Being on a budget, I haven't eaten fast food in quite a while.

However, the other day I had a craving and got a Big Mac and was surprised that it cost $4.59.

Is that just the NYC price?
If you know, how much is a Big Mac where you live?

It seemed smaller than I remember but it did taste the same.

Look what I found here. Be sure to scroll down and look at the graph.

I was in Switzerland decades ago and couldn't believe what it cost to eat at McDonalds (we only did it once) - and now I understand why!

WOW Marian... makes you wonder if they are using meat in those countries.... or perhaps I should say... what kind of meat

Now I'm hungry,

As healthy of an eater that I am, I still get the occasional craving for a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese or the venerable Egg McMuffin. They must have an evil ingredient in those things that never leaves your system.

I thought cows were sacred in India. What could the Big Mac be made of ?

Cathy

From Wiki-p:

"The Chicken Maharaja Mac serves as a substitute for the Big Mac" So, no beef.

MacDonalds has changed since it 1st opened many years ago! You could buy a hamburger and fries for under one dollar back then!

I think that the price varies world wide on the wages paid to their staff, as does the differences of the minimum wage set by their countries governments.

Personally I’ve never been into fast foods; they didn’t go with my job as a sports coach. How could I tell a young athlete they could do with loosing a few pounds and risk the reply “Yeah, but not as many as you can”

I like the occasional burger with onions but their home made. I mean their pretty easy to make, even I can manage a fair attempt and at least you know what is going into them.

My wife came across an article that reported there were 72 ingredients in a Big Mack burger including some you really wouldn’t want to know about.

To be fair, the ingredients specified include the ingredients in the bun, sauce, American cheese, and pickles - all of which are found in any bun, sauce, American cheese, or pickles. The meat is still beef.


http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/whats-really-in-a-big-mac

Did you read the ingredients for the beef Sparkle?

And then there is this.

I wouldn't touch fast food....

Neither here Ana. They make it taste so good but that's sales pitch deception. Becomming vegge has made me realize the food/money game.

I've read about the processed beef byproduct known as pink slime that's used in a number of food service products.

Something that folks don't know is that it's also in the beef you buy at larger grocery retailers unless the package specifies the exact cut; as in Sirloin, Chuck and so on.

If you buy "Ground Beef" and/or "Lean or Extra-Lean Ground Beef" that doesn't specify the cut it's taken from, then chances are it's a mix of treated scraps, the aforementioned "pink slime" and mixed quality beef. This was verified by a butcher I trust who works for a large franchise grocer here in town.

Due to their location in a slightly more upscale area he's allowed to have more control over the meat section. At the other locations they also grind their own sirloin, ground round and chuck, BUT the "Ground Beef" or "Lean Ground Beef" products, which are packaged in exactly the same manner as the stuff that they grind on location is sent to them from a main distributer.

So, you're better off either going to a good butcher or getting to know the grocery store butcher so he can tip you off on the good deals or otherwise.

It's disgusting! SAm's Club was one of those using Pink Slime. Not to mention the meat glue to piece together filet mignon and other cuts to make them appear like one cut of meat. Ugh!

I've never eaten at a MacDonalds (or similar) or allowed my family to.

And I only buy my meat fresh from a butcher and prepare and cook it myself.

One, because that's how I was brought up and two, because the horror stories related to fast food places are way too disgusting

Well, my mom made things like pickles pig's feet. So, I'm not easily dissuaded from eating just about anything.

But she made it herself, without a chemical lab behind it, I'm sure! I too grew up on an assortment of internal organs and off parts. It was mostly delicious!

I still make nearly all my meals "from scratch".
And, although many might now be considered old fashioned, they don't cost the earth yet are both tasty and very nourishing

When I was a young Mum, on a limited budget, "cooking from scratch" was the only way I could afford to provide quality meals for my family but such meals did need a lot of preparation.
And, having got used to cooking like that for all those years, I've just carried on - and I still spend a lot of my time preparing and cooking meals - even though these days I could go out to a good restaurant if the mood took me

I practice "clean eating" and all my meals are from scratch also. I also don't use any chemicals on my skin. Only 100% natural shampoo, soap, deodorant etc.

What goes into fast foods and pre-packed foods in our stores is a universal problem. Some time ago the UK had a problem with beef products that contained, amongst other devious additives, horse meat. So I only mentioned McDonald s because it was named in the post.
It isn’t only fast foods and meat products you need to be wary of----
Quote:: Fresh food sold in supermarkets – such as fruit, vegetables– isn't always as fresh as you might think; those shiny red apples might have been in storage for more than a year
It's a fair-enough expectation that if you're buying "fresh produce" it shouldn't have been frozen or preserved. You'd also expect it to be put on sale as close to the state it would be in at the time of picking, catching or producing. So are fruit and vegetables that have been stored for an extended period still truly fresh? Most have been gassed with a chemical called 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) it’s used to extend the storage life of some fruits and vegetables even more.

We use farmers markets and grow our own as much as we can, plus we only buy fruit and veg in season.