One of the best parts of living in the SF bay area is literally anywhere you go isn't particularly expensive per what you are used to. My wife and I went out to a particularly fancy restaurant on Santorini and the bill was less than we've often paid in Berkeley.
I'm in SF right now recovering from medical stuff. Food prices here shocked me how relatively cheap it is compared to where I live in Seattle. Had Yamo the other day, best fried rice I've had since visiting Taiwan, only $30 to feed three people. That meal would have been like $60-80 in Seattle
McDonald's seemed way different to me while I was in England. The burger's actually seemed to have seasoning on them (despite being in England), they had rotating 'Taste's of America' (called something like that) menus that featured interesting variants that I never saw over here. I think there was a really good one with a sour dough bun.
I've done this. When traveling for a 3 week study abroad in college I got tired of the local food eventually and got burger king one night, dominos pizza another night. Some of my peers got American food every night though, I held out as long as I could
It's not the food or the price, it's just that I don't want to waste my holiday in these hour long waiting rituals that a typical restaurant experience is.
Restaurant fatigue is a thing for sure. I think most people who are experienced travellers know this. That's where grocery stores and supermarkets help but also global fast food chains. You know what you're going to get and you'll get it fast.
I don't know about McDonald's abroad, as I've never had it out of country, but here state side McDonald's isn't even fast anymore. It used to be fast, cheap, and acceptable, but they've given up fast and cheap and it's really only acceptable now.
Still faster than most sit down restaurants, but nowhere near what it was in terms of speed ten years ago.
One argument I read about eating popular fastfood when traveling is that for people who might not have iron stomachs to eat unfamiliar food in foreign places, getting fastfood at mcdonalds for example allows a reasonable expectation of standard food quality and hygiene. That and since it’s familiar food, the risk of getting an upset stomach is lower.
At a global chain, you can expect some sort of standard protocols that they try to at least be consistent with wherever you go. Not saying they are the cleanest, just that you can expect the same or at least similar quality wherever in the world you eat.
Just the quality in general, the food tasted good, the buns weren't flat and deflated. My only problem was that they used light mayo, so it was a little off tasting. I got over that pretty fast though
I did this exact thing when visiting Europe on a $50 a day budget (early 90's). I'm admittedly a coward when it comes to trying new foods and didn't want to pay for something I didn't like. Rarely do I eat McDonald's here in the US
The context kind of makes sense here. The image is from The Killer, about a supposed top-tier hit man who gets in over his head. But it turns out he’s a huge try-hard who kinda sucks at getting the job done and makes noob mistakes at every turn. Trying to blend in on a European street with a bag of McDonald’s breakfast on a park bench is perfect.