McDonald’s to open restaurant in the Louvre
McDonald’s and art have always gone hand in hand.
French Image Crisis: “Look what they’re saying about us now!”
The news itself did not especially interest French editors. It got a few paragraphs on the economy pages of Le Figaro, and a column in Le Parisien.
The news about the news was a different story. Within a matter of hours, this tale of cultural desecration a la francaise had travelled the world….
At least that was how the tale was portrayed abroad. The French picked up on it and ran alarmed reports of the “Look what they’re saying about us now” variety.
But the truth is that the original story – the fact that McDonald’s is to set up an outlet in the underground shopping-mall that abuts the Louvre – did not strike most French people as particularly surprising.
Why was this so? Why did the French not take to the streets to defend their cuisine, as foreigners apparently believed they should be doing? Had they given up, or what?
The answer is that McDonald’s – or McDo as the French prefer to call it – is now rooted in France’s social landscape, to a degree that would have been considered impossible 15 years ago….
But since then – thanks above all to a brilliant marketing campaign – McDonald’s has manoeuvred itself so effectively into the national way of life that it is now almost as invisible as the corner tabac….
There are now more than 1,130 McDonald’s outlets in France. Astonishingly, France is the company’s second-most profitable market after the United States. It is also the country where customers spend most money per visit….
Face it, there are two kinds of people: those who admit to eating an occasional Big Mac, and liars.
Art last forever… just like McDonald’s French fries…
Jägermeister
October 10, 2009 at 6:08 pm
It’s worth noting – if you RTFA – that McDonald’s is smart enough to support local preferences and agricultural commerce – when the population is hip enough to require it.
I believe they have done much the same in parts of Asia and Eastern Europe.
In the United States it’s of little or no concern. Of course.
moss
October 11, 2009 at 8:15 am
“Face it, there are two kinds of people: those who admit to eating an occasional Big Mac, and liars.”
Well, K B, I beg to differ. Much as I love them, it just so happens I haven’t had a Big Mac in several years now.
On the other hand, I do still retain the byproducts of several hundreds of Big Macs, lodged in the arteries of my heart, so I guess in a way, I am still tethered to McDonald’s.
Cinaedh
October 11, 2009 at 8:48 am
“Face it, there are two kinds of people: those who admit to eating an occasional Big Mac, and liars.”
Well, believe it or not… I’ve not bought a burger from McDonalds since 2000. There are other vendors…
Jägermeister
October 11, 2009 at 9:40 am
I’m not sure whether you and Cinaedh are liars or simply blasphemers.
I will say that the Big Mac is probably one of the worst things on the McD’s menu– which doesn’t mean I don’t have one occasionally.
K B
October 11, 2009 at 10:33 am
There are better alternatives than McDonalds.
Jägermeister
October 11, 2009 at 10:58 am
I’m a big Subway fan, actually. I’ve eaten many a Veggie Delight, even.
K B
October 11, 2009 at 2:09 pm
That might be a little bit extreme for me… lol
Jägermeister
October 11, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I’ll betcha I’ve purchased food poisoning from KFC after the bars have closed on at least 20 occasions.
Apparently when drunks, even happy drunks, arrive in the wee hours of the morning, the poor terrified KFC staff don’t actually cook the chicken, they just put it in the oil long enough to change the color.
Of course I always ate it raw without ever looking at it.
When sufficiently drunk, it seems I’m a slow learner with absolutely no memory.
Cinaedh
October 12, 2009 at 7:20 am