I opted for a quarter pounder with cheese. I've probably eaten at McDonalds twice in the past year. But a McDonalds burger is a taste you never forget. And you can tell their burgers from sight as well - the patty is slightly gray, rubbery, and almost completely obscured by the crushed bun. The vegetables are anemic looking or non-existent. The first thing I noticed with the UK version was that the patty looked and smelled like actual beef. When I picked it up, juices flowed and pooled in the cardboard container. When I bit into it, I bit into fresh and tasty pickles, tomatoes, and onions. It tasted like a real hamburger. And for under ₤2, it's was a good deal as well. But for 500 calories and over 20 grams of fat, it will remain a rare treat.
Monday, January 21, 2008
It sounded like a Scottish restaurant
I'm not sure why my friend Caron (the other New York transplant) and I wandered into the McDonalds on Whitechapel street, but it did make for an interesting experiment. We had just spent the afternoon walking around what after February 1st will be our new neighborhood, and we had worked up a bit of an appetite. After wandering through numerous Bangladeshi markets, we had curry-overload, so we decided against one of the many curry houses. And then we saw it - Caron's eyes went for the McFlurry sign and I was caught up by the unexpectedly hip interior and neon decor. There were no frightening Ronald McDonald sculptures, gone were the red and yellow plastic booths, and the nasty chemical smell which usually accosts you at the threshold to the restaurant. But how was the food?
I opted for a quarter pounder with cheese. I've probably eaten at McDonalds twice in the past year. But a McDonalds burger is a taste you never forget. And you can tell their burgers from sight as well - the patty is slightly gray, rubbery, and almost completely obscured by the crushed bun. The vegetables are anemic looking or non-existent. The first thing I noticed with the UK version was that the patty looked and smelled like actual beef. When I picked it up, juices flowed and pooled in the cardboard container. When I bit into it, I bit into fresh and tasty pickles, tomatoes, and onions. It tasted like a real hamburger. And for under ₤2, it's was a good deal as well. But for 500 calories and over 20 grams of fat, it will remain a rare treat.
I opted for a quarter pounder with cheese. I've probably eaten at McDonalds twice in the past year. But a McDonalds burger is a taste you never forget. And you can tell their burgers from sight as well - the patty is slightly gray, rubbery, and almost completely obscured by the crushed bun. The vegetables are anemic looking or non-existent. The first thing I noticed with the UK version was that the patty looked and smelled like actual beef. When I picked it up, juices flowed and pooled in the cardboard container. When I bit into it, I bit into fresh and tasty pickles, tomatoes, and onions. It tasted like a real hamburger. And for under ₤2, it's was a good deal as well. But for 500 calories and over 20 grams of fat, it will remain a rare treat.
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3 comments:
I remember going to the McD in Moscow after being in Russia for 4 months... and the JOY of eating a burger and fries. This was back in '93 -- food was scarce and restaurants were terrible.
Have not had anything from the Golden Arches since moving here. Might have to try it some time. We prefer FBC (Fine Burger Company). Nice burger (you can order it rare if you want) and highly entertaining to watch Brits eat their burgers with knife and fork. Rates up there with Brits eating thin crust pizza also with K&F. We usually like to live by the "when in Rome" philosophy, but draw the line when it comes to cutlery with pizza and burgers.
That is funny, Yuli must be a brit at heart - he always eats hamburgers and pizza with knife and fork (to my great annoyance)
Olga
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