Source: Instagram
I refuse to go to a Starbucks or McDonald’s when I’m abroad. I also refuse when I’m in my home country, but especially abroad. Parasitic franchisees.
As much as I want to avoid McDonald’s, they are (were?) often the only fair-priced food place when you’re in a large, touristic area.
I’m going to bring up Taiwan again, specifically Taipei. Food there is amazing and cheap and I’m honestly shocked that the couple McDonald’s I saw can stay in business. There are restaurants and food stalls every 10 feet. You can get a full meal in a couple minutes (or seconds depending on the stall) for like $2usd even in the touristy areas
It depends on the location. I admit I’ve been to McDonald’s in Asia, just because my stomach couldn’t take the pain anymore. The price of a small menu was the same as a full meal elsewhere, but they treat you like you’re in a fancy place.
It’s kind of hard sometimes. They’ve basically cornered the market on fast food. Local fast food places do exist, but they are rare.
Maybe in the US. Go to London and you’ll get some really good takeaway from Indian, Pakistani, West Indies, and many other nationalities that are so much better than Mc Donalds. Same goes for pretty much any place outside of the US. Walk into pretty much any bakery in France, Croatia, Lithuania, Finland or Poland and they’ll have better stuff.
For health reasons I stopped eating fast food more than 10 years ago. I’m still amazed so many people do. It feels like something you do when you’re a kid to me. I know it’s not that way for many. It is very unhealthy food though. I highly recommend not going. Best of luck.
Fast food is very definitely unhealthy, but eating it in the rare instance when you have 20 minutes to find food and eat isn’t that bad.
Rule of traveling: never eat anywhere you can back home (which is pretty much any chain restaurant)
I ate at the first ever Carl’s Jr in Japan right after it opened because it’d been 3 weeks since I’d been home and was dying for some home food
Walk in and it’s themed after LA and SACRAMENTO (home) of all places, and there was a California expat family eating there so we sat next to them and raced about how the food tasted just like home but s little better
Then the news can say and interviewed the lady and her son
Sometimes it’s worth visiting those places lol
Can confirm food in Japan is just better even at the same fast food restaurants.
McDonald’s is the one restaurant that I will eat at internationally because they have different menu items. It is interesting to see what is popular in that country and the local interpretation of American culture. But even then it’s one and done and only if I absolutely have to eat a quick meal to make a reservation or something
Tbf, I want to go to Kuwait just for the Taco Bell (and then maybe swing by the Afghan/Pakistan border to check out the market and buy some cool hand engraved shit, but,) Kuwait is the only country that has Volcano Tacos still. I want to bring home, portion out, and freeze an entire bag of that fucking sauce and then I can turn taco bell here into Volcano Tacos (without the red shell but who cares, the secret’s in the sauce.)
Kuwait is not near Afghanistan or Pakistan. You’re mixing up two different US wars ;)
It has borders with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and almost Iran.
I was in the US Navy and you would be surprised at how many people will say things like that and eat at chili’s or whatever else when there is something perfectly good and new (to you) to try. Just never understood why some of the people I served with insulated themselves from seeing and experiencing new things.
Corporate colonialism turning the world into shit
I’ve been traveling for a long time. Easily one of the worst a things I’ve seen happening culturally is globalization of brands that “dumb down” local foods and crafts. Doesn’t matter where you go, particularly the westernized world, it’s the same shit everywhere. The same brands. Even some of the food is moving towards sameness. Want to find a local gift to bring home? Good luck. It’s all the same stuff made in China, each store has the same stuff on the shelves.
You’ll have better luck outside the metro areas, but usually if you’re traveling to see the sights they are often in more metro/touristy areas.
The first night my wife and I visited Tokyo, we went to a Burger King. Still ashamed of myself 14 years later.