i'm lovin' it

In a place where a coffee costs between $3 and $4... In a place where a meal is rarely less than $20... One shouldn't be surprised.

But, hélas...

Feeling a little lonesome, I decided a pilgrimage to McDonald's was more than appropriate.

So, I walk to McDonald's for dinner tonight. It's not far from where I live, and looks like a pretty classy joint. Sneak a peek here.

I enter, and am not disappointed. It's clean. It's correct. Looking up at the menu, my jaw all but drops. 11 francs and 70 cents for a Cheeseburger Royal Menu? To translate: this means I have to pay $11.70 for a quarter pounder with cheese value meal.

Where is the value?

Not deterred, I make the order. The nice woman behind the cash register asks if I want a medium sized meal, and I say yes. Then, she tells me I owe 12 francs and 30 cents. I do the math. Apparently, medium is not the standard size, and it costs an extra 60 cents to have a medium-sized menu.

The proof is in the quittance:



I take a second glance at the menu and realized that things could be worse. I could be paying 10 bones for 6 chicken nuggets.



Then, I realize that I don't have any ketchup. So I ask for some. Still with a smile, the nice woman behind the counter informs me that will be 20 cents. Not overjoyed, I tell myself: "What can you do..." I mean, if I'm paying over 12 bucks for a quarter pounder with cheese, what is an extra 20 cents for a sachet of ketchup.



On a positive note, there is a promotion right now to get a free Coca-Cola glass with every purchase of a menu. Mine is purple.



All this said, donations to the Joseph-is-lonesome-and-needs-McDonald's fund are currently being accepted. Or at least sachets of real American ketchup.




And at the very least, I didn't have to pay for the straw.