I love the Fanta they serve in McD's (and elsewhere in europe). Made from actual orange juice, much better than the US version:)!

Dunno why, but I never drink Orange Fanta, but I downed Orange Fanta when in Europe like water.. I guess sodas in restaurants sell for a premium in Europe. I got the Orange Fanta, when Orangina wasn't available.

Got back to Canada, and immediately didn't drink carbonated pop like I did in Europe.

I didn't know that Fanta Orange, had real orange in the soda in Europe. I couldn't tell the difference between Fanta Orange and Orangina, and I think now I know why.

Maybe it's because I grew up in the USA but I think our McDonalds is far better than overseas McDonalds.

Have you eaten at McDs in Japan? It really is noticeably better than the US every time. (except breakfast)

I have not. I've eaten at McDonalds in Chile, Austria, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, The Netherlands and South Africa but not in Japan. I do wish I had tried it while I was there but I wasn't there very long and I had to eat the real stuff first and foremost, right? :D

Absolutely!

I don't know whats your "hype" about McD in japan. Tried it (my rule is: McD once in every country :D ) - it was "ok", but that was it. I prefered it in Korea and China over japan (not just cost wise, but also taste-wise)

Especially the french fries in japan were totally tasteless. And half-cold. Urks. The burger was soso..

But then, in a supermarket I could get a ready-to-eat tasty chicken stuff (or whatever) meal that cost me 150 Yen or so (billed by the gram), and which was more fulfilling than the junk from McD.

MacDonalds in the US compared to abroad is super cheap.. free unlimited refills on pop. I don't remember all the MacDonalds in Europe having free refills.. i.e. Switzerland.

I'd prefer to pay the money to avoid McDonalds but if you are on a budget I suppose it's not a bad place to have a crap as long as you don't eat the crap they serve there.

I've never understood why people from North America go to McDs in Japan. Tokyo has fabulous street food. Many other places do too.

Could be lots of reasons. For me:


I like McDonalds food. I limit my visits for health reasons, not taste.
I try to try McDs at least once in every country I visit.
Japanese food is far from my favorite ethnic cuisine.
Spending several months total working in Japan, I need a change from local food every week or so.
I have never been to Tokyo or any other large city in Japan. There is no street food where I stayed.

At least for me, there's some interest in how other countries adapt McDonald's to fit the local palate and curiosity about whether the food tastes the same. Obviously you miss out a lot if you exclusively eat McD's, but going a few times to try the chain's local options (e.g. China McD's has pretty great egg custard tarts) or see if a Big Mac tastes the same abroad has some appeal to it.

Great reasons people have given on why they'd go to McDonalds in Japan. When I would be away on long trips sometimes I'd want a taste of home. A decade ago I did a month long hunting safari in Tanzania, eating what we shot. I missed burgers more than almost anything else. The McDonalds I got when we landed in AMS was among the best food I've ever tasted, especially after I'd been dreaming of that Big Mac for weeks.

Which is why i never understood why airports don't serve lunch all the time

The OP's premise is that McDonalds in North America sucks and I agree. So what then is the point of visiting their outlets around the world? To confirm that the food does or does not suck globally too? Also to accurately determine if another countries, uh, interpretation of a Big Mac is comparable you would have to choke down a few at home, a stomach-turning prospect at best.

That point was addressed earlier in the thread, it's better abroad because McDonald's capitalizes on the perception that it uses higher quality, safer ingredients than what's available locally, so it's forced to serve up to that expectation. On top of that, it tries to foster the image that it's a middle class "luxury" food in other countries. In North America, I think McDonald's recognizes that it's more or less just a pit stop for people to grab a bite. I don't disagree with OP, but honestly if a Big Mac is the worst food prospect you have, I'm jealous of your luck!