By the time we land in Paris, I have a ravenous teenage boy on my hands. So, despite being on his first trip to a city famous for its refined cuisine, our first outing is to McDonald’s.
We don’t have to go far. It turns out that the French love their McDo. It’s the largest European market for the American fast-food chain, and there’s a Golden Arches right around the corner from our apartment in the city’s leafy 17th arrondissment.
The first thing my son notices are the outdoor tables. After spending almost a day en route, he is down for some alfresco dining. We go inside to place his order on a large touch screen. For some reason, Les Chicken McNuggets are listed with Nos Burgers so they take a while to find. A traditionalist, my son opts for Les Frites with Le Ketchup instead of taking a chance on the thick and spicy Les Deluxe Potatoes with the mayonnaise-based Le Sauce Frites. And of course, he washes it down with a large Coke Zero.
A display of macarons, croissants and pain au chocolat looks tempting, but I decide that McDo is no place to indulge my love of French pastries, and I haven’t travelled all the way to Paris to eat Le Muffin Saveur Chocolate-Noisette or Le Donut Nature. I order a bottle of water, pay, and join my son outside on la terrace where we wait, and wait, for his food.
My son is unimpressed with the speed of delivery, but he is impressed by the table service, and we both remark on the reusable plastic serving containers. As for the taste? According to the menu, Les McNuggets are made from chickens raised in Brittany. According to my son, they taste “more like actual chicken” than the ones back home. Les Frites get two thumbs-up, and disappear fast.
His hunger satiated, we can begin our visit. It doesn’t take long for my son to develop an appetite for steak frites and crème brulé. Even though McDo is right around the corner, we don’t go back.