Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Let's Eat Out!
In 1965, McDonald's celebrated their 10th anniversary of business by teaming up with Melmont Publishers, Inc. to release this colorful hardcover children's book about the fun and adventurous side of "eating out." Of course, it's actually just a thinly disguised advertisment for McDonald's itself, but with its gorgeous cover painting, playful storyline and cute interior art, it still makes for a good time-- as well as tempting your tastebuds for a delicious cheeseburger and fries!
I know it's true, but it always amazes me when old McDonald's are revealed to have been run like regular restaurants. Peeling potatoes, huh? That hasn't happened in thirty years.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if their fries taste the same now as they did back in the 50's, hand peeled vs frozen. Probably not, but I still love 'em anyway.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should expect some McD bashing on this post, they seem to have become public enemy #1 for anti-fast fooders... mostly I just hope people enjoy the artwork in this book.
The art is great! Especially the inner cover/title page up there. I also like the black and white page where the family kids bring the food back to the car, making the slightly alienated German Boy walk along behind them.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would bash McDonald's, especially the hugely different locally-owned franchises of the fifties and sixties. Even in modern America they've been good employers of people with otherwise disadvantaged resumes, taking an element that most of corporate America snubs for being too old, too young, too uneducated--or too minority--and offering them rewarding careers that do not assume these traits are some kind of obstacle to getting work done. In other countries, McDonalds are still very much the family dining experience depicted here, and McDonalds is culturally sensitive enough to adapt its menu to fit nicely into partially vegetarian societies like India and Nepal.
The only real complaint I have about the company is that it promotes the consumption of quick vitamin-free carb-heavy snack food as a substitute for healthy meals--and half of that I have to blame on the US consumers who doesn't seem to understand the difference.
The upside is that, after years living in countries that do not have McDonalds locations, it looks like Bosnia and Herzegovina might get one here pretty soon. And I'll be shopping there, too, because as a US citizen I am so #@%&ing addicted to those fries it's unnatural!
Their fries most certainly do NOT taste the same. You see back before the "safety nazi" era that began in the 1970's and continue to be in now, their fries were fried - NOT in vegetable oil, but good ol' beef tallow!
ReplyDeleteTheir pies started sucking when they switched to baking them instead of...you guessed it...frying them in lard.
I know I sound like the crazy one for saying I miss this practice, but consider for a moment that your body and it's genome understand how to digest lard, we've been doing it for 2 million years, while our bodies don't know WHAT the F a "canola" is.
Absolutely thrilling. I can easily remember my dad taking us all in the car (a Ford Falcon) to McDonalds. It was so exotic, hip, and so cool. The whole family could eat right in the car! The one we went to had this neon sign of a little man in a chef's hat walking under the golden arches. Plus - I loved their cheesburgers! Still do. It was such a fantastic treat.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story into the bargain (and of course, great art!) Salsbury steak as cure all! I always suspected.
This is a neat book! I have a good friend who collects McDonalds stuff and he will love to see this because I am sure he doesn't have it.
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's actually used to have good old unadulterated food. Now their buns contain plaster of Paris (no joke--google it!) and their meat is frozen rather than fresh ground. Sigh. But I still occasionally put a Big Mac into my body. I can't help that I like the way the frozen meat tastes on the plaster of Paris bun.
ReplyDeleteI do love this book though. That is one thing that is certain!
>promotes the consumption of quick vitamin-free carb-heavy snack food as a substitute for healthy meals
ReplyDeleteThey introduced salads and apple slices instead of fries a while back, at least it's the good carbs, right? And another great comment Mr C, it's interesting to hear about McDs from other countries-- you've certainly been to enough of them to know!
>fried - NOT in vegetable oil, but good ol' beef tallow!
If I have any real gripe against any fast food chain it would be that KFC does not taste ANYTHING like it used to. I've noticed the chicken itself (original recipe) slowly losing a few of those famous herbs and spices or something. And don't get me started on the gravy for the potatoes! It's like flavorless, runny dishwater now.
>had this neon sign of a little man in a chef's hat walking under the golden arches. Plus - I loved their cheesburgers!
Cool flashback, Mykal, I love their burgers still too... I have similar memories of McDs as well as Burger Chef. And there's a McDs in Hollywood CA on Sunet Blvd that still has the old neon sign you're talking about too!
>I have a good friend who collects McDonalds stuff and he will love to see this because I am sure he doesn't have it.
Thanks Anon, send him on over-- we'll serve him up just right!
>I can't help that I like the way the frozen meat tastes on the plaster of Paris bun.
I might just take a bite out of the wall now Facey, as soon as I stop laughing!
Great comments friends, glad you all came over for lunch and dinner with AEET today!
@ mr. cavin: That hasn't happened in 50 years.
ReplyDeletePommeDG: well we are both a little off, apparently (though you are a closer than I am). Ray Kroc contracted the Simplot Company to begin selling frozen, parboiled potato products to McDonald's restaurants in 1967, though the practice did not become universal until the mid-seventies. It is my understanding that those restaurants farther from the supply chain, or equipped with outdated storage and kitchen space, held onto those older fine-dining practices as long as possible. The real push to standardize McDonald's product from coast to coast didn't happen until the burger wars of the very early eighties, and even now there is hardly any standardization abroad.
ReplyDeletei know this is all about McDonald's and all that but i really love the illustration of the chinese restaurant! and all the cars. even the teeny weeny little black and white ones in the small faroff pic.
ReplyDelete:)
This post, just like McDs-- will never die! :)
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