Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 440 posts

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#241

Post by greenspot »

the_af wrote: post #236
greenspot wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> with hamburgers from smaller, non-franchise restaurants Sorry to disagree here. I think yes, there are definitely many non-franchise burger places doing fantastic burgers but I haven't seen any clearly superior. Yes different in taste but superior? No. And very often, they lack the perfection level of McDonalds. You often get 'over-engineered' burgers, too thick, to much salad, too sticky whole grain non-typical bu…

Well, obviously this is a matter of taste, and by definition subjective, so I'm not saying you're wrong and I'm right, but... ...I'm speechless at our level of disagreement. This truly surprises me, to the point I've always assumed everyone acknowledged McDonald's food was trash, it's just that it's sometimes so damn convenient. To me, McDonald's burgers taste like cardboard. They definitely don't taste like meat. A…

on mobile, so i keep it short. re the fries you are misinformed, just google, either HN or Reddit, a guy there deconstructed the recipe, their way of preparing fries (they freeze them two times) is very sophistcated, better than frying fresh potatoes and not close to the cardboard fries McCain produces.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#242

Post by redthrow »

Erik816 wrote: post #98
tetromino_ wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your kids are your kids and it's your choice how to raise them given your financial and time constraints, but teaching a 3-year-old to associate comfort and happiness with unhealthy food doesn't strike me as the wisest decision. When they are old enough and responsible enough for their bodies, they might decide on their own that they enjoy nicotine, corn syrup, salt, starch, and fry oil - but why bias them towards su…

You are pretty much describing the liberal guilt trip that is keeping him from occasionally taking his kids to McDonalds. It's pretty clear it's not the healthiest thing you can eat. It's also probably true that you should teach your kids that if, once in a while, they eat something that is not optimally nutritious (say, on a road trip or as a special treat) they are not going to die.

Yeah, Don Gorske ate nothing but Big Mac for many years, and he's still alive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Gorske

I feel like if people skip sugary drinks and large fries they are eating better at McDonald's than most people eat at home.

http://www.marketplace.org/2013/07/03/sustainability/freakon...

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#243

Post by dreamdu5t »

jernfrost wrote: post #157

Bizarre how the article seems to present this as a hopeful and positive thing about McDonalds. To me it is just another indicator of how broken American society is. A fast food place serving terrible and unhealthy food is becoming a gathering place for poor people who are probably the ones most in need of a healthier and better lifestyle. It is also a sad reminder of how society has gone so utterly wrong when the che…

What makes it a cultural wasteland, exactly? Where are people supposed to be socializing, if not the place they like to eat? Mass production is what enables McDonald's to provide good food at super cheap prices. Probably the best food value for your money in the entire USA.

McDonald's food isn't unhealthy as part of a balanced diet. It's no less healthy than chipotle if you're getting a soda. I don't eat there but McDonald's is simply amazing for providing so much great food at rock-bottom prices.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#244

Post by dangoor »

greenspot wrote: post #217
dangoor wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Actually, it's not McDonalds those people don't like--it's their desperation and urge to be something better than they really are, the fear that people confuse them as with being white trash instead of middle class. This is the main reason they buy overpriced organic food at 'upscale' locations Perhaps that strawman exists. I know that we don't eat at McDonald's because we believe that factory farming[1] is inhuman…

Accusing McDonalds of Intense Animal Farming could be a bit overhasty. In Germany they clearly state being different, here is a report from 2014, check page 5, 'Best Beef' (English): https://www.mcdonalds.de/documents/75202/2771485/CR_Report_2...

McDonalds is definitely superior to some of their peers, but I would be surprised if their actions in the US were as good as their actions in Europe. From what I've read, Western European countries have superior standards when it comes to food production.

McDonalds first ever organic burger debuted in Germany last year: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mcdonalds-organic-idUSKCN0...

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#245

Post by dreamdu5t »

pweissbrod wrote: post #180
jernfrost wrote: post #157

Bizarre how the article seems to present this as a hopeful and positive thing about McDonalds. To me it is just another indicator of how broken American society is. A fast food place serving terrible and unhealthy food is becoming a gathering place for poor people who are probably the ones most in need of a healthier and better lifestyle. It is also a sad reminder of how society has gone so utterly wrong when the che…

I wish I could upvote this more. I also dont blame McDonalds as a company. Like any other restaurant they're forced to strike their own line between quality of ingredients vs price. Like any other restaurant they must pander to what their customer base wants. Their success is a reflection of what we have become as a society, gladly choosing such a faceless generic landmark as the focal point of our community. There i…

So where should the focal point of your community be? What super-sophisticated place do you socialize at? A bar? Starbucks? The mall? At home in front of the computer?

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#246

Post by khattam »

jernfrost wrote: post #157

Bizarre how the article seems to present this as a hopeful and positive thing about McDonalds. To me it is just another indicator of how broken American society is. A fast food place serving terrible and unhealthy food is becoming a gathering place for poor people who are probably the ones most in need of a healthier and better lifestyle. It is also a sad reminder of how society has gone so utterly wrong when the che…

>terrible and unhealthy food

It is neither terrible nor unhealthy.

>the cheapest food is the absolutely worst food.

First, that would totally make sense. Second, it is not the case. Most McDonald foods are better than gluten-free ass-shit, both in taste and health.

>A country priding itself in diversity is drowning in homogeneity.

Breathing oxygen is homogenous. Let's create something else to breathe.

Fucking brainless idiots going after thoughtless tropes made up by malnourished hippies and poorly fed morons!

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#247

Post by billforsternz »

gambiting wrote: post #214
IkmoIkmo wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's similar to why poor people buy poor-quality shoes more often, as opposed to one high-quality pair once a year. Haha man I can hardly count the number of $15 pairs of sneakers I bought at the market as a kid, with the glue visible on the sides. Eventually the soles would inevitably come off, partially cause of the crappy shoe and partially because I was always playing football (soccer) with them. The notion of…

I genuinely don't know what point you are trying to make here.

He's agreeing with the person he's responding to and noting how the point that person made resonates with his own experience, whilst adding a little background color.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#248

Post by mac01021 »

ecommerceguy wrote: post #238

Most people don't realize it, but McDonald's is not a burger-flipping restaurant chain; it is one of the world's best real estate portfolios. Franchisees flip the burgers. McDonald's simply owns the best commercial property all over the world. Think about it, every town and city in the Country and many of the world, who owns the best lot on highest traffic intersection? McDonald's.

I thought the franchisees owned the property too, and that the franchiser just licenses the IP and provides the foodstuff.

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#249

Post by dota_fanatic »

bitwize wrote: post #105
colmvp wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I love small cafes, I have to say, Starbucks has grown on me, specifically living in a nice neighbourhood. The Starbucks near me is always very clean, has a very nice interior, plenty of outlets for laptops, fast wifi, very clean washrooms, and pleasant baristas. They even have a large communal table which they allow meetups to book. And plenty of people ranging from families to students walk from their de…

People hate on Starbucks but it has brought halfway decent coffee to the masses. Yes, the locally owned specialty coffee shop will be better, but Starbucks coffee is not actively offensive the way McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, or office drip coffeemaker (or worse, vending machine) coffee are. Back in the 80s, "cappuccino" was a signal of rich-toff status. These days anyone with $5 in their pocket (so perhaps excluding t…

I think you're overestimating the number of people in the states who have $5 in their pocket on any given day to blow on coffee, having said 'perhaps excluding the absolute poorest'. :(

Re: In poor neighborhoods, McDonald’s have become de-facto community centers

#250

Post by mjevans »

DamnYuppie wrote: post #16
smokey_the_bear wrote: post #6

McDonalds is the only restaurant I enjoy eating at with my 2 and 3 year olds. Every other restaurant is a slog to get through the meal. Honestly I'd eat there more often if it weren't for the social stigma of it. (I live in Berkeley). I am pretty sure the cheeseburger, apple slices, and chocolate milk are not much worse, and probably better, than the typical fare on a slapped together kids meal. When I was a kid, my…

If they have them available in your area Chic-fil-a's are also great for kids. Their service is top notch and their stores are almost always spotless. Also they seem to have really great kids areas, every time I see one I am so jealous of the crap kids areas I had available as a child..

I've heard that many people like the store and the food, but I've also heard that the owner (and main profit taker) has some distressingly reprehensible views about taking freedoms and liberty from others so I've never eaten there and actively refrain from doing so.
Post reply on HN