DISCLAIMER: The following blog is written totally independently from McDonald’s Corporation. Great Tastes of America is a registered trademark and I am not associated with the product line in any way. I am not seeking to promote or disparage the American fast food giant in any way, shape or form. All opinions expressed below are personal to me and my Socialist background. I should add that anything written on these blogs should be taken with a pinch of salt – sachets available from McDonald’s counters.
In the first of a new series, I will be eating and reviewing the Great Tastes of America range of burgers from popular fast food chain, McDonald’s.
I am unhappy about this for a number of reasons – from calories to Capitalism – but it is a good writing mechanism for me to hang my anger at modern society upon. I will be forcing fast food meals down my fat face for the next 12 weeks (one every fortnight) while discussing everything that I find unappetising about the modern world we live in.
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The first Taste of America burger is The New York Stack. This is a burger made up of two 100% beef burgers with bacon, pickles, cheese, tomato ketchup, chunky coleslaw, mustard and lettuce in a sesame seed bagel.
This was a very nice burger. I am not going to go over the top, but the pickle in this burger did remind me of the time I enjoyed in Tom’s Restaurant, New York City back in 1999.
The exterior of the diner featured in popular TV sitcom, Seinfeld. Inside was a traditional NYC diner and a massive, greasy burger was polished off, no problem. It was helped by the fact that it was served with a massive gherkin on the side of the burger and fries, that added acidic sweetness to compliment the mountain of meat I had been served.
It didn’t compare to my experience in ’99, as the meat was not as substantial and there was no romance after trudging through an anonymous town in North Wales, to get my hands on the same burger that was being peddled across our bland, identikit nation.
As I am trying to eat sensibly, I only opted for the regular sized burger, and fries while managing to resist the Nacho Cheese Wedges and Aero Peppermint McFlurry. I don’t want to totally ruin my health and my taste-buds while writing this series of blogs. Instead, I want to use these reviews – of what are ultimately unsatisfying mouthfuls of future faeces – to lead me into a discussion of all the unappetising aspects of modern life. There are many, and the only question I need to ask is, ‘where the bloody hell should I start?’
*****
I’m alone, depressed and angry. I’m abandoned and left to struggle without the support needed to live independently, despite campaigning tirelessly for four years to help others.
I won’t go into detail ATM as I am without typing support and am both hungry and thirsty – I can access water bottles, but can’t drink as my urinal is three-quarters full of steaming hot piss and needs emptying before being used again.
Instead, I want to share a bible story with you all from the little known book of Nathan, pose the question “Who is my neighbor?” and ask YOU if this is the kind of selfish society that you always dreamt of?
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In the Gospel of Nathan, the parable is introduced by a question, known as the Great Commandment:
Behold, a certain person stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to become a decent human?”
He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
He answered, “You shall love all people regardless of gender, race, religion with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.”
He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live. You may want to draw the line at Tory cabinet members and hatemongers such as Farage, Trump and Robinson. I think that’s fair enough.”
But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Nathan, “Who is my neighbour?”
— Nathan 10:25-29,
Nathan replies with a story:
“A certain man was going down from Stansty to Rhosddu, and he fell among Conservative and Independent councillors AKA robbers, who stripped him of mental and physical well-being, leaving him half dead. By chance a wealthy banker was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. In the same way a Welshman also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Cestrian as he travelled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two quid for he was last of the big spenders, gave the coin to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”
He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Nathan said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Did he listen? Did he fuck.— Nathan 10:30–37
