickey D throughout almost all of Europe which was not packed with locals...several years ago, we were doing a tour of Krakow in Poland, at the end of the tour, we finished in the main square...the tour guide was telling of all the wonderful places to eat...they were either expensive or had disgusting food (at least to me)...sarcastically I said well where is McDonald's...she said right around the corner but you don't want to eat there...I said why not..she said how do you know what you're going to get...

So around the corner we went, and McDonald's was jammed...99% of the clientelle were locals...we had a cheeseburger royal, fries, and a diet coke and you know what.....it tasted exactly like a quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a diet coke.

On several other coach tours I've been on, the lunch stops present a problem. Much of the time, we stop at service areas on the motorways..in Italy these are called Autogrills and actually they're not bad (always have clean facilities)...but when we stop off in little towns on the itinerary invariably the tour guide tells of local spots to eat...invariably I look for McDonald'[s...earlier in the tour, I get laughed at...you know you go to McDonald's...by the end of the tour, whenever we stop, everybody follows me looking for McDonald's...it is a know quantity and rarely terribly expensive.

...however, my preferred lunch stop is subway..they've recently made a huge expansion into Germany..nothing like a 15cm (6 inch) steak and cheese sandwich on Italian bread with tomatoes, olives, onions and southwest sauce (served at all Subway shops in Germany)...beats sausage any day in the week and twice on Sunday.

I fully agree with yk: &quot;I don't eat at McDonald's here in the US, so why would I want to eat at a McDonald's in Europe?&quot;

It is not &quot;my kind of food,&quot; although 15 cent cheeseburgers and 12 cent french fries were my steady diet in adolescence (shows my age!).

My only &quot;use&quot; of McD's in the USA in the past decade has been for a diet coke and/or a toilet.

Ms. Bear and I did the same two days ago at Place d'Italie--our only McD's stop in our first 7 days in Paris.

I have nothing to say for or against their offerings, their corporate policies, etc. I just don't eat that way.

Oh, I will try to the local food, but sometimes you're just too tired, or you just want a hamburger! I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as you don't eat there for every meal, and you at least try to the local food most of the time...


Sometimes you just need a dose of the familiar in a strange place.

AAFF said it but I still wonder..why oh why do a lot of people in the US and Canada not know that Mexico is one of the three countries in North America?

Regarding McDonalds, I don't care for fast food but if others do so be it. And obviously many others do love fast food.

I very rarely eat in McDonalds - don't find the food either filling or tasty. One thing I do remember though - arriving in Tokyo - first time to Japan - with my daughter after a long flight from the UK. We checked into the hotel and then feeling tired and slightly bewildered, we spotted a Starbucks across the street. In we went and sat with a coffee studying our guidebook and map to get us started. Very comforting. We exited refreshed and ready to go and didn't need to go in there again!