McDonald's, Paris

You'll find McDonald's locations in Paris by either going to their website (time-consuming) or looking up McDonald's on les Pages Jaunes. Note: search under "Mc Donald's" or "Mac Donald's".

Besides having something quick & familiar to eat, it's also cool to see the juxtaposition of American culture inside Paris & to note how the French do it differently (i.e. frites sauce instead of ketchup, healthier dessert options). Definitely a cultural experience.

It's perfectly okay to fall back on the familiar as long as you are willing to try the unfamiliar, so try out some different French foods! Some Americans like going to McDonald's for the breakfast coffee, some cannot function without their typical American cup, and that's fine. I've never tried the coffee there so I cannot make comparisons and I must admit to a love for good, hot, strong French coffee. One of the benefits, though, to getting coffee from here is getting it to go, something rare in a French cafe. Of course, the other alternative is to get a cuppa to go from Starbuck's (but that's another debate for another time, my darlings)!

Two of the best benefits is:
a) the use of easy-to-find bathrooms! My motto is to always use the bathroom in Paris whenever you get the opportunity. When I last visited (Nov '07) these were free, at least in Belleville.
b) free wi-fi

If you're an American you'll note the food is more expensive overseas but that's what you'd expect from a transplant of culture (yes, I'm not sure that that phrase connotes a "good" or "fair" exhange). And the fries are definitely better, much crispier, probably due to their use of animal fats (please note this, vegetarians).

Oh, and while we Americans refer to it as McD's or Mickey D's the French refer to it as McDo's! I love how the French put their spin on pop culture they've adopted/adapted.

Frites with frites sauce (aioli - a garlic mayo - had to bring LOTS back for friends)
Orangina - an orange soda with real orange & tangerine pulp - best shaken up! (definitely different yet better than the orange soda here in the states although you can buy Orangina in the US at places like Trader Joe's)

Trip before last I had a hankering for a chicken sandwich & it was faboo! This past November I had one of the "Best of" meals, a Filet-o-Fish with frites and 33 cl of Evian for 5.60€ ($8.18, at least twice what I'd pay in the States). I also stopped by the McDo's at CDG for breakfast: bacon McMuffin, yogurt, coffee and juice for 5€ ($7.30 about twice what I'd pay for that at home).

Photos: Feb 2006 & April 2003

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McDonald's, Paris

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