Not usually a fast food person, but whenever I'd travel (backpack) through Germany often enjoyed a quick grilled currywurst with roll and horseradish mustard at the central rail stations.
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Fast Food - Changes
- Thread starter dk001
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I wonder if the stores in Europe are franchised, or run by the foreign arm of the parent company who enforces their own standards?
The majority of fast food outlets in the U.S. are franchised by individual independent owners, so the UX can vary quite a bit, depending on how well the owner operates their store(s).
But in the high traffic areas, I have seen some pretty fancy McDonalds. There's a multi-story branch not far from the castle in Milan that is nice for a casual restaurant, never mind a fast food outlet. The café has a separate space, and it even has a glass elevator!
The ordering system with the touchscreens and pickup counter is also much more efficient than ordering from a human at the counter.
Interesting. Near me (an hour) we have a MDonald’s (blue 🙄). The place is generally better kept, the folks friendly, and the atmosphere is nice when not overly crowded. The food though is the same with the same ingredients and taste. 🫤
Been a year since I was there and will likely be that long before I go back. If you happen to visit, skip the drive-thru. Problem is even the small restaurants in that local are seriously overpriced.
Having eaten at McD’s in Asia area, the taste is a US thing.
The ONLY good fast food places are local chains. I don't think I've had McDonald's or anything of the sort since I was a kid.
I used to get a Burger King Whopper meal once every two months or so, but they've changed something; I don't know if its a national/world thing, or just here in UT. Hit the drive thru, placed my order, and she asked "Medium or Large"? I looked at the menu again, (prices are iirc), $9, then in small print above, "Large, $10.50, Supersize $13". I said I just want the "Small", she said, "we don't sell a "Small" would you like Medium or Large?"
Me, a little more pointedly: "I want the one you have advertised for $9!"
She: "We dont sell that one; Medium or Large?"
Me: "Why are you advertising a $9 meal that you're not selling??"
She: >crickets<
I pulled ahead, no one in front of me thankfully, and drove away; had a peanut butter sandwich at home.
Has anyone else noticed this BK Thievery? Or is it just a local thing? (I won't eat there ever again)
I do know that the industry was using shortages of the past few years as an excuse to line their own pockets; anyone else noticing that the $1 Menus, and $5 specials, are making a comeback? Fortunately I'm retired now and love to cook, will still hit McD's whenever I'm driving cross-country (refuse to fly anymore too, but that's a separate Whine-Fest).
Me, a little more pointedly: "I want the one you have advertised for $9!"
She: "We dont sell that one; Medium or Large?"
Me: "Why are you advertising a $9 meal that you're not selling??"
She: >crickets<
I pulled ahead, no one in front of me thankfully, and drove away; had a peanut butter sandwich at home.
Has anyone else noticed this BK Thievery? Or is it just a local thing? (I won't eat there ever again)
I do know that the industry was using shortages of the past few years as an excuse to line their own pockets; anyone else noticing that the $1 Menus, and $5 specials, are making a comeback? Fortunately I'm retired now and love to cook, will still hit McD's whenever I'm driving cross-country (refuse to fly anymore too, but that's a separate Whine-Fest).
Unfortunately, this is true. In fact, I was just watching a video about how many ice cream brands in the U.S. cannot legally sell their product as ice cream anymore, because it contains too much processed poison.
HOWEVER, while the food in Europe may be better than the U.S., it must be difficult to find any sort of Mexican dishes, at least of authentic quality. I just say this as someone who grew up in the Southwest United States where that cuisine is ubiquitous. That really doesn't exist in Wisconsin, either, and it's always a bit frustrating. I took red chile for granted for nearly 20 years and you cannot find ANY of that in good fashion outside the Southwest.
I don't have a raclette grill but my good friend here does. In return, I have a fondue set. I think owning one or both of those is a legal requirement here in Switzerland.
As for fast food ... here, it's as expensive as getting something more authentic from a food court type place. The quality of e.g. McDonalds here is good apparently, but it's priced similar to a burger in a restaurant and I doubt it's that good.
London, where I still live part-time, is a different story. So many places we used to like (Honest Burger, Pizza Express, even Nandos) have expanded beyond recognition and the ingredients are now accountant-driven instead of chef-driven, so we stop going.
I still remember queueing for the Pizza Express in a converted dairy near the British Museum. Their pizzas were so good! That was 25 years ago though.
As for fast food ... here, it's as expensive as getting something more authentic from a food court type place. The quality of e.g. McDonalds here is good apparently, but it's priced similar to a burger in a restaurant and I doubt it's that good.
London, where I still live part-time, is a different story. So many places we used to like (Honest Burger, Pizza Express, even Nandos) have expanded beyond recognition and the ingredients are now accountant-driven instead of chef-driven, so we stop going.
I still remember queueing for the Pizza Express in a converted dairy near the British Museum. Their pizzas were so good! That was 25 years ago though.
That sounds awful! I've never eaten at Burger King, and no desire to. Your experience really settles that for me.
Yea, I concur that our American students do enjoy food in Europe both homemade with their homestay families and eating out. They almost all complain about the dearth of Mexican, which is what I always make sure to get whenever I visit relatives in the US. The ice cream thing is horrifying though.
Yes, I need to get a cheese fondue set, though I have one for Chinese fondue (where you cook pieces of meat and veggies in broth).
Well, much though I may regret its absence, I will take the lack of good quality Mexican places in Europe, (this, after all, was not a culinary tradition native to our continent, neither through geographical proximity, nor the influence of colonialism), if, at the same time, I can also lay ready claim to the standards and quality of food available in Europe.
The ice-cream story is horrifying.
Here's another one: chocolate in the EU requires 25% cocoa solids (20% in the UK, it's 10% in the US.
According to a quick google search
Also quite horrifying.
I must say that on the one occasion I encountered Hershey's, I found it quite horrible, (and yes, my pronounced preference is for proper, dark, chocolate, a square of which is quite lovely with a good coffee).
I just can't stand the sight of humans eating out of cardboard boxes, with their hands, drinking thru straws.
Disgusting zoo-like behavior.
Disgusting zoo-like behavior.
Its not rocket science.
With minimum wages up, and inflation, fast food cost for a single mean are ridiculously high.
If I'm going to spend $12 for a meal and burger king, I'd rather spend $18 to go to a mom and pop place, get better service and better quality food.
As I've always said, a minimum wage push, and its effect on fast cheap food on top of high food inflation will mean people will eat less of it.
With minimum wages up, and inflation, fast food cost for a single mean are ridiculously high.
If I'm going to spend $12 for a meal and burger king, I'd rather spend $18 to go to a mom and pop place, get better service and better quality food.
As I've always said, a minimum wage push, and its effect on fast cheap food on top of high food inflation will mean people will eat less of it.
Well, I daresay that I would complain about the lack of (good, affordable, family owned and run) curry houses - which were something we grew up with (not Mexican, @rm5, though I would love to enjoy a good Mexican) - were I to find myself in the US.
Speaking of fast food atrocities this one is from Japan, albeit through American influence.
P.S. Snoopy was one of my favourites as a kid so don't blame the doggo.
P.S. Snoopy was one of my favourites as a kid so don't blame the doggo.
El Jannah is the closest I go to fast food. They do grilled chicken. Sometimes I will also go to Saravanaa Bhavan (South-Indian vegetarian meals).
I will not go to McDonalds at all.
I will not go to McDonalds at all.
I have no idea if there are food industry requirements for the sale of chocolates, but there are lots of options relating to chocolate one can choose from. For example the amounts and types of cacao, sugar, and other ingredients, both in solid and liquid form, varies throughout the food industry. The best is to either find a commercial chocolate type you prefer, and drink this one, or just to gather all of the ingredients you prefer, and then mix these ingredients to attain the taste you enjoy the most.
Most of the stores' chocolate drinks contain quite a large amount of sugar and other sweeter, preservatives, and a myriad of flavors (the amount of cocoa/sugar/etc. in the package is on the label). The problem is that it takes a lot of effort for one to create the perfect chocolate blend at home, but once you have found the "right taste," then you have your most delicious chocolate
That said, when I was much younger I loved the sweet taste in chocolates from EU and the US, but now that I am much older I prefer chocolates (drinks or solid forms) that are low on sugar or sweeteners. The same for ice cream, where I may eat a small portion every 6 months. In fact, I don't remember that last time I had a scoop of ice cream.
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Ah, I was referring to actual chocolate bars, not a drink. I don't think there are any regulations for ingredients to hot chocolate mixes, but I could be wrong! I don't drink it.
Like our Sceptical Scribe, I tend to have dark chocolate (instead of adding sugar) with espressos, although on its own I prefer milk chocolate usually.
Edit: Somehow I typed 10 instead of )
Like our Sceptical Scribe, I tend to have dark chocolate (instead of adding sugar) with espressos, although on its own I prefer milk chocolate usually.
Edit: Somehow I typed 10 instead of )
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I see...
Yes, I too prefer dark chocolate, but it can be quite difficult to find a chocolate bar that doesn't contain a large amount of sugar. Then there are very small or "mini" dark chocolates, although quite often the percentage of cacao is not shown on the label. For example, some dipping chocolate wafers (the ones you melt and then dip a strawberry in it) are labeled as a "chocolate flavored" product.
Agree with you about dark chocolate and low sugar in espressos, and also about milk chocolate at home.
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I too like dark chocolate and have read it's pretty healthy (in moderation) with lots of antioxidants that can help lower blood pressure. The only concern I have is a Consumer Reports test of dark chocolate a few years ago that found dangerous levels of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium in some popular and well-known brands. So I think the key is moderation.
Companies will take full advantage of whatever the rules allow, regardless. And often, beyond…
However, take note that with regard to the lament about ice cream, the companies behind the largest selling brands in the U.S. are Unilever (British) and Nestlé (Swiss).
As well as the fact that the standards in question are minimum standards. These companies can opt to produce a better quality product if they wish. They don't.
Breyer's said to be the one of, if not the oldest ice cream brand in the U.S., has sold "frozen dairy dessert" for at least 2-3 decades, when others weren't.
Dreyer's, a younger, but similarly venerable brand, gave in more recently and their product is now of the lower standard.
I bought a Nestlé chocolate bar for the first time in a long time earlier this year. It was so cloyingly sweet, and had so little chocolate flavor, I didn't finish it, and I'm pretty tolerant as far as anything chocolate goes.
Cadbury raised a fuss a few years ago when they actively sought to stop a grey market importer of their chocolate bars from distributing the superior overseas product in the U.S.
Unfortunately, the general quality of mass market consumer food brands now forces one to be more selective, at least if quality is a concern.
Agree.
These mass-market companies can only stay in business by reducing production costs. In this case they aren't going to mass produce high quality products a low price, because that would result in a loss of revenue. The same can be said about fast-food chain stores, and even Apple. Materials, labor, utilities, taxes, and so on (even having the fancy Apple Stores) can be quite costly for any company.
Yes, the key is to eat various foods with moderation. If one can afford it, true organic foods may be a better option, but still eaten with moderation considering that even the water we drink may contain PFAS, microplastics, and so on.
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Spot on!
I can buy Mövenpick ice-cream much cheaper just across the border (same flavour) in Germany as I can in my local Swiss supermarket.
But ... if I look at the ingredients, the Swiss one is all milk, cream etc whereas the German one is milk protein powder, sugar etc.