Last week had us visit Athens, Greece. Per the namesake of this blog, I indulged €5.85 to purchase the signature item at a Greek McDonald's: the Greek Mac™. Since this is my first text-based digestion of a 'Happy Meal,' it's appropriate to make a few notes that will inform future McPosts.
McDonald's does an excellent job with making money. This goal means that the menus from country to country see great variation. A 'core' menu may consist of McNuggets and Big Macs, but every nationality finds items that cater to unique consumer expectations. The Big Mac occupies the top position of every menu I've seen thus far, but what's more interesting is the No. 2 item: the Americanized expression of a unique, national food culture.
The Greek Mac™:
We had the pleasure to meet a man named George, who served us gyros daily for the week we stayed in Athens. In that time we learned well what a gyro meant. A gyro (pictured) consists of five vital ingredients: (1) warm or toasted pita bread; (2) smeared tzatziki sauce (a yogurt-based, cucumber infused cirrus cloud of gustatory pleasure); (3) carved meat; (4) tomatoes; and (5) onions. While I claim no expertise in Greek cuisine, I will assert that it's nearly impossible to make my mouth water at the sight of a gyro that's been thrown together with garbage ingredients. I mean to say that, like all food, quality matters: not only quality of ingredients, but of preparation and service, too.
I should rephrase my earlier judgment. The Greek Mac isn't a mangled attempt to commoditize the Greek gyro. Instead, it's a successful attempt at doing so. I mean to say that the cultural integrity of the menu item has fallen victim to profit-maximizing, liberal economic ideologies. In the end, we get to enjoy something delicious, sure, but what's really Greek about it? My verdict: nothing at all.
Terms and Conditions:
I am, by no means, a purist when it comes to my fast food. I am, however, learning how to approach life through the critical perspective of a social scientist and international affairs scholar. More than that, I am working toward becoming a global citizen. My conclusions here only intend to support the claim that cultural variation exists (McDonald's isn't the same everywhere), and the cultures the corporation caricatures are much more complex than any menu may purport. What is interesting to me is how the menu item came to be and what its features may tell.
Many edits to come, but help me out by asking me questions to clarify my claims, please. Anyone may comment, and it is anonymous.
McDonald's does an excellent job with making money. This goal means that the menus from country to country see great variation. A 'core' menu may consist of McNuggets and Big Macs, but every nationality finds items that cater to unique consumer expectations. The Big Mac occupies the top position of every menu I've seen thus far, but what's more interesting is the No. 2 item: the Americanized expression of a unique, national food culture.
The Greek Mac™:
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| The Greek Mac (TM) |
We had the pleasure to meet a man named George, who served us gyros daily for the week we stayed in Athens. In that time we learned well what a gyro meant. A gyro (pictured) consists of five vital ingredients: (1) warm or toasted pita bread; (2) smeared tzatziki sauce (a yogurt-based, cucumber infused cirrus cloud of gustatory pleasure); (3) carved meat; (4) tomatoes; and (5) onions. While I claim no expertise in Greek cuisine, I will assert that it's nearly impossible to make my mouth water at the sight of a gyro that's been thrown together with garbage ingredients. I mean to say that, like all food, quality matters: not only quality of ingredients, but of preparation and service, too.
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| Gyros, Courtesy Wikimedia |
| The Greek Mac is a mangled attempt to commoditize the Greek gyro. The 'pita' is neither fresh nor pita, but rather a focaccia-textured wrap (if I'm being honest, I'd say an herbed version of the Taco Bell Chalupa shell). Next comes the sauce, which tips its hat to the creamy tang of the mayonnaise-based Mac Sauce rather than yogurty tzatziki. Of course the sandwich wouldn't be complete without a couple 10:1 patties reminiscent of its Big Mac namesake. Veggies are there and good. |
Terms and Conditions:
I am, by no means, a purist when it comes to my fast food. I am, however, learning how to approach life through the critical perspective of a social scientist and international affairs scholar. More than that, I am working toward becoming a global citizen. My conclusions here only intend to support the claim that cultural variation exists (McDonald's isn't the same everywhere), and the cultures the corporation caricatures are much more complex than any menu may purport. What is interesting to me is how the menu item came to be and what its features may tell.
Many edits to come, but help me out by asking me questions to clarify my claims, please. Anyone may comment, and it is anonymous.
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