McDonalds

Charles Calkins · « **on:** 18 Dec 2016, 09:05 pm »

Hi Guys:
My daughter wanted to go shopping for gifts yesterday. Got a late start.
"Cook dinner when I get back" I said no you don't have to. Just stop at
McDonald's and get me a Big Mac and fries. She did. Big Mac tasted pretty good.
Fries were good.

So the gist of this tale is that this is the first Big Mac i ever had. I'm not going to
make a habit of eating them. Maybe in another 85 years when I'm 170 years old.
I'll get another one.

Cheers
Charlie

Syrah · « **Reply #1 on:** 18 Dec 2016, 11:10 pm »

I do like Big Macs. I have a funnier story. I lived in France for 3 years and my wife is French. I'm an amateur chef.

My wife, my 13 yr old son and I were on a road trip in Canada. We live in the Cayman Islands, so my son never had a McDonalds breakfast.

We stopped at McDonalds. Turns out they were testing a new product, pain au chocolat. We figured, haha, this should be funny, let's try them.

Guess what? Delicious. Absolutely delicious. Not the standard of top notch French ones, but above the standard of your average French one.

None of us could believe it. I mean, hats off to McD's. I suppose it's a matter of time before market testing makes them too sweet, too fatty, too everything. But shockingly good for now.

MaxCast · « **Reply #2 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 02:29 am »

Positive reviews so far.

I haven't ate at Ron's in three years. Prefer a BK double cheese burger.

CSI · « **Reply #3 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 05:17 am »

McDonald's fare is good nourishing fast food and quite enjoyable to nearly anyone with an open mind - even gourmets. I remember when master chef Julia Child declared McDonald's french fries to be superb. She was right, but some people were still horrified.

Johnny2Bad · « **Reply #4 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 10:35 am »

There is something about the smell of the buns McDonalds uses that turns me off. So I can't really take the burgers.

I also am not a big fan of fast food hamburger patties. As factory burger patties they use Federally Graded meat, but it's low grade (Canada D, the lowest grade suitable for human consumption) that contains cow meat (typically retired dairy cows) which is why you can get BCS from fast food.

I only buy Canada AAA or AA ground beef from steer (castrated male less than 2 years old) which is by definition BCS-free. Plus it tastes so much better.

[USDA Choice or Prime is similar to Canada AAA or AA, but the US allows steers up to 3 years old for their top grade beef. Factory made beef Patties use Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades in the US).

Old dairy cow meat is inherently lean, but relatively tasteless and must be ground to be palatable, which is why all Fast Food burgers use plenty of sauces.

I do like the french fries. My typical McD meal order is a Happy Meal with McNuggets (4x), Strawberry Yogurt, Apple Slices, and 2% Milk (yes, I am an adult); A large order of Fries; and a Medium Cappuccino with 2% milk. I also often order the Value Menu Caesar Salads.

Poultry is all Federally Inspected in Canada, but yeah, I do understand that processed chicken ("fused") isn't top shelf stuff. Still, it's no worse (again) than what you buy in the frozen foods section of the supermarket, as it's made the same way in the same factories. It's rare for a restaurant to not use domestic beef, pork or poultry in Canada, and McD is no exception, even using only Canadian grown fruits and vegetables, including potatoes for the fries.

But their famous consistency has to stop somewhere, and if you are from the US you might notice the soft drinks taste different, as we don't use Corn Sugars in Canada (and neither does anyone outside the US), although a certain amount is always present in the Coke Syrup, made in Atlanta for worldwide distribution.

One thing about McDs is they cater to local tastes when creating menus, and they also test market items in local areas that are not available nationwide or internationally. So my menu may be different from yours, but I believe the above are available everywhere.

Johnny2Bad · « **Reply #5 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 10:37 am »

Damn "Modify" and "Quote" buttons on this forum. There oughta be a law.

Johnny2Bad · « **Reply #6 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 10:45 am »

I might kill myself. Or maybe just get some sleep. Did it again.

zybar · « **Reply #7 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 12:40 pm »

Quote from: CSI on 19 Dec 2016, 05:17 am

McDonald's fare is good nourishing fast food and quite enjoyable to nearly anyone with an open mind - even gourmets. I remember when master chef Julia Child declared McDonald's french fries to be superb. She was right, but some people were still horrified.

Nourishing????

Generally speaking, eating McDonalds (and almost all fast food) is horrible for you.

If you consume it too frequently, it can really harm you (Google this and you will see study after study showing some scary results).

Before I get flamed...I do like some fast food (such as Five Guys or Chipolte), but I limit how frequently it is consumed.

George

JLM · « **Reply #8 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 02:05 pm »

Food gets a bad rap. Yes, McDonald's is food and it is nourishing but only to a point. There is a ton of different diet ideas out there, but anything in excess is bad for you. In our culture the problem is availability of food (access and cost). For instance, it's been said that 98% of all Americans live within 3 miles of a McDonald's. And a Big Mac represents one third to one half of the recommended adult daily intake of calories (of course nearly all fast food joints have similar menu options). We just plain eat too much and too much of the wrong things (mostly grease, sugar, and salt). Nationally obesity has become an epidemic. Then we complain about healthcare costs.

wushuliu · « **Reply #9 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 02:37 pm »

If people want to eat McDonald's who am I to get in the way of darwinism at work. Last time I ate McDonald's it sat in my gut for days. No thanks.

Gimme in N out animal style anytime.

Randy · « **Reply #10 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 03:43 pm »

Quote from: CSI on 19 Dec 2016, 05:17 am

McDonald's fare is good nourishing fast food and quite enjoyable to nearly anyone with an open mind - even gourmets. I remember when master chef Julia Child declared McDonald's french fries to be superb. She was right, but some people were still horrified.

The fries at Burger King are a lot better. Let McDonald's fries sit for a few minutes, they turn to inedible leather.

Randy · « **Reply #11 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 03:50 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 19 Dec 2016, 02:05 pm

Food gets a bad rap. Yes, McDonald's is food and it is nourishing but only to a point. There is a ton of different diet ideas out there, but anything in excess is bad for you. In our culture the problem is availability of food (access and cost). For instance, it's been said that 98% of all Americans live within 3 miles of a McDonald's. And a Big Mac represents one third to one half of the recommended adult daily intake of calories (of course nearly all fast food joints have similar menu options). We just plain eat too much and too much of the wrong things (mostly grease, sugar, and salt). Nationally obesity has become an epidemic. Then we complain about healthcare costs.

Yep, many Americans are hogs, plain and simple.
Proud to say I changed my eating habits in one fell swoop last March and now weigh 20-25 pounds less than I did then. From 175 - 180 to 155 tops. It still allows for a burger at Mac's occasionally when I am in a hurry or to lazy to get something else. One benefit is that I can fit into pairs of pants I put away years ago when they became too tight. They fit nicely now.

Tyson · « **Reply #12 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 04:11 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 19 Dec 2016, 02:05 pm

Food gets a bad rap. Yes, McDonald's is food and it is nourishing but only to a point. There is a ton of different diet ideas out there, but anything in excess is bad for you. In our culture the problem is availability of food (access and cost). For instance, it's been said that 98% of all Americans live within 3 miles of a McDonald's. And a Big Mac represents one third to one half of the recommended adult daily intake of calories (of course nearly all fast food joints have similar menu options). We just plain eat too much and too much of the wrong things (mostly grease, sugar, and salt). Nationally obesity has become an epidemic. Then we complain about healthcare costs.

Agreed - it's not so much the fries as much as it's the white bread bun and the coke that comes with it that's really terrible. In the old days, McD's used beef tallow with their fries, which is a lot more stable fat than the seed oils they use now.

Syrah · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:06 pm »

BK fries are really good. They've had their ups and downs with coated and other fry variation, but they seem to have now stuck with the tried and true.

I recall being in an eyewateringly expensive steakhouse with a big group of guys. When we asked what their fries were like, they replied, "they're like McDonalds fries". Everyone at the table seemed perfectly fine with that response.

For the bill we got, I could have eaten McDonalds fries all year.

Wayner · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:24 pm »

In the old days when cows would stop milking, they were taken off mastitis for a couple of months, then slaughtered for hamburger, a very common practice. This is a great way to dispatch and dispose of the animal, and when the meat is ground properly, with the right fat to lean ratio(s), can be awesome. The practice is environmentally a good thing, and health wise too. The meat is too tough for butchering into steaks and roasts.

Our meat grading system is based on flavor and texture of the meat(s), using Prime, Choice and Select as terms to grade the quality of meat for steaks and roasts.

Wayner

ctviggen · « **Reply #15 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:30 pm »

Quote from: Tyson on 19 Dec 2016, 04:11 pm

Agreed - it's not so much the fries as much as it's the white bread bun and the coke that comes with it that's really terrible. In the old days, McD's used beef tallow with their fries, which is a lot more stable fat than the seed oils they use now.

That's because beef tallow has a very low percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are the ones that go rancid/create potentially cancer-causing chemicals. So does that EVIL lard, which has a very low percentage of PUFAs (and by the way is about 50% of oleic acid, which is the "saintly" oil in olive oil).

I cringe every single time I see someone denigrate a burger, fries and a soft drink as being a "high fat" meal. It's a high carb meal, with a high Omega 6 fatty acid profile and wheat (which I think is uniquely terrible).

ctviggen · « **Reply #16 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:39 pm »

Quote from: Wayner on 19 Dec 2016, 07:24 pm

In the old days when cows would stop milking, they were taken off mastitis for a couple of months, then slaughtered for hamburger, a very common practice. This is a great way to dispatch and dispose of the animal, and when the meat is ground properly, with the right fat to lean ratio(s), can be awesome. The practice is environmentally a good thing, and health wise too. The meat is too tough for butchering into steaks and roasts.

Our meat grading system is based on flavor and texture of the meat(s), using Prime, Choice and Select as terms to grade the quality of meat for steaks and roasts.

Wayner

What I can't find any longer (since switching to a very high fat, very low carb diet) is 30% fat ground meat. The highest percentage I can find is 20%. I have been able to talk to some butchers and have them give me fat. I had some steaks and grilled with them some fat the butcher gave me at the same time. I ate some fat, and tried to eat more but could not. The thing with fat (and protein) is that we have a built in feedback mechanism that limits how much we can eat. I physically could not make myself eat any more fat. I felt sick if I tried to do that. And the same happened in an overfeeding experiment, where they took volunteers and made them overeat. The volunteers could not overeat on pork chops. They refused to do so. But give me (or those volunteers) carbs, and I (and they) can easily overeat. There is no built in feedback mechanism for us for carbs. That's why we can be incredibly full and still eat dessert.

werd · « **Reply #17 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:52 pm »

I notice they run them like an atm now. You go up and use their screen, put your card in and pay. Then walk up and pick it up.

ctviggen · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 07:54 pm »

Quote from: JLM on 19 Dec 2016, 02:05 pm

Food gets a bad rap. Yes, McDonald's is food and it is nourishing but only to a point. There is a ton of different diet ideas out there, but anything in excess is bad for you. In our culture the problem is availability of food (access and cost). For instance, it's been said that 98% of all Americans live within 3 miles of a McDonald's. And a Big Mac represents one third to one half of the recommended adult daily intake of calories (of course nearly all fast food joints have similar menu options). We just plain eat too much and too much of the wrong things (mostly grease, sugar, and salt). Nationally obesity has become an epidemic. Then we complain about healthcare costs.

It's an epidemic because they tell us that low fat, high carb is good for us. There may be -- and likely are -- a select few who can eat that diet, but the vast majority of us cannot. I ate very low fat for years and experienced many health problems, including depression and constant hunger. It wasn't until I switched to a high fat, low carb diet that I stopped gaining weight and lost weight (down 55 pounds, though I gained maybe 5 after shoulder surgery).

My opinion is that anything you think you know is correct about nutrition is likely (1) unsupported by scientific evidence; and/or (2) has scientific evidence on both sides so there's no clear "winner"; and/or (3) is completely wrong. You mentioned salt. Did you know some people believe the very low limits of salt we're told to eat could CAUSE increased heart disease? For a light-hearted account of this, see:

https://eathropology.com/2013/05/20/the-nacl-debacle-part-1-salt-makes-you-fat-2/
https://eathropology.com/2013/05/21/the-nacl-debacle-part-2-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-science-2/

For more detailed analysis, see:

http://garytaubes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/science-political-science-of-salt.pdf
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html

Basically, there's probably a range of salt that's good. What that range is, is completely unknown. Personally, I've INCREASED my salt intake. And feel better. And have lost about 15 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure. Of course, I can't tell how much of that is due to losing 55 pounds. And I've been intermittent fasting, which tends to cause even greater blood pressure loss.

Tyson · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 Dec 2016, 08:11 pm »

I find with salt, as I eat less and less processed foods, that I actually need to use more salt on my home cooked food. I've never had high blood pressure. Slightly low, if anything.