I have been to McDonald's outside the US - for a beer. Having a tall one at McDonald's seemed a cute thing to do.

At home, I used to eat at McDonald's about once every 6-8 monthes. Then I read "Fast Food Nation." Now I don't even eat hamburger, period. If you want to know why, try reading he book. You'll never be able to look at a humburger again.

The McDs in Bombay sometimes have chicken Tikka burgers ! Yummy.

I always hate to see McDonald's bashed because I worked at one when I was in high school and found them (at that time) to be a very fine corporation. Very much community oriented (remember the MD fundraising parties kids could host?)
They are changing-- their salads are quite good and in Europe the fare is somewhat tailored to the area. Bean veggie burgers are great. And remember, they really only serve what people want! (I know, because our store was one of the test markets and there are many things tried out and don't make it!)
Rex, I've had the banana milk shakes and they're tasty.

And why are McDonald's fries so good....because they're thin and crispy--like European ones!

Forgive me Fodorites, for I have eaten fries and even those odd little potato sticks for breakfast in the USA.

I had fries, ketchup and a coke at the Milan McD's and they were delicious.

Yes, sometimes you just have to have greasy salty carbs!!

I don't eat red meat so the burgers are out, but believe me, there are worse places to eat.

When I took my kids to the McDonalds in Vienna and Rome, the burgers and fries tasted just like in the USA, but I noticed the milkshakes and sundaes were of much higher quality than here. They were richer, more chocolate taste, and not quite so sweet. Yes I know its stupid to go such a place in Europe even with kids. I admit I was wrong, and now I can begin the long path to recovery.

Now that we're all here for our Friday food confessions... Amen, platzer. I will own up to gleefully purchasing a 12-oz. plastic cup of beer at an Austrian Mickey D's when I was 16 years old. Just because I could. Somewhere I have a photo of me, tragic hair and all, toasting with it under the wrought iron hanging sign...

The people that never ate in Mc Donald outsite the Us, probably did not travel with children..
I confess, I took my granchild to a Mc Donald in Paris..
I had a big fat chicken sandwich and fries...
Enjoyed every bite and never felt guilty about it..
I usually dont eat fast food, I was born in Europe..I grew up with excellent food, fresh veggies , lots of fruits, not too many sweets and no sodas...

I ate at a McDonalds in Paris on Rue de Rennes near Blvd. Montparnasse. It was Sunday morning and everything else was closed.

I did not know what many of the items on the menu were but a very nice French lady and her daughter were in line behind us. Mom spoke English with a very good American accent. She told us what everything was, and we had a good breakfast.
Don't stereotype McDonalds over there by thinking they are identifical to those over here.
The sign has a big M, the arches are golden, and a French McDonalds have a walk up ordering counter, but that is where the comparisons end.

This morning I had a bit of a hangover (a few too many glasses/bottle of tempranillo last night, Thursday being the new Friday and all that) and a MacDonald's breakfast was just the trick. Does that make me a bad person, or did the wine make me a bad person, I can't decide.

Kate
London

I'm not a snob foodie - I eat what I like and I don't feel guilty about it.

Unhealthy, yes. But not guilty.

I don't rate McD's at all but I do LOVE Burger King - just MUCH prefer their burgers and fries... so happily eat those reasonably regularly here in London.

As for abroad - I certainly remember the thrill of eating a McD's burger in Moscow at a time when Muscovites were still queuing for the novelty experience of it - after some weeks of travelling around eating cheap tinned food taken from home in the bus it was manna from heaven. And likewise we stopped in a McD in Czechoslovakia (as it was then) too.

When I was an au pair my friend and I used to meet in Paris, poor as church mice. It was cold that winter too so we'd intersperse our sightseeing and meanderings with regular stops for Hot Chocolate in McDs - cheaper than many other places in the vicinitie involved.

No shame whatsoever.

I would feel disappointed in myself (though not ashamed) if I let lack of effort result in failing to enjoy the many great food offerings in the places I visited.

But I don't see anything wrong with a little variety - even when some of it is "junk food"!

A reverse question:

How many of us have eaten at a restaurant then said "we might as well have eaten at McDonalds and saved the money".

I have, once right on Campo Fiori in Rome, another time in a fish restaurant in Cap Ferrat.

I heard Starbucks is also doing very, very well in Paris. Supposed to be a 30 minute wait to get served as the lines are so long. Give people what they want at a decent price and they will beat a path to your door.

I have to say that Ziana is my new favourite poster. Trying to make even a little sense out of her incomprehensible ramblings is always good for a laugh.......

Yeah, and don't they call the Big Mac the "Royale?" Does McD's still give away those free Paris maps? They were really printed in small print

McDonald's SUCKS!! Too may Americans are fat. Get a clue...

McDonald's SUCKS!! Too many Americans are fat. Get a clue...

We ate breakfast at a McDonald's in Paris several mornings. We at in the restaurant, and coffee was served in actual mugs, not paper or styrofoam cups. We picked up one of McD's maps of Paris and it was excellent for figuring out the subways - compact and fit nicely in my back pocket.

We used McD's map of Pompeii when we were there - again it was excellent. Found a pile of the maps in our hotel lobby (Hotel Bristol), so we didn't even have to eat there. And I don't care what city I am in, if I need to pee, I'll use their facilities. They are usually clean and free. Peace.

Robyn

Yes, shut down all the McDonalds and those same fat Americans will turn into triathletes, munching on celery stalks and tofu bars.

My first night in Munich I had a chocolate shake from McDonalds and used the very clean restroom. The shake was the perfect answer to what to have when I wasn't hungry enough for a restaurant. I don't eat their burgers though, anywhere.

Kate, the devil made you a bad person. McDonalds just made you a bad person with a few more evil calories.