# The "Things I remember about McDonalds" Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730 "2003-02-22T05:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![penny\_dreadful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@penny\_dreadful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penny_dreadful)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/41 "2003-02-22T21:30:17Z")
I remember Shanghai McNuggets, which came with sweet ‘n’ sour sauce and a set of chopsticks. We were on a road trip, and I begged my mom to get them, even though I wouldn’t eat the McNuggets, because I wanted the chopsticks. And then there was the Chicken Salad Oriental with the little packet of chow mein noodles. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/42 "2003-02-22T22:35:20Z")
Not related to the food, but I can remember going when I was quite young (early eighties) and there would be a whole set of the glossy plastic life-sized McDonald land characters. There was a big spooky tree, and some Fry Guys too. The whole shebang was surrounded by a gate, and if you pounded on the railing it would trigger a recording from one of the characters. Anyone else remember these? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/43 "2003-02-22T22:43:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Enright3 \* > \*\*Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us… hey wait a second, I’m hijacking my own thread! \*\* IIRC, that was Burger King’s slogan, because BK would make your burger to order. McD’s wouldn’t. Robin ---
**Author:** ![merge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9f8e36/32.png) [@merge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merge)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/44 "2003-02-22T23:01:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by leafrog \* > \*\*I remember deep fried apple pies. Mmmmmmm. Now they bake them. ☹ > > Then I moved to Japan and discovered that they still deep fry their pies. 🙂 Plus, they have a wonderful thing called a bacon potato pie. > > I don’t live in Japan anymore, and can live without the deep fried apple pie, but would give anything for a bacon potato pie. > > Mmmmmm, pie. \*\* That was exactly what I was waiting for when I started reading this thread… The fried apple pies were the greatest thing in the world… I loved them… I was so upset when they started baking them… (I was probably 12 at the time) ok… I need to find a friend in Japan to mail me some… mmmm… they were so good… ---
**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/45 "2003-02-22T23:28:51Z")
I remember when lawyers convinced some folks they were overweight becuase McDonald’s hadn’t told them eating too much was bad for them. At the other end of the - err - scale. We’d sit on The Wall in Stratford, opposite McDonalds and it was about all we’d eat every weekend until our parents picked us up and took us home for dinner. Ah, those were the days… ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/46 "2003-02-23T00:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tangent \* > \*\*I remember being terribly disappointed on my trip to Rome when we went to the Pantheon–the _Pantheon_ for Pete’s sake!–and there was a McDonald’s directly across from it, not 50 yards away. \*\* You mean [like this](http://www.cavazzi.com/roman-empire/tours/empire/pics/pula/arena-pula1.jpg)? I would be disapointed to. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/47 "2003-02-23T00:15:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Proudest Monkey \* > \*\*I remember when the only things on the menu were hamburgers, cheeseburgers, filet of fish, fries (one size only), soda and shakes. You couldn’t eat in–we dined in the car in the parking lot. The building was white, yellow and red tile, and had a built in tile bench outside. There was no drive-through. And they were not ubiquitous–there was only one (gasp!) in town, and I didn’t even realize it was a chain. \*\* Same here – but I don’t recall the fillet of fish sandwich back then. However, it might just be because I didn’t like fish, so I paid no attention! I think I could get a cheeseburger and soda pop for around fifty cents back in the late 60s. Yum. When I moved to Grants Pass (in Southern Oregon) in 1973, the town had no McDonald’s. So once in a while we’d drive thrity miles just to eat there! I don’t understand the “not clean” and “slow service” complaints, but then, maybe the ones in southern Oregon are better restaurants. -Another Primate ---
**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/48 "2003-02-23T04:48:30Z")
When I was a kid, they had horrible sloping seats so you could not sit down properly. That was the first thing that put me off. Then there was the sawdust bun - even as a child I knew that bread was supposed to taste better than that. And the dried-up, tasteless burger. I went twice more, and had the psyche-scarring experience. That was back in the 80s. RIP. BTW, wasn’t it “filet o’ fish”? I particularly remember that “fillet” was spelt with one “l”. ---
**Author:** ![mrsface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@mrsface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrsface)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/49 "2003-02-23T04:51:23Z")
Sorry, should have been a “same” before “psyche-scarring”. That’ll teach me to be pretentious. ---
**Author:** ![Adoptamom\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Adoptamom\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adoptamom_II)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/50 "2003-02-23T05:05:02Z")
Working at McDonalds was my first REAL job, which I stayed with for all four years of high school. They emphasized customer service and clean dining. No computerized registers - we wrote down our orders and added them in our heads if we could and only used the order forms if it was a huge order. I still have a very, very light imprint on my forearm from a rampant fry basket hitting it right out of the grease. Milk shakes were made the old fashioned way, with a little platform we placed the cup on and lowered the mixing beater into the shake. Floors so greasy during lunch rush that we threw down stacks of paper bags on the floor in order to keep our footing - but those same floors sparkled before we closed up shop at nite. Several of the employees (myself included) would take our lunch breaks and walk across the street to Burger King while still in our McDonald’s uniforms. Our bosses protested loudly and then quietly asked us to bring them back a Whopper. We had order boards in the drive through where we used grease pencils to write the orders with. I’m getting older by the minute :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/51 "2003-02-23T05:54:33Z")
There were only a few in the inner cities when I was a kid, late 60’s early 70s, and on my Dad’s salary as a HS teacher going there was not something we did often, even at the lower costs. I seem to remember a burger being 39 cents, fries 29, and a soda kept it under a dollar. I remember the introduction of the Quarter Pounder, which seemed wicked big to a little kid. I’ll look tomorrow but I think here they’re still sold under that name. NYC gets almost all of the weird experimental stuff, and a lot of it sticks around. The veggie burger is actually pretty good, although I think they use beef flavorings. The salads are pretty new and seem pretty fresh too–the chicken caesar and some fries make a good half-balanced meal. We also get the fajitas and several kinds of chicken sandwiches here, most of which suck (I go to Wendy’s for chicken because for some reason I don’t like their burgers). I remember the Arch Deluxe and the McDLT, which was pretty pointless. The container for the latter took up most of your tray and hello, you needed to put together the damn thing to eat it. And how many people have said to themselves, damn, nice burger but the lettuce is too warm! The hickory bacon one they tried last year was terrific, but it didn’t last long. I remember orange-ade sort of shake which I loved, and the Shamrock shake. Occasionally a less busy franchise will have mocha and raspberry ones. When I lived in Boston they tried a McLobster sandwich, but let us draw a discreet curtain over the carnage and pass on… Styrofoam containers, oh yeah baby! The ones I remember had vividly colored Austin-Powers style writing all over them, and said Big Mac or Big Mac/QP With Cheese. We used to cut out the ‘with cheese’ parts and tape them to the locker of a kid who had a, uhm, gas problem. I generally don’t go but in cold weather, when you are far from home and have no place to sit and eat a deli sandwich and you’re sick of pizza, you can get something and sit inside where it’s warm to eat for under six bucks, which can be hard these days. ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/52 "2003-02-23T06:23:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mehitabel \* > \*\*When I lived in Boston they tried a McLobster sandwich, but let us draw a discreet curtain over the carnage and pass on… No! A thousand times no, let us not look away for it still exists! [http://www16.brinkster.com/kimd/McLobster.html](http://www16.brinkster.com/kimd/McLobster.html) You are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/53 "2003-02-23T06:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by raisinbread \* > \*\*No! A thousand times no, let us not look away for it still exists! > [http://www16.brinkster.com/kimd/McLobster.html](http://www16.brinkster.com/kimd/McLobster.html) > > You are welcome. \*\* NOOO! I though it had been laughed into Boston Harbor and drowned!! Oh yeah, and McDonaldland had a lot more critters in it, and they weren’t as cuddly. The Grimace, for example, was a villianous sort. ---
**Author:** ![Mirasol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Mirasol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirasol)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/54 "2003-02-23T06:27:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by belladonna \* > \*\*Not related to the food, but I can remember going when I was quite young (early eighties) and there would be a whole set of the glossy plastic life-sized McDonald land characters. There was a big spooky tree, and some Fry Guys too. The whole shebang was surrounded by a gate, and if you pounded on the railing it would trigger a recording from one of the characters. Anyone else remember these? \*\* Yep - I always got excited when visiting my cousins and we got to go to the McD’s by their house and see that talking tree. Anybody else ever encounter McDonald’s pizza? Apparently it was in limited areas. It was weird, you had to wait for them to bring it to the table–not exactly “fast” food. ---
**Author:** ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/55 "2003-02-23T06:44:31Z")
Big Mac, McDLT, a Quarter-Pounder with Cheese, Filet-O-Fish, a Hamburger, a Cheeseburger, McChicken, and McNuggets, tasty Golden Fries, regular and larger size; And salads Chef or Garden, or a Chicken Salad Oriental; And for breakfast Egg McMuffin, hot Hotcakes or Omelette, maybe Sausage or a Danish, Hashbowns too; And for desert Hot Apple Pies, a Sundaes three varieties, a soft-serve Cone, three kinds of Shakes and Chocolatey Chip Cookies; And to drink a Coca Cola, Diet Coke, an Orange drink, Sprite, Coffee and Hot Chocolate also Apple, Orange, and Grapefruit juice. I love McDonalds, Good Time, Great Taste, and I get this all at one place! Hehe, that one is ingrained in my memory for some reason… ---
**Author:** ![hyperjes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@hyperjes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyperjes)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/56 "2003-02-23T06:46:29Z")
I remember the talking tree, too. Also, I remember when “Playland” was a weird carosel thing in the back of the restaurant. I remember when the Helium machine they used to blow up party balloons was shaped like Ronald, and you put the balloon up to his mouth, so it looked like he was blowing it up. Do they still have those? The first Happy Meal toy I remember was a Ronald puppet made out of grocery store bag-type plastic. We used to fill them up and use them as water balloons.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/57 "2003-02-23T06:49:22Z")
Actually the wal-mart here has a mcd’s that has pizza in it … its just basically premade personal pizzas thats microwaved or in a toaster oven But I’ve found the mcd’s in the wal-marts to be worse than the actual mcds as they have less items and the service is worse The mcd around here claim to fame is they had some of the first big n tastys bascially a whopper ripoff … ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Harvey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@Max\_Harvey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Harvey)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/58 "2003-02-23T07:01:29Z")
I miss the old white paper bags. Very simple with just the logo. Now they’re dull brown with a bunch of promotional crap all over them. I remember the “Shanghai” McNuggets too, they also came with a fortune cookie. They just recently stopped putting McNuggets in boxes. Now you can’t get a 20-piece, it’s just two bags of 10. (Why can’t I pay extra for all white meat? The dark pieces are vile.) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/59 "2003-02-23T08:08:53Z")
I remember the golden arches, too, and when they were replaced. And IIRC there was a minor flap in some places where they didn’t think the new buildings would fit in with the local architecture. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730/60 "2003-02-23T08:22:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mrsface \* > \*\*… > BTW, wasn’t it “filet o’ fish”? I particularly remember that “fillet” was spelt with one “l”. \*\* Uhh, not in my book. Main Entry: 1 fil·let Variant(s): also fi·let 1 : a ribbon or narrow strip of material used especially as a headband 2 a : a thin narrow strip of material b : a piece or slice of boneless meat or fish; especially : the tenderloin of beef But maybe McDonald’s does spell it with only one L. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-i-remember-about-mcdonalds-thread/156730.md?page=4)