Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Other subjects

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

Is McDonald's really the worst thing in the world?

123 replies

SoupDragon · 30/04/2005 16:23

Friendly debate I'm not trying to get at anyone who has decided that their family will never cross the threshold of the golden arches

I'm curious. Is McDonald's really the worst fast foot outlet or does it simply set itself up for bad press by being the biggest and most recognisable?

Are their business ethics worse than any other company out there?

As for Supersize Me - if someone ate at, say, Pizza Express for every single meal for 30 days, what would their health be like at the end of it? Or TGIFridays? Or any other "family friendly" restaurant/food outlet? Have McDonald's been unfairly singled out in this aspect or did they cover other food outlets in the film?

I am an intelligent human being (honest, I am!), I know you can't eat fast food for every meal for a month and remain stick thin and as healthy as a healthy horse but I don't see the harm in eating there once or twice a month provided our chldren are taught that it is simply not possible to eat stuff like that all the time. I certainly don't give in every time DSs ask to go to McDonald's. I can't help thinking that outright banning of something makes them want it even more... but that's just me. We all have differnet ways of parenting

Don't get me wrong, I do understand that they're not a squeaky clean, healthy company but are they really as "spawn of the devil" as they are made out to be and how do they compare to other companies?

OP posts:

MarsLady · 01/05/2005 11:24

Nah!

oops · 01/05/2005 12:07

Message withdrawn

hunkermunker · 01/05/2005 12:13

I think the last two posts sum things up nicely

oops · 01/05/2005 12:20

Message withdrawn

CountessDracula · 01/05/2005 13:15

I won't be taking dd there. If someone else wants to I won't stop them as long as is a one off.

SenoraPostrophe · 01/05/2005 13:30

I saw this thread title and was in the middle of forming a rant in my head only to find that georginaA and www have said it all for me. How dissapointing .

ionesmum · 01/05/2005 13:57

Definitely agree that Walmart is terrifying.

tallulah · 01/05/2005 17:41

DS1 works for MacDonalds in their drive thru at weekends/evenings. Not only were they the only one to respond to 6 painstakingly filled-in application forms, they also pay him a lot more than he would get elsewhere, since he is too young for the minimum wage.

(oh & DH works for one of the large supermarket chains, so we're doubly damned )

GeorginaA · 01/05/2005 19:50

LOL... if it's any consollation, I used to work for Nestle

Moomin · 01/05/2005 23:30

sorry GeorginaA about misunderstanding your comments on box schemes. I'm a bit pregnant and thick at the moment so mis-read it with my woolly head and thought you were saying box schemes were in some ways exploitative. The I logged off and haven't been back since. I do apologise

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 09:21

I work at McDonalds, can honestly say it's the best job i have ever had.
I can understand why people are so anti mcD's, we have Mcd's now and again, it's not meant to be eaten everyday, with everything, if you ate KFC everyday i am sure it would do the same. Tesco's advertise all the time, asda advertise all the time all companise advertise. McD's is only as big as it is because there is a market for it, if people stopped buying it it wouldn't be as big as it is today.
It's the same with all fast food chains, wimpy, burgerking, They are not meant to be an everyday food.
you can all hiss me now, lol.

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 09:23

Just one more thing, i get a free meal when i work, i don't have one all the time, because it's common sense that if you ate it all the time, it wouldn't be good for you.

expatinscotland · 02/05/2005 09:24

I have tried some of the new, low fat products McDonald's offers and they were pretty tasty. Especially the chicken pita!

I'm a believer in 'everything in moderation'.

We go there for a quick lunch every 6 months or so, or if we're on the road.

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 09:26

You do get people that are in there everyday of the week!! I take my kids once a month sometimes more, depends really.

dinosaur · 02/05/2005 09:53

I've breastfed in McDonalds - not a four-year old though!

Like several other posters on this thread, I just can't get excited about it either way. The DSs go maybe once a month at the most. But with an autistic spectrum toddler (DS1) it was a bloody godsend for us because it was the only place we ever tried where DS1 would actually eat something (and please don't say, why didn't you take food for him out with you - at the age of three he wouldn't eat sandwiches etc, the only portable food he would eat was jars of Hipp Organic pasta with pork which are meant for a six mnonth old!).

Now he is loads better about eating so we don't rely on it at all, but he does still regard going thre as a treat (DS2 who is not autistic is much less keen and doesn't usually finish his food there).

Just out of interest - in the States, Ronald McDonald kids' charities do a lot of good work. For example, they have special "hotels" for sick kids and their parents to stay in if they are away from home having treatment. I know about this because many kids travel long distances to have treatment for club foot (which my DS2 had). We also had to travel a long way (to Sunderland) and I wouldn't have minded having a special place for us to stay when we were up there. Does that have any effect on the views of those of you who think it is the worst thing?

dinosaur · 02/05/2005 09:54

Sorry, very illiterate post - I meant to say, does the fact that the Ronald McDonald charities do a lot of good in teh US affect the views of those of you who think that McDonalds is "the worst thing"?

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 09:56

They do the same thing here at guys hospital, i think.

dinosaur · 02/05/2005 09:56

Thanks Hermione1 I didn't know that.

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 09:57

Thats ok dinosaur,

oops · 02/05/2005 10:00

Message withdrawn

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 10:02

As i said before people buy from them, they get big, it's everywhere not just mcdonalds, you caould say asda sold me chocolate ice cream and it made me fat, now i am gonna sue them, everyone has choice no one is forcing people to eat there, are they??

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 10:04

Not saying they are brilliant and they aren't squeeky clean in regards to advertising, but all companies advertise there merchandise don't they. It's up to you whether you go or not.

dinosaur · 02/05/2005 10:05

But is anyone on this thread absolutely ruthless about standing up to big corporations? Do you not shop, eat or bank with any of them? Do you refuse to work for any of them? Do you get your electricity from a green provider? Do you not drive a car? etc etc

I mean, I could (of course) decide not ever to shop at any of these places again. I do get my electricity from a green provider, I don't have a car and I do get an organic veg box once a week. But I work for a big law firm which has big corporations as its clients.

I suppose what I am saying is that I think it would be very hard to be completely "good" - but I would be interested to know who on this thread is?

snafu · 02/05/2005 10:07

I suppose I should clarify that of course I don't think McD's is actually 'the worst thing in the world' and I don't expect anyone on this thread does But I can't pretend I think the world is a better place since the Golden Arches greased their way across the map, either.

Hermione1 · 02/05/2005 10:07

well said dinosaur.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Swipe left for the next trending thread