McDonalds

[milod]

There's a major difference IMHO between the American "beef producer" and the very few corporations that process beef.

 

U.S. - and prairie province Canadian beef - generally is some of the best in the world. Having traveled to South America, as have a few rancher friends, I'll say that high-end South American beef is excellent, but I'd add that there are some differences in the taste for several technical reasons. SA also has the increasing problem of decreasing numbers of processing corporations - and that brings some of the same games as in the US.

 

The "grass fed" vs. "grain fed" is a bogus argument given that "grain" is nothing more than a part of grass. Raising cattle for food is far more complex than might appear to city folk. Frankly beef is also a lot more "free ranging," at least up to a point, than much of the pork one purchases that likely is one of a highly-developed specialized hybrid raised for sale in a mostly-automated building. Ditto chicken. And ever wonder about fish processing factories?

 

Ah, but there are similar problems for even the "vegan" who, unless he or she produces their own food from - what kind of seeds? One may not have any idea even in an "organic" store what they're really getting.

 

Government gets my "bad" on this too - and I'm not saying this in a partisan political sense - because for example the US has "country of origin labeling" (COOL) in force for several years without bureaucrats putting the law into effect. You know where your socks come from, but not your beef in the US. Bureaucrats trump politics, IMHO.

 

I'm no Mikkee Dee fan, but consider many, if not most major chains of "sit down" restaurants also require their own pre-prepared foods for much, if not all of the menu, in the cause of "consistency throughout the brand."

 

Bottom line: In today's world it takes a disaster to get anyone likely to be on this board to consider whence came any of their food. We'd also all best consider how we truly want our agricultural and food processing industries to work whether we live in Europe, Asia or any other continent. And we do a poor job of that.

 

Bureaucrats are in bed - worldwide - in the food biz just as they are with the oil biz and ... look at the Gulf of Mexico and the result of slothful bureaucracies in both biz and government.

 

m

[the guitar butcher]

yo watch it im 15 and thats where i work fortnatly i side with this guy. all mcdonalds is to me is a paycheck i think the managers are **** and they suck and the people at mcdonalds corp suck.

[Californiaman]

yo watch it im 15 and thats where i work fortnatly i side with this guy. all mcdonalds is to me is a paycheck i think the managers are **** and they suck and the people at mcdonalds corp suck.

 

Here's your typical teenager work ethic.

Notice that everybody else in a position of authority and leadership are "****" and they "suck." Notice too that McDonalds is only a "paycheck," not a stepping stone to better things.

Brilliant post.

Excellent contribution here.

Why bother.

Go empty the trash and wipe down the tables. Oh, remember to put a bag in the trash can and be sure to use a clean cloth for the tables. When you're done with that go clean the restrooms out and restock the paper towels and toilet paper. Wash your hands when your done, Junior.

If you don't like it, quit.

Go hang out on the street corner or the local mall. Yeah, that's it, become a mall rat like the rest of the teenagers with nothing to do this summer.

[dem00n]

Here's your typical teenager work ethic.

Notice that everybody else in a position of authority and leadership are "****" and they "suck." Notice too that McDonalds is only a "paycheck' date='" not a stepping stone to better things.

Brilliant post.

Excellent contribution here.

Why bother.

Go empty the trash and wipe down the tables. Oh, remember to put a bag in the trash can and be sure to use a clean cloth for the tables. When you're done with that go clean the restrooms out and restock the paper towels and toilet paper. Wash your hands when your done, Junior.

If you don't like it, quit.

Go hang out on the street corner or the local mall. Yeah, that's it, become a mall rat like the rest of the teenagers with nothing to do this summer.[/quote']

****!

[Californiaman]

Oh look, dem00n weighs in with all the wisdom of a Greek philosopher.

[RichCI]

Even if it were true, I'd rather see the lousy beef go to McDonald's. Their "food" is horrid.

[Artie Owl]

So far this week at work, I've had one late 20 something gentelmen threaten to "**** up my face" for asking to do a credit check on him so he could get a contract cellphone, and have a real estate agent lose it and straight up walk out without a word because there was a slight delay in her email.

 

Yes it's a job and a paycheck but I'm glad to have it, and I believe I do it quite well, I see where Californiaman is coming from when I go somewhere I expect some level of service from someone who actually wants to be there. Working at McDonalds now could mean real networking opportunities in the future with co-workers you have now, but not if you've got a crap attitude. Keep that in mind.

[dem00n]

Oh look' date=' dem00n weighs in with all the wisdom of a Greek philosopher.[/quote']

Yeah like wisdom is picking on a 15 year old?

[Californiaman]

Yeah like wisdom is picking on a 15 year old?

 

Your just sad dem00n because I didn't pick on you today.

Oh well... the days not over yet.

[EVOL!]

The "grass fed" vs. "grain fed" is a bogus argument given that "grain" is nothing more than a part of grass. Raising cattle for food is far more complex than might appear to city folk. Frankly beef is also a lot more "free ranging' date='" at least up to a point, than much of the pork one purchases that likely is one of a highly-developed specialized hybrid raised for sale in a mostly-automated building. Ditto chicken. And ever wonder about fish processing factories?[/quote']

 

I strongly disagree. As someone that has grown up around cattle (you), you cannot tell me there isn't a quality and huge taste difference between grass fed and grain fed cattle? You don't find a richer, mildly gamy flavor from grass fed cattle versus the blander, fat marbled grain fed? Saying corn is just a part of the grass is like saying tripe is just a part of the cow so it's the same as a T-bone steak. I am also going to argue there is a huge difference in the quality & taste of meat from a cow that spends its whole life on an ADM feed lot versus a cow that spends at least spring/summer/autumn eating sweet grasses in a pasture. And to your point on pork, chicken, and fish, factory farms are a huge problem that has damaged our food supply. I am not against raising animals for food, but I against treating them as *just* a lowly food source and forcing them to live out their lives in horrendous conditions. It's inhumane.

 

Ah' date=' but there are similar problems for even the "vegan" who, unless he or she produces their own food from - what kind of seeds? One may not have any idea even in an "organic" store what they're really getting.[/quote']

 

Fully agree. The term organic has been watered down to the point of meaninglessness.

[milod]

grass-fed vs grain fed cattle depends on a lot more than what you're used to thinking about.

 

Age of the critter, type of grasses, time of year with the grasses, breeding of the cattle, etc., etc., etc...

 

Also "grasses" is awfully broad. There are different types of natural forage in different regions of the country, different... etc., etc. Alfalfa technically ain't a grass, either, nor is a lotta what cattle might be eating on undeveloped "pastures" in various parts of the world.

 

Usually "grain fed" is corn, though. Most ranchers who don't buy their home meat supply in town will tend to feed corn to one of their own steers or a heifer they decided was for "market" rather than "breeding" and take it to a custom shop for turning into beef.

 

m

[RichCI]

take it to a custom shop for turning into beef.

 

[HellboundGreaser]

Anyone see "Supersize Me" There's a scene in there where the put some Micky D's Fries in a jar to decay and after several weeks they look like they're fresh out of the Fryer. WTF?

[milod]

Rich...

 

Cute....

 

One of my favorite lines with dairy folk is, if you have a whole steen, how do you get a half steen?

 

m

[heymisterk]

grass-fed vs grain fed cattle depends on a lot more than what you're used to thinking about.

 

Age of the critter' date=' type of grasses, time of year with the grasses, breeding of the cattle, etc., etc., etc...

 

Also "grasses" is awfully broad. There are different types of natural forage in different regions of the country, different... etc., etc. Alfalfa technically ain't a grass, either, nor is a lotta what cattle might be eating on undeveloped "pastures" in various parts of the world.

 

Usually "grain fed" is corn, though. Most ranchers who don't buy their home meat supply in town will tend to feed corn to one of their own steers or a heifer they decided was for "market" rather than "breeding" and take it to a custom shop for turning into beef.

 

m

[/quote']

 

Eating corn is not natural for cattle; everyone knows that. Ranchers feed corn to cattle because it's what is cheapest and it is what the government subsidizes. In addition, most factory-produced cattle are shot full of antibiotics...and because of this, humans are becoming more and more resistant to these vital drugs..

 

Family farms used to produce the food and veggies that come to our table. Now, it's several companies - ADM and a couple of others - that raise a majority of our food.

 

Finally, as a rule, I am tired of people who live in the country claiming city folk don't know manure about these kind of things. That's a bunch of crap...and I prefer it to come from a grass-fed, free range cow or buffalo where every day is great except his last...

[milod]

mrk... We've been here before. Corn is only a domesticated grass. But then, so are wheat and barley and a lot of other "grasses" that one might buy for various purposes. "Grain" _IS_ grass.

 

Who is the "everybody knows that" about corn? Corn (maize) is a type of grass gone to seed and is as "natural" as dozens of other growing stuff they might eat. Alfalfa is not a grass at all. Cattle like it, too. Cattlemen constantly monitor content of all that their cattle eat to ensure proper nutrition.

 

The big companies don't necessarily grow our food, they set market prices (Argh!), process and sell it. Unfortunately in my opinion concentration is not good for either the producer or the consumer. That's also a major complaint of most U.S. ag organizations. My understanding is that concentration is much worse in the veggie sector, btw.

 

Also, you should see what it's really like on the range - or even Midwestern farms - for those happy cows.

 

Without supplemental feeds, most cattle wouldn't survive winters. Without care, many wouldn't survive summers since you forgot water quality, salts, etc. There hasn't been open range in ages in the US. Even in the "open range" day, cowboys supplemented cattle diets and doctored them. Forget ideas that cattle and bison have every day wonderful except their last. You didn't mention insects and other parasites, dust and heat, variations in water supplies...

 

If you prefer more slender breeds, immature or nutritionally-deprived cattle, fine. You might be surprised that most cattle have eaten more than just "grass" if they were raised in the northern half of the US or in Canada.

 

You might wish also to look into a beef supply that certifies such as Piedmontese or Belgian Blue that are double-muscled and generally are of lower fat content regardless - some claim even lower than the Bison. And pricier.

 

m

[Californiaman]

Milod, I can't help but ask, when is the last time you had a bison burger or steak?

I love Bison. It's good and it's lean. Full of flavor and not as fattening as beef.

[milod]

Cali...

 

Yeah, buffalo is ok. I have, and have had friends in the biz. It's regularly sold in local stores. Even here it's a bit pricey. Some 20 years ago my bro and I were considering buying one to split, but even that year the price went nuts.

 

If you've seen "Dances with Wolves," you've seen some of the bison in this area.

 

http://www.jumpoffbuffaloranch.com/

 

The web site isn't for the buffs used in the movie - but Scott Peterson has quite an operation going. Managing a buffalo operation is much more difficult in ways than cattle.

 

Also, the web site has some recommendations on cooking bison meat.

 

m

[grampa]

It's hard to consider corn "natural", it is a genetically engineered substance. Many nutritionists think it has negative effects in our health and that it may also affect the health and the quality of the meat from the cow that eats it.

[milod]

Genetically engineered?

 

Virtually everything humans eat today has been run through various sorts of genetic engineering programs that, as with corn (maize) predate even literate cultures - so it ain't quite the same as suggesting a scientist in a lab messing with DNA on a direct sort of basis.

 

I'd say "Domesticated" over the past 4-5,000 years not unlike other grasses we now call "grain" developed largely in the middle east instead of North America.

 

Whatever... Bottom line is that it's a grass regardless that has been used for human consumption directly and/or indirectly for thousands of years in North America. As with any other staple, it's not likely to be complete in terms of nutrition.

 

"Corn" is no more bioengineered than the wheat in the bread you eat. Or the apple, green bean, potato or any other domestic "food" product.

 

Livestock nutrition is carefully monitored through forage and supplement analysis by nearly everyone I know in the biz. In fact, the average rancher around here probably knows more about his livestock's nutrition than his own.

 

As for humans eating anything, I think one can easily find those who will say this or that and someone on the other side.

 

m

[HellboundGreaser]

Most everything that we eat is genetically engineered. The only way around that is to eat dirt.

[retrosurfer1959]

Well thats good to hear it's a fake letter and McDonalds isn't really doing that so I won't boycott McDonalds for there anti US purchasing I'll just keep boycotting them because their food sucks. In and Out all the way it's the only fast food that's worth eating anymore.

 

I do like to go into Mcdonalds and order ice tea there one of the few who don't over brew it or add sugar which is gross and when I'm there i love to watch people at Mcdonalds - I can never decide who's dumber the kids working there or the customers that stand in line studying the menu for ten minutes before they order the same meal they have been ordering for 25 years. Then the fun really begins with paying your bill to a teenager that can't do basic math and can't make correct change if their life depended on it. I swear I wouldn't be surprised if they just randomly picked the money to give back to you.

 

Oh well the American way I guess.

[The Mick]

I don't eat at McDonalds anyway other than the occasional beverage. I will not touch their burgers I think they are disgusting.

[jaxson50]

I don't do Micky D's. I don't drink soft drinks, too much sugar and crud....

[Blackie]

yo watch it im 15 and thats where i work fortnatly i side with this guy. all mcdonalds is to me is a paycheck i think the managers are **** and they suck and the people at mcdonalds corp suck.

 

I stopped going to Mc D's way back when I got very slow and bad service. I curse McDonalds and a lot of their employees.