Not the Golden Gate bridge nimrod! I'm talking about the other more universal arch. The one you can find in any good ole American town, or for that matter in any foreign city. From Paris, France to Paris, Texas, McDonalds is the face of the fast food industry around the globe. It started 50 years ago Friday, when a milkshake machine salesman opened his first McDonald’s a Chicago suburb. The rest is history and present day.
McDonald's is the big 50! McDonald's is as American as apple pie or that other cultural product, Coca-Cola. Unfortunately, it also conjures up the image of obese Americans to many around the globe. And can be simplified to the extreme, representing the over indulgence of our culture. (Yummmm! Their freedom fries still rock!)
As a kid, going to McDonald's on the weekends was a treat. Having a happy meal once a week made for great anticipation the rest of the week. And then one day I had to graduate to the BIG MAC. It was a time of self doubt. Could I possibly eat an entire Big Mac? What about those fries? It was my first step outside of childhood. And the memories are my steps back to it.
My how times have changed for the Golden Arches. Forget the lawsuits concerning hot coffee or obesity. Forget the attempts at introducing pizza or chicken wings to their menu. Forget the documentary "SuperSize Me" and the counter-culture of healthier consumption. From the start to end of the line, people need to take responsibility for what they stuff in their mouths. McDonald's didn't fire the shoot. They just loaded the gun for you.
Enough commentary on the culture of irresponsibility. Back to my story. Somewhere along the line I started preferring other fast food chains. Yikes sacrilege! Akin to a Catholic saying he has Mormon friend. The management at McDonald's need to own up to my aversion to their joint. From the first time we met McDonald's had me at "hello," but they took my loyalty for granted and started to slack off in quality and performance. Pretty soon I was welcoming the other choices in the fast food market with more fervor. A spurned relationship. And so on the 50th birthday of America's fast food mecca, I will meet them halfway and walk through those golden arches once more. The rest is up to them.
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