Oh, McDonald’s. Between their efforts to change the definition of McJob and the perennial allegations of everything ranging from using low-quality meat to blocking the efforts of workers to unionize, the company always seems to be losing the public relations battle. The chain’s United Kingdom locations have decided to do something about it. They’ve started a website called Make Up Your Own Mind through which people can submit their questions about McDonald’s. The questions are then answered by a team of mothers (we assume because everyone trusts a British mummy) and posted on the site. The answers aren’t likely to change anyone’s mind (as if McDonald’s would admit to anything shady!), but they are immeasurably entertaining. A few of our favorites:
Question: I read in the paper that some burger contain poo. Is this really true? If so, what proportion of burgers contain poo?
Answer: No. This is absolutely not true. McDonald’s UK has never found any such thing, and given the high profile of the company, you can assume that anyone with such allegations would have brought them to McDonald’s attention right away – but they haven’t. You can be assured that the highest standards of food safety are adhered to in the preparation and serving of McDonald’s food.
Question: are your baconburgers kosher?
Answer: It sounds like you may be referring to the Bacon Cheeseburger. This item is not Kosher for two reasons, firstly the Torah classifies pork is unacceptable to eat, and secondly the rules of Kashrut say that meat may not be eaten in conjunction with diary products such as cheese.
Question: Why are we still hungry one hour after eating a hamburger?
Answer: Everyone has a different digestion rate and food requirements which can affect how hungry they may feel and how much they need to eat to feel full. McDonald’s food uses ingredients like you can buy in the supermarket or use at home. Eating a McDonald’s burger shouldn’t make you feel any more or less full than if you ate another burger of a similar size.
Question: I just wondered how you can sell a chocolate milkshake that doesnt taste remotely like chocolate. I know, I just purchased one and it honestly tasted of nothing, but by this time I was in my car, on the M60 motorway going to my next appointment. Very disappointing.
Answer: McDonald’s is sorry you’re not a fan of its Chocolate Milkshake. Made up from around 75 percent milk from the British Isles, many of the millions of customers that visit McDonald’s maybe inclined to disagree with you – they believe them to be very tasty indeed.
There are hours of entertainment to be had on Make Up Your Own Mind, even if you, like us, haven’t eaten McDonald’s since reading Fast Food Nation several years ago. Sorry for decreasing your workplace productivity for the day.
McDonald’s [Official Site]
Make Up Your Own Mind [McDonald’s]
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal [Amazon]
