Link: http://spacing.ca/wire/?p=2861

I just read on Spacing that my favorite McDonald's in Toronto is being torn down to build a condo! The McDonald's in question is the big one opposite the ROM at Bloor and Avenue rd. It is also well known around the world as the McDonald's where a drunk Ashlee Simpson went nuts a few months ago. The building is really cool and unique looking, and even though the condo they are building will have a new McDonald's you can pretty much guarantee that it won't be anywhere close to as nice as this one.

Never before has anything ever gotten me this angry and fired-up! Help stop this terrible injustice and save this historic McDonald's while there is still time!! Join my new Facebook Group and help the cause!!! Fight the power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Go Remy

I'm also kind of partial to this one.

Super-Size What? The Big Mac Turns 40
McDonald's opened a Big Mac Museum to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the world's most popular burger.

Controversy surrounds creation of first Big Mac
Sadly, the location chosen for the Big Mac Museum sparked a big controversy. Instead of putting it in Uniontown, where the Big Mac was first invented, the museum was built at a McDonald's in the nearby town of North Huntingdon. This story also reveals that the almost forgotten character of Sheriff Big Mac may in fact be based on an actual person!

Half-price Big Mac to fight global warming proves big hit in Japan
McDonald's Japan is offering its Big Macs for 150 yen (1.3 dollars), about half the normal price, to anyone demonstrating a commitment to preventing climate change. The demand was so strong that it caused a Japanese government website to knocked offline from all the traffic.

Order a Big Mac from your cell phone
In Korea you can now skip the line, order a Big Mac and pay for it using your cell phone.

Stadium treks take Big Mac king Gorske far and wide
Finally, my idol Dan Gorske is on a new quest. The world's biggest Big Mac fan is now trying to eat one in every stadium in the United States.

BIG MAC FUN FACTS:

The Big Mac was introduced in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, one of McDonald's earliest franchisees. It sold for 49 cents.

One Big Mac has 540 calories, 260 calories from fat, 29 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 1,040 milligrams of sodium and 45 grams of carbohydrates. It also has 25 grams of protein, 25 grams of calcium and 25 grams of iron.

There are 178 sesame seeds on the Big Mac bun. The bottom part of the
bun is called the “heel.” The top part of the bun is called the “crown.”
“Build” is the official term to describe how the sandwich is made.

The Big Mac Fanlisting, fan.atsparkys.com/bigm/, is a site dedicated to those who love the Big Mac. The rule to join is simple: Be a fan of the Big Mac.

A typical French McDonald's.



The New York Times has an interesting interview today with Denis Hennequin, the top executive at McDonald's France. He talks about the challenges of operating the quintessential American restaurant in a snobby country hostile to American culture. Read it here.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViglRhgD_K4&search=ronald%20mcdonald

I found on You Tube this historic McDonald's Commercial from 1963 that first introduced the world to Ronald McDonald, played appropriately enough by future Today Show weatherman Willard Scott. You can see some images from his other strange spots here, including one where he forces a kid to eat McDonald's food from his magical tray even after the boy tells Ronald that he's not supposed to talk to strangers.

Link: http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=63146

So McDonald's in the UK has launched a new bigger Big Mac as a special promotion for the World Cup. This has gotten quite a bit of press, and of course has prompted the usual McHaters to bash McDonald's for making their food more fattening. Apparently the patties on these burgers are 40% bigger than the normal kind. Judging by the photo however they don't look any bigger to me. Even if it really is 40% bigger, that's still way smaller than the Double Big Mac which has been around for ages in Canada and the US. Israel also has a new World Cup item of its own, the Royal Mondial.

Enjoying a 'Spicy Whopper' and fries in Shanghai.


I mentioned a few weeks ago in this post that the Forbidden City in Beijing is actually home to a small Starbucks coffee shop. While there was no McDonald's or KFC along side it yet, they weren't too hard to find outside its foreboding red walls. In fact, western fast food options in China are just as good if not better than they are in Japan. Here are some of the other chains Kate and I spotted in Beijing and Shanghai:

Read more »

This has to be one of the most brilliant innovations in fast food to come along in the last 30 years! A cup lid with a deep dent for fry storage allowing you to carry both food and drink in one hand. So simple, yet so ingenious. I wish I could meet the person at MOS Burger responsible and shake his or her hand.



I can't help but wonder why a Japanese fast food company would come out with such a thing in a country where walking and eating at once is taboo. Could this be some kind of secret ploy to start of a new revolution in Japanese culture? I hope so, but sadly I fear that the MOS Walker will most likely be overlooked and lost to the ages.