# So, I stopped at McDonald's. it had been a while **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027 "2016-05-29T19:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/21 "2016-05-30T02:17:43Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I gave up McDonalds after a friend cooked me a burger using decent meat. It was gorgeous. So, what do you do when you want to grab a quick bite on the run? Drop by your friend’s? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/22 "2016-05-30T02:23:03Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You don’t get a Big Mac when you want a burger. You only get a Big Mac when you specifically want a Big Mac. This. A home grilled hamburger is better in every possible way and yet sometimes I still crave a Big Mac even though I know my guts will make me regret it. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/23 "2016-05-30T04:40:13Z")
The only part of the Big Mac that is worth it is the Big Mac sauce. I will typically order a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese and ask them to dress it like a Mac. I think those magic words, “dress it like a Mac” can be used on any burger. In my case, it means they make the Quarter Pounder with the Mac sauce, cheese, pickles, onion, lettuce and cut the mustard and ketchup. Not a bad choice versus the Big Mac and all that bread. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/24 "2016-05-30T05:07:33Z")
For Big Mac sauce, take Thousand Island dressing & add horseradish & dill pickle relish to taste. I like adding a bit more of both beyond the Big Mac taste. I’ll bring home a Big Mac & add horseradish sauce & dill relish. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/25 "2016-05-30T05:29:40Z")
You aren’t imaging things. The formula has changed somehow, both in terms of flavor (way blander) and texture (wetter and looser, which are really not good descriptors for any food product ever). I am also very nostalgic for the McNuggets of my youth, which were mostly dark meat and gristle. The new ‘premium’ chicken is tasteless. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/26 "2016-05-30T05:34:38Z")
Lest I get accused of threadshitting again… Big Macs are awesome! Gah! “Fast food snobs.” “I have good taste because I like 5 guys”, or your friend’s house, or whatever new trendoid burger place you’ve found. It’s still a freakin’ hamburger, not haute cusine. And Red Robin is good, too. And Steak n Shake, and Big Boy, and Islands, and even Burger King. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/27 "2016-05-30T05:52:39Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Next time, if there is a next time, try the Deluxe Quarter Pounder. It’s like a Whopper without the awful chemically “charbroiled” flavor additive. You have a very _interesting_ view of the world. This is the first time that I’ve heard of fire being called a “flavor additive.” Although fire is a chemical reaction, so I guess I’ve give you that part. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/28 "2016-05-30T05:55:29Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Also, the Big Mac has probably the highest ratio of “bun to meat” of any of their products. It is mostly bland white bread and chopped iceberg lettuce. On those occasions I stop at McDonald’s, I have written the Big Mac off my list of options. You should try eating it the way the Russians do: one layer at a time. They pick those suckers apart, they do. Probably tastes better, since they’re not getting all that white bun at once. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/29 "2016-05-30T06:09:30Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > . . . Gah! “Fast food snobs.” “I have good taste because I like 5 guys”, or your friend’s house, or whatever new trendoid burger place you’ve found. It’s still a freakin’ hamburger, not haute cusine. . . . You’re excluding the middle. Or something. McDonald’s hamburgers are about one sixma to the “less” side of the bell curve between less appetizing and more appetizing. They’re below average, but not by a whole damn lot. They’re not bad because they aren’t hip, trendy, or haute cuisine; they’re bad because they’re CHEAP. They’re made with the absolute minimum investment of expense, which means quality. They’re “okay, I guess,” but there’s a HELL of a lot of wiggle room between McD’s and “high end burgers.” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/30 "2016-05-30T06:15:12Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > You have a very _interesting_ view of the world. This is the first time that I’ve heard of fire being called a “flavor additive.” . . . It is widely believed by many that BK adds the smoky flavor artificially, with “liquid smoke” or some kind of powder. Googling turns up lots of such accusations, but (naturally) no proof. No “smoking bun.” ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/31 "2016-05-30T07:06:26Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > You should try eating it the way the Russians do: one layer at a time. They pick those suckers apart, they do. Probably tastes better, since they’re not getting all that white bun at once. I sense that if I ate a Big Mac like that in the United States, I would be reported to the authorities and asked to leave. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/32 "2016-05-30T07:08:20Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > Maybe I am just a food snob, but I was moving from one job site to another and I thought I would just get something quick. > > I got a Big Mac meal with fries and a soft drink. > > The burger had almost no flavor at all. It was incredibly bland. The two limp pickle slices were about all that I could taste. The rest was just texture. > > When did this happen? They have never been top of the list, but the food was at least edible. I feel the same way about almost all fast food. I remember when going to Burger King or Wendy’s was a bit of a treat. Now the food just tastes bland and starchy. Not that I have a more refined palate; I eat plenty of questionable food at home. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/33 "2016-05-30T07:15:15Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > It is widely believed by many that BK adds the smoky flavor artificially, with “liquid smoke” or some kind of powder. Googling turns up lots of such accusations, but (naturally) no proof. > > No “smoking bun.” My problem with BK is often the burgers I get there are too dry. Anyway, time for my “So, I stopped at McDonald’s, it had been a while” story. The last time I got a burger at McD’s was five years ago when they temporarily brought back their double cheeseburgers. The double cheeseburger had been my favorite item on their menu so, when I saw they’d brought it back, I decided to get one. However, it had been nearly a decade since I had any McDonald’s burgers and that fact became apparent when I immediately noticed how salty it tasted. It was liked they let it soak in brine for several hours before cooking it. Since then, aside from getting their coffee a few times, I haven’t bought any food at McDonald’s. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/34 "2016-05-30T07:29:41Z")
If they offered the McRib 24/7, I’d go there a couple times a day. ---
**Author:** ![btcg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@btcg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btcg)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/35 "2016-05-30T07:39:44Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > You can never go home again: > > If McDonald’s used to be acceptable (or even tasty) to you, and then over time your palate became more refined. If you try to go back to McDonald’s after a long stretch, the experience is not going to be as pleasant as the last time you were there. > For example, I used to love me some Apple Jacks when I was a kid. One day, I was feeling nostalgic and bought myself a box as an adult… Bleh!! Shit was nasty! Same with a LOT of food items I’ve tried that with over the years. No… their food has gone seriously south. I recall hearing in the late 1970’s that McDonalds was experimenting with their beef: incorporating south American beef into their products. The now claim to use strictly north American beef, but it’s no matter: the fact that they experimented at all proves that they’re looking for ways to cut corners whenever possible. Shaving a few pennies here and there added up to millions in excess profits. BUT… they’ve screwed themselves: people are no longer going there at the rate they once did. ---
**Author:** ![btcg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@btcg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/btcg)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/36 "2016-05-30T07:42:06Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > If they offered the McRib 24/7, I’d go there a couple times a day. Like them boiled ribs, eh? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/37 "2016-05-30T11:24:27Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Gorgeous? Did you eat it? Or just look at it? 😃 I looked at it, smelt it, then ate it (savouring every mouthful.) 😃 > [@Spud](#): > > Was that really the first home cooed burger you have had? > > I get really good burger meat and grill them every week or so, but I’ll still eat a Big Mac in a pinch with no complaints. It was the first time I’d eaten a McDonalds and a home-cooked burger the same day. So I had a good comparison. > [@cochrane](#): > > So, what do you do when you want to grab a quick bite on the run? Drop by your friend’s? I’m a retired teacher, so can take my time ordering and eating. 🆒 When I had to feed a bunch of pupils (e.g. the chess team), McDonalds was a good choice. It was quick, clean and the kids thought it was a treat. Having eaten not just home-cooked burgers but also Filet Mignon, I can leave McDonalds alone now. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/38 "2016-05-30T11:28:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > You don’t get a Big Mac when you want a burger. You only get a Big Mac when you specifically want a Big Mac. Yep. If I want a hamburger, I grill some fresh ground beef/ground steak/ground veal until it is _just barely_ medium rare. I toast the bun and grill some sliced onion. I slice a ripe, red tomato. I top the sandwhich with either a sunnyside up egg or some avocado. But sometimes I don’t want a hamburger. Sometimes I want a Big Mac. It’s a rare, once every so often craving that a hamburger doesn’t satisfy. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/39 "2016-05-30T12:45:24Z")
Why can’t McDonald’s wrap all their burgers in wax paper like God intended? I hate scooping a burger out of a fucking box. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027/40 "2016-05-30T12:52:58Z")
The Whopper is the only fast food burger that doesn’t taste like nothing to me. I still love Whoppers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-stopped-at-mcdonalds-it-had-been-a-while/756027.md?page=3)