I've been in a world of my own that excluded McDonald's my entire life. In fact, I could say we are worlds apart. But somehow McDonald's has popped up as a topic. It turns out I now have the best of both worlds with all these crazy stories about McDonalds. So today is a short trip through the mashed.com archives of McDonalds rumours, stories, and false facts, and true lies.
What made McDonald's get rid of Ronald McDonald? McDonald's announced its mascot Ronald McDonald would be taking a hiatus in 2016. It followed a disturbing craze which saw pranksters jump out at people dressed as spooky clowns. Some wielded weapons to spread terror and the trend travelled across the globe. This doesn't mean that Ronald McDonald has been 100 percent erased from the brand - Ronald McDonald represents the Golden Arches at least one day out of the year - Thanksgiving and his appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Remember the hot coffee lawsuit that put a "fast" million dollars in Stella Liebeck's hands. "But the reality is actually quite different. Stella Liebeck, the plaintiff in Liebeck vs. McDonald's Restaurants, was not driving, nor was she a scammer. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a stopped car when she attempted to remove the lid off of a cup of coffee she had just ordered. The cup slipped, spilling scalding coffee (around 190 degrees Fahrenheit!) all over her, causing third-degree burns on her lap, buttocks, and genital area. Lieback was hospitalized for eight days, during which she had skin grafts and debridement treatments. She was permanently disfigured as a result of the accident. Initially she only asked McDonald's for $90,000, but McDonald's countered with a paltry $800, so Liebeck rightfully sued. In the end, she was awarded an undisclosed amount (under $600,000) for her pain and suffering."
There is a famous story that their french fries are only one ingredient. "McDonald's sells approximately nine million pounds of french fries every day at its locations all over the world. But contrary to popular belief, McDonald's fries are not a one-ingredient wonder. And while spuds are the main ingredient, there are actually a total of 19 ingredients in their fries, including vegetable oil (comprised of canola, corn, soybean, and hydrogenated soybean oils, as well as milk- and wheat-derived natural beef flavoring), dextrose (for that golden, yellow color), sodium acid pyrophosphate (to prevent color changes when frozen), citric acid (for freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane (to reduce foaming), and salt (for flavor)."
There are dozens of stories about the various rumours of beef and chicken ingredients, many are rumours or false facts about pink slime ingredients, non-dairy milkshakes, non-beef burgers and various strange tales. Find many of them HERE.
Here's a view across Lake Ontario from Beamsville. There's a McDonald's in Beamsville with a very tall sign that one can see while driving along the QEW.
