Dying to Eat at McDonalds

With all their food scientists and their renewed marketing about eating healthily, one might think that McDonalds was serving some wholesome foods.

Not so fast. I ate a chicken sandwich there today, which tasted too good. Meaning, I suspected flavor enhancers. So I went online to look at McD's ingredients list. Look at this:

1. You want that 100% Angus beef patty? First, it's been proven it's not what you and I would consider beef meat--it's got a high percentage of other slimy cow-related stuff in it that high-class slaughterhouses do not put in their meat, but McD's does. And it also has yeast extract, which is a glutamate-based flavor enhancer that some suspect is linked to seizures. Hint to McD's: yeast extract does NOT come from beef muscle. The patty also has "dried beef extract," whatever that is. Calling it 100% Angus beef is misleading--maybe the beef is from 100% Angus cows, but there is other (non-Angus) crap in that patty.

2. So, instead, what if you head over to the chicken side of the menu, to eat a bit healthier? Well, the grilled chicken patty includes yeast extract and sodium phosphate, and it's cooked in hydrogenated oil with sodium benzoate and "artificial flavor," whatever that is. The breaded chicken filet has sodium phosphate, autolyzed yeast extract, and artificial flavors, also cooked in trans-fat with Dimethylpolysiloxane as an anti-foaming agent. Yum!

3. The bun has corn syrup in it, and eleven different "dough conditioners," whose chemical names read like a Bill of Materials for manufacturing nerve gas.

4. If you're vegetarian, be aware that even the McD mayonnaise includes "natural flavor (animal source)."

5. Last of all, suppose you take refuge in a salad. Fine so far, but the Newman's Own Creamy SW Dressing includes corn syrup solids and "natural flavors (animal source)."

When did that formerly-impressive company quit selling food that was, well, FOOD?

It is EASY to buy beef that is all beef, chicken that is all chicken, buns that are only flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and butter. Mayo is available that is only eggs and sugar and canola oil. So why is McDonalds poisoning its customers? I think it's a repeat of what Coca-Cola did in the 1920's--Coke included real Cocaine in its drink, to addict its consumers to the product. McDonalds is doing the same thing--addicting consumers with unhealthy flavor enhancers, while scrimping with low-quality ingredients. The managers for those food scientists in the McD labs need to be either fired, or re-directed. And: Where are the lawsuits alleging that McD's is purposefully hurting people for profit? It's kind of a national tragedy that THIS COMPANY is what people think of, when they imagine America. Please, don't let your kids and your grandkids eat there, and for gosh sakes, don't put that crap in your own stomach. Let's force them to change or fail.

And: how this relates to wine: Wine requires good food to accompany it. Bad food hurts the people who love wine, who make wine, who buy wine.