Are you kidding? Fresh, crispy roach turds as opposed to limp feces? There's no comparison, man. None!

Valid point.

Like previously mentioned in this thread, it indeed all depends on the country. Both the potatoes themselves (or the meat), the oil used, the equipment, preparation, etc., everything changes. Even the target audience, and the ambiance of the restaurant.

In some European and eastern countries I've lived in, Mc and Burger King were staples when you wanted some comfort food, or wanted to hang out with friends & co-workers. Some restaurants were, dare I say, classy. Heck, you could even stop by to get a burger on a date.

Here in the US, it is mostly hobos hanging around the joint, and the food is pumped full of artificial crap. But it's understandable, since on this side of the pond bazillions of options exist for getting amazing non-fast-food-chain burgers. McDonald's serves a different purpose. Not always the case elsewhere.

Why do you eat at McDonalds of all places?

The food must be inclusive

"Damp tissue paper" was a pretty spot-on description of how they tasted. So I asked the staff to give me the fries straight out of the fryer. And what do you know, that did SIGNIFICANTLY improve the taste! The fries went from weapons-grade-ought-to-be-banned-under-the-Geneva-convention to actually pretty good. So, thanks for the suggestion!

A bonus +1 is awarded to UltraComboTV for linking an article that states that these fries include "a petrol-based chemical".

Bon appetit, everyone!

Fries are rubbish, because they're jam-packed with acrylamide.

I can either that and get a half decently sized meal for under 5 bucks or head over to the high end coffee shop around the corner and get the same meal for 15 bucks and that's without a drink refill.

And just to throw out a link: http://www.foxtrot.com/2016/07/10/first-ones-free/