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Samizdata quote of the day Starbucks was bad enough but McDonald’s is worse
– An anonymous art historian at the Louvre in Paris, reacting to the news that a McDonald’s will soon open at the famous museum. Come to think of it, when I visited the Louvre earlier this year, I discovered an exhibition devoted to “The Da Vinci Code”. Might I suggest that this is much, much worse.
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How many Parisians go to the Louvre, anyway? It’s for tourists, largely Americans, and we love our McDonalds!
Yes, but when you go all the way to Paris, isn’t part of the point to get away for a short while from all the things you love, and to experience things other people love?
My guess is that most Parisians have visited the Louvre at some point in their lives, if only on a school excursion when they were fifteen and/or to take their own children at some other point. The other thing is that a lot of tourists these days are not rich. Lots of backpackers go to Paris, and McDonald’s has the advantage of being not terribly expensive, and it will at least fill your stomach if you are looking to quickly refuel in the middle of a trip to an art museum.
On that note, I think I would actually support a binding UN resolution to require a McDonald’s and a Starbucks in all airport terminals worldwide. Here we have another situation where people are often hungry and/or in a hurry, and where the existing options are often terrible, overly expensive, or both. Oddly enough, the most disgusting meal I have ever eaten in an airport terminal was in France – Toulouse airport, in case you are wondering – and the French managed to provide this to me without any help from the Americans. (On the flipside, the best meal I have ever eaten in an airport terminal was in Italy. No surprise there).
I’m told that among the reasons Mc Do is popular in Paris are the free toilets, free wi-fi and the fact that the Fries are made with animal fat.
If you spend a good deal of time out of the country it’s nice to have an occasional touchstone. Once a week I’d phone the Pizza Hut in Mahboula, (or was it Fahaheel?), Kuwait and annoy the manager asking for a sheep pizza (they’re like bloody vermin, there). He knew who it was and shortly a (beef) pepperoni pan pizza would be at my door so I could properly watch Sri Lanka whup up on Zimbabwe in the World Cup…do I date myself here?
About the only time I’d eat at McD’s overseas would be when my tank ‘conveniently’ decided to take a break in walking distance of one of these oases questionable comestibles in West Germany. Other than that it was rehbuck rolladen and champignons, baby…
Have I understood you correctly, McDonald’s is worse than The Da Vinci Code’?
Can’t agree there. McDonald’s is just a cafe, The Da Vinci Code trivialises and undermines the art.
It’s like having a Harry Potter exhibition at Salem.
Michael Jennings, no UN resolutions, thank you. Under any circumstances. No “United Nations” one-worlder agenda.
The UN needs not to exist, and to cede the prime real estate on which it squats to rich people who want condos with such an incredible view, with helipads on the roof. One for each condo.
The UN has no legitimacy. Already, India and China (around 2.5bn people) have moved on beyond the empty Arab dictator outfit on the E River and are creating wealth hand over fist to their own account.
Without India and China, it’s turned into an African trash bin.
An intelligent British government, i.e., one not led by David Cameron or Bonkers Brown, will have to leave Africa to the Chinese, who have a plan. They’ve already bought much of the minerals up, and why not if they had willing sellers?
The arena is not clapped out Europe, mes amis, but Africa. And Britain ceded it. Bullied out by crappy little African tribal dictators of whom Mugabe is a shining star.
Read P J O’Rourke’s “Eat The Rich” about Africa. Funny and true.
And our phantom prime minister wishes to cede our sovereignty to something called “Europe”. Weak, weak, weak.
No you have not. He is clearly saying the absurd Da Vinci Code is worse.
Quintin Tarantino is not only a revolutionary director, but obviously a forecaster of the future. When Vince is telling Jules about the Royale with Cheese vice Quater Pounder with Cheese, Tarantino was just preparing Americans for the day when we could walk into what is arguebly the most famous artmuseum in the world and order “la Big Mac.”
If only Vincent would have gone into a Burger King, I’d know what they call a Whopper in Europe.
To the extent that this art historian’s anguish over the new branch of Mcdonalds is fueled by a resentment of the free enterprise system, disdain for America, and belief in the importance of cultural gatekeepers to guard against the vulgarity the marketplace; to exactly that extent I hope that the Louvre Mcdonalds fills him or her with a sense of cultural emasculation and despair.
In fact a mean-spirited, petty part of me wishes that the new Mcdonalds is soon joined by a Burger King, a KFC and a Subway and that the operations of the Louvre giftshop is handed to an American chainstore, just to upset people like this some more.
Of course if I have his motivations completely wrong then none of this applies.
Ah, I was confused by the sub head.
I remember being a bit peed off at having to order a McD in French in Brussels a few years back. Felt to me like the Francophones were trying to have their gateaux and eat it.
Hell, why stop there? A Wendy’s, a Red Rooster, a La Porchetta, a Fasta Pasta and an Outback Steakhouse need to open there as well.
Not familiar with the latter few? They’re Aussie chains.
I’d laugh my head off if the 3rd and 4th open in Rome, though…
Gotta agree with Verity about the UN, Michael. On no account should that crooked operation soil the relatively pristine organisations of McD or Starbucks!
What, there is a belief I was serious? Gosh.
Gregory, are you talking of a different Outback?
Not only free but also clean.
Whenever I’m traveling abroad that’s what I’m using McDonalds for, so I’m grateful for their existence.
I never ate in a McDonald.
“the best meal I have ever eaten in an airport terminal was in Italy”
The best meal I have ever eaten in an airport terminal was in Koh Samui airport. It’s not your average airport. I’m also fond of any airport that has an R-Burger. But I’ll certainly settle for McDonald’s and Starbucks.
My best was in Montreal.
Jacob, you (apparently regularly) make use of McDonalds’ sanitary facilities but you’ve never eaten there? Not even once? If I actually believed that were true I’d call you lousy mooch. As it is I’ll just call you a faux food snob.
And between Mickie D’s and Starbucks I’ll take the former any day. Starbucks has bad coffee, snobby employees and outrageously overpriced fare; what’s there to like?
Laird: I’m sure Jacob bought a soda which would certainly exonerate him of lousy moochiness 🙂 I will say though that MD’s sanitary facilities are somewhat superior to their food (unlike Jacob, I have eaten there). I cannot comment on SB as I am not big on coffee.
Speaking of “The Da Vinci Code”, restaurant menus in the western US often include “Roast beef, with au jus”.
Starbucks provide a relatively calm, air-conditioned environment with comfortable chairs in which to sit down. If I am in an unfamiliar foreign place (particularly one in the tropics) this can be helpful for a respite for half an hour before heading back out into the city.
In countries without traditions of espresso based coffee they provide better coffee that was available previously and which I find tolerable. In countries with such traditions, their product works far less well. They entered the Australian market assuming it was similar to the UK or the US and failed terribly, as Australia has had superb coffee for decades thanks to all the Italians who arrived in the 1950s and 1960s.
McDonald’s provide surprisingly good coffee, at least in those restaurants that have a separately branded “McCafe” counter. Amusingly, this actually comes out of that Australian coffee culture, as the concept was invented by McDonald’s Australian operation (in Melbourne, easily Australia’s best cafe city) before being exported.
I just returned from Paris. skipped the louvre, but right across from the versailles train station is a McDonalds and a Starbucks. Had starbucks before and McD’s after – had to order a Royal with Cheese -. Both had clean bathrooms. But, I have not eaten in a McD’s in the US in many years.
“Not even once?”
Well, I must confess that once I ate at the McDonald in The Smithsonian air and space museum in Washington. It was the only restaurant on the premises.
I also accompanied my children a couple of times, they ate, but I only stole from them some french fries. And, no Alisa, I don’t drink sodas either.
And, no Alisa, I don’t drink sodas either.
In a French McDonald’s this is not a problem, as one can simply order a beer.
Heh, I see not all McDs are created equal – in the US it is unheard of: it is literally a family restaurant after all.
And, no Alisa, I don’t drink sodas either.
Ah, so lousy mooch it is!
I don’t get it and I’m happy to throw them a few bucks for keeping a clean toilet. It’s not like they’re going to get rich or I’m not going to the poorhouse by throwing ’em few bucks for a tasty burger, fries and a drink. Even at Euro prices.
Of course, I’m rather fond of McDs and BK as well (probably more so) but then I grew up as they did (when they were competing with Robby’s and Henry’s – and TenderMaid, an unfair fight that).
Alisa: Ach, wrong name. I meant Outback Jacks Bar & Grill.
Macca’s in OZ offer the McOz, which is pretty much your standard burger with beetroot. And bacon.
To be honest, I have yet to see a fast food joint offer beer. In Australia, your local Mom-and-Pop fast food joint will, but not the large establishments. Pizza places will, of course. And almost all food outlets have some form of BYO.
Some of the McD’s in Ontario, Quebec and border states in the US carry poutine on their menus. Poutine, an unbelievably hideous combo of fries, curd cheeses and sauce – aka – gravy is so ghastly it’s certain to be un succes mondial if the McD local sign on goes global.
“Well, I must confess that once I ate at the McDonald in The Smithsonian air and space museum in Washington. It was the only restaurant on the premises.”
As someone who loves the Smithsonian, that “restaurant” is an abomination. Air & Space used to have its own proprietary restaurant, before it sold out to Mickey D’s.
I don’t even have anything against McDonalds, but having one there is both inappropriate (as it is in the Louvre), and exploitative since Air & Space is a kid-oriented museum and McDonalds expressly advertises to children.
And speaking of exploitation, the prices at that McDonalds are double what you pay at the free-standing McDonalds a block down the street for the same thing. You don’t even get a souvenir cup or anything.
So please, for the love of God, DON’T EVER EAT THERE!
PS: If it were a legitimate fundraising exercise, I would be much less peeved. But the Smithsonian is so bloated and corrupt that I doubt a single dollar raised from the agreement with McDonalds actually goes toward funding the Smithsonian’s alleged mission.