Fast Food Nation

August 7th, 2009

Considering that a lot of the day was spent by students trying to "feel better" after their trip to abbey, we as a whole felt that today would be the best to compare the greasy fast food in America with that in Wien. On the way to the catacombs in the morning I went with some of the girls to McDonald's, which in America has a reputation for being fast, quick and greasy. Fast food is very different in Europe than in the United States because when you order the food you stay in line (or at the counter) until it is brought to you. The food options are pretty much the same world over except for minor differences that lean to the national cuisine. At McDonald's I ate an Egg McMuffin and Fanta, which tasted exactly the same as in America EXCEPT for the Fanta. European Fanta is AMAZING! It tastes like fruit juice with fizzy water rather than high fructose corn syrup and orange flavoring. As you can see, I am a big fan.

Something that I thought was interesting about the McDonald's I ate at in Wien was the decor. There were hard wood floor, comfortable benches and tables to sit at, artwork on the walls and big screen televisions playing the music "hits" (aka a lot of Michael Jackson). This is a complete contrast to stores in the United States with their unwelcoming plastic neon red and yellow booths and swivel chairs. I felt like I could spend the day inside the McDonald's in Wien to sit and talk with friends, while locally I can't wait to get out of the door. For a lack of a better word, the McDonald's in Wien felt classy.

This changed a little bit, however, when Jan and I decided to try out the menu at Burger King. The Burger King was clearly more westernized, with a motif of football players and scrimmages. The food was once again the same as in the states, but it didn't feel as "classy" as the McDonald's that I had ate at earlier in the day. (I can't believe I've used the word classy and McDonald's in the same sentence twice in this blog!) I feel like this could also have to do with the area that the restaurants are located, since the McDonald's was in a "rich area" of town in Stephansplatz while Burger King was in a more urbanized area of Simmering. There was a lot more begging for scraps and food and drink at Simmering, which reminded me of home but at the same time made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Although I see poverty nearly everyday in downtown Sacramento it is still difficult to see a child wondering in the trash at a fast food restaurant while his mother is looking in to see his progress.