to not understand why people consider McDonalds to be a "treat"

[TalkinPeace]

if I want a family "treat" meal I go somewhere with fresh, favoursome food made especially for us.

Why do people take their kids somewhere that sells the lowest common denominator of food and call it a "treat" ?

Red you are right about other places probably not being up to par as well.

I got served a undercooked chicken breast at the Harvester once when I was a very heavily pregnant lady. They were so put out by me. Needless to say I don't go to the Harvester anymore. I just think, for me personally, once I have heard something or seen something I find it hard to go back.

I personally have no issue with people or their children having fast food, or what ever food they like. Freedom of speech and choice, however I do find it had to fathom why people would do it so frequently. Moderation, surely, like most things in life, is key?

I love threads like this and immediately crave a Big Mac with fries .

I have a friend who is probably a bit like the OP - we always have a lovely time staying with her, wholesome, nutritious (& tasty) meals with a very occasional small glass of wine - but the real 'treat' is picking up a great big McD meal on the way home .

I like the veggie sandwich with sweet chilli sauce and lashings of fries!

As has been said before it's a treat because the children usually only get it on holidays, I do like a Mickey D's myself

As to cost, October half term I took 5 children to the cinema. Tickets for 6 of us were just under £23, Mickey D's was just under £25 for the 6 of us....popcorn and a drink for 5????? over £34!

I once gave my DP a blow job so he would go out at 11pm and get me a big-mac. It did not go down well with the mnet massive

Yep, moderation is definitely the key.

TBH the problem I have with 'McDonald's Bashing' is more that it takes this blinkered approach to everywhere else, and doesn't acknowledge the progress that McDonalds in the UK HAS made. I am not saying it is good by any means, but I do think there is a lot more transparency with McDs than other places because of the level of scrutiny.

For me, I take the attitude, if I go to McDonalds I generally have a fairly good idea of what I'm getting, which I can't do to the same extent as other places. Its fast junk food. I'm under no illusion that its anything different.

If the same attention was made to other places maybe the bottomline in standards would improve across the board and force an upward trend.

When I think comments about Ikea and scotch eggs as some how being 'better' I think its pretty revealing. They just show food ignorance. There a lot of places getting away with too much because of this food ignorance and the illusion that something eg salad is better (have you seen the calories, salt content and fat content to some premade salads?).

Ooh see I want a bic mac now. When no one is looking I buy big dirty burgers from those mobile catering vans in lay by's.

I wonder if this thread was set up just to goad poor people or the op is just shockingly ignorant.

The Fat Duck/McDonald's. Both treats to me!

I'm staggered at some of the threads people start on here.

OP, your opening post sounds judgey and smug.

Sorry, but it does.

We go sometimes. My kids love it. There is nothing wrong with it occasionally. Aren't I awful?

Did anybody say Ikea food was a treat?

I said it was cheap - and the meal I had was healthy

You can have something healthy in mcdonalds too; a salad, a bag of carrot sticks, a fruit bag and some tropicana fruit juice. You don't have to have a dirty Burger.
Same as you can have fish and salad in Ikea or something else which is unhealthy like horseballs or a 50p hotdog.
It's about choice.

Going back to the IKEA discussion towards the beginning of the post, faecal matter was found in the IKEA chocolate cake.

Brings a whole new meaning to the phase 'eating shit'

Quarter pounder with cheese yabu

I want sushi now...

is superior

I don't consider it a treat, I consider it a yummy Saturday lunch!!

The odd thing is that we don't talk to the children about McDonalds as if it's a treat. If anything we tell them it's unhealthy and bad for you and therefore we don't go often.

But they still think it's a treat.

Will I get flamed if I ask all those that love Mac Donald's how much they weigh?

Will I get flamed if I ask all those that love Mac Donald's how much they weigh?

Approximately 8st 3lbs

Why?

I don't eat at McDonald's. However I can understand how if you are on a tight budget it would be a treat and a huge deal.

I can't understand it as a 'treat' either. I was desperate today in a town where everything closed early, and got fries, a salad and a shake. Hours later I still feel gross and the goddamn taste and greasy residue won't get out of my mouth even though I've brushed my teeth and tongue about 10 times. The salad was disgusting, I stupidly put some of the dressing on it which was so sweet it may as well have been sugar syrup.

A cheap treat for me would be a couple of artisan chocolates or macarons, or a lovely cake or tart, or a small bit of really nice cheese, or a scoop of ice-cream from a really nice ice-cream shop. All cheaper than a meal from McDonalds, but they actually feel a bit special. Not healthy food, but still made with quality ingredients.

I must have strange kids, they barely touched a McD's meal when they were little and now they're older and spending their own money they won't go near the place.

I love macdonalds. not all the time mind, but its cheap, clean, no waiting around usually and the kids love it. A winner.

My nearest Ikea is 35 miles away which is an awfully long way to go for horse meatballs. And I'm not a fan anyway. I will never be able to afford the Fat Duck and the DC would only show us up demanding to coat their food in ketchup anyway. I'm sure I read ages ago that readymade sandwiches from say, M&S or pret a manger often have more salt in them than a burger.

I can get why people might not like McDonalds (I am not in that category...), but why can't they understand that others do and it's a treat for them. You like something, you don't have it often, it is therefore a treat. It's really not rocket science...

Will I get flamed if I ask all those that love Mac Donald's how much they weigh?

I'm 9st 1lb, but I wouldn't say that I love mcdonalds, I just have a has brown and a black coffee when I take the kids in before 10.30am. I just have a coffee if it's after that time. My kids are both very very slim, but we only go to mcdonalds a couple of times a year for more than a hash brown, fruit and a drink. That's the thing, most people see mcdonalds as an occasional treat so it isn't going to make them fat. My chocolate and cake habit is far more damaging.