Subject: McDonald's Corporation

• Red Menace: The Tomato Salmonella Outbreak

  June 10, 2008

• Calories! Just in Time for the Weekend

  July 18, 2008

• Final 'Blogger of the Week' Winner!

  September 24, 2008

• The Worst Pick-Up Lines on the Planet!

  November 18, 2008

• Strange Snacks of the World - Poutine

  December 2, 2008

• Big Macs, Pretty Colors Console Nervous Shoppers

  December 8, 2008

• Trendwatch: Post Finds Execs Eating at McDonald's

  We've been hearing about how the bad economy and escalating rents have restauranteurs nervous. And we've noticed McDonald's is one of the few companies doing well (or at least relatively well) these days. So it was only a matter of time before somebody did a brokers-at-McDonald's story. The Post obliges with "UNHAPPY MEAL: Execs Now Dining at McDonald's." Three reporters interview suits at Mickey D's, who say "You've got to save when you can," "I get the Number 2 meal for $5.45," "In the past, w

  January 28, 2009

• Cheaper McD's in China

  McDonald's is lowering its prices in China as the nation's economy slows.[NY Times]The FDA defends its handling of the salmonella peanuts saying they were already investigating the Peanut Corporation of America.[NY Daily News]Some fans of the Biggest Loser are compelled to eat unhealthily while they watch the diet show.[NY Post]Alan Scott, a leading proponent of the brick oven revival, has passed away. He was 72.[NY Times]Wheaties has put Knicks legend Willis Reed on the cereal box.[Metro]

  February 6, 2009

• Recession is Good Times for McD's

  Yesterday, McDonald's announced a 7.1% increase in international same-store sales for January 2009, compared to the same month last year. [NY Post]Westchester County has fined 21 supermarkets, including Whole Foods, for selling food past the expiration dates.[Newsday]In recent years, the federal government has relied on states for food safety inspections, with salmonella peanut butter results.[Associated Press]Health experts in England say its an "ingrained misconception" that people should eat

  February 10, 2009

• Has Food Replaced Sex?

  In a Policy Review essay entitled "Is Food the New Sex?", Mary Eberstadt says that food has become what sex was a generation ago. As our attitudes about sex have become more relaxed and casual, we've focused our moral judgments on eating.[Washington Post]Shocker! A new poll finds that New Yorkers like to drink.[NY Post]Another shocker. Some doctors, dietitians, and eating disorder specialist worry that health-obsessed parents are creating food anxieties in their children.[NY Times]The Daily News

  February 26, 2009

• Kinda Fast Food Places Rule "Healthiest Fast Food Chains" List

  What we would call real fast food places.(photo by Flickr/AdamL212, some rights reserved)Health magazine has released its list of the ten healthiest fast food chains in the country, but it's hard to come by the supposed healthiest option in the city, much to Mayor Bloomberg's dismay, we're guessing. Panera Bread tops the list with its half-size portions and mostly antibiotic and hormone-free chicken. Tragically, the nearest locations of the chain bakery are in Long Island City (3801 35th Avenue)

  March 3, 2009

• Hold the Damn Mayo

  December 7, 1999

• Celebrating the Tentative Dawn of a Brave New Era with Fucked Up

  It's morning in America, and midnight in Bushwick

  January 28, 2009

• McDonald's Spills Its Guts

  November 1, 2005

• McDonald's Game Pieces Go Bilingual

  December 5, 2006

• Shane Coffey's Last Meal

  April 3, 2007

• Journey Through Debtor’s Prison

  June 12, 2001

• Jerry Seinfeld Shills for McDonald's

  November 5, 2007

• Feeding Frenzy

  March 19, 2002

• NY Mirror

  June 11, 2002

• More Is More

  November 26, 2002

• Unsafe At Any Size

  April 27, 2004

• NY Mirror

  April 27, 2004

• Get Plucked

  June 7, 2005

• Fat Chance

  July 31, 2007

• 100 Best Italian Restaurants

  June 1, 2004

• The Tao--and Dow--of Tao

  When Eater reported on the New York restaurants that were among the highest grossing in the nation, I was astonished. I guess I expected Tavern on the Green to be there, but I never expected the list to be such a celebration of mediocrity. Number 5 on the list--grossing 24.4 million--was Tao, a midtown pan-Asian where the food may only be termed adequate--and that's being generous. Since it's not online, I dug out my review that was published at the time. And this morning on NY 1, I discovered t

  April 9, 2009

• Mickey Decaf? McCafe Coming to New York

  McDonald's is among the few companies doing well in this economy and, now that Starbucks is on the ropes, they're poised for the kill: the company announced today they're bringing their McCafe coffee products to New York -- that is, Mickey D quality lattes, cappucinos, and mochas, hot and iced. The line extension actually started in Australia in the early 90s, but has only been rolled out aggressively in the U.S. in recent years. Bringing their downscale upscale bevs to New York was long consi

  April 17, 2009

• Down With Calorie Counting Menus

  It's been about a year since New York fast food chain places have been forced to show calorie counts for all their foods, and I'm still pissed to the titties about it. What kind of moron is this kind of thing designed for? Is there really someone who doesn't know that a cheeseburger deluxe has a whole lot of calories? Do you have to know just how many it has before you can turn one down?

  April 21, 2009

• "Wear a Helmet!"

  That's what I always hear from concerned strangers as I ride by on my bike all through the city's treacherous streets. That's awfully considerate of them, but do I track them down into their bedrooms and yell "Wear a condom!"? Do I follow them into pickup bars and screech "Take off your wedding ring"? Do I chase them into McDonald's and yell, "Order the salad, not the Filet-o-Fish"?

  April 28, 2009

• Mickey D's Making Customers Happy & The Latest Food Safety Scare? Cantaloupes!

  Grilling enthusiasts need not skimp on the steak this summer. Bargain cuts include hanger, flatiron, flank, flap, tri-tip, skirt, chuck eye, chuck shoulder and top sirloin. So, what's the key to the perfect steak? Patience: let it sit before you put it on the grill and after. [Washington Post] A poor housing market led Ralph Gorham and Susan Povich to change their plans from renting out units in the Red Hook building they own to converting it into a lobster pound. The couple also has plans to p

  May 20, 2009

• Organic Farmers Suffer Losses; Prisoners Excercise Their Green Thumbs

  Organic farmers are feeling the sting of the organic food trend slowing. Dairy farmers, especially, are suffering, and many have been told to cut milk production by up to 20 percent. The slowdown, combined with the high cost of transporting organic feed from the Midwest has caused 32 dairy farms in Vermont to close since Dec. 1. [NY Times] What do a group of Ohio convicts have in common with Michelle Obama? They both are growing their own food. Prisoners at a jail in Fremont help tend to about

  May 29, 2009

• Ocean Crises Lurk in End of the Line

  June 17, 2009

• Das Racist

  June 24, 2009

• Food Cart Turf Wars & Fancy Food Favorites

  Artisanal honey, blood orange, and caviar were among the hot products at the Fancy Foods Show this year. Smaller packaging was another trend, sparked by this, our poor economy. [NY Times] Has calling 911 because you got your food order wrong become a trend? The woman TMZ branded McNut called 911 when McDonald's ran out of McNuggets after she'd already paid for her order. More recently, a man called 911 on McDonald's because food was missing from his order, claiming he'd been robbed $8. [Reuters

  July 1, 2009

• Mickey D's Gets a New Burger; Dunkin' Donuts Halts Dunkaccino Sales

  McDonald's has a new burger on the menu, the first new permanent item since 2001. The Angus Third Pounder--which comes in Deluxe with American cheese, lettuce, and tomato; Bacon & Cheese; and Mushroom & Swiss varieties--seems to be competing with Burger King's Steakhouse Burger and other beefier burger chains' burgers. [Chicago Tribune] When the European Union banned imports of commercially caught Canadian seals last month, the controversial meat was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, as were

  July 2, 2009

• Hot Water for Landlords: Judge Rules They Must Regulate Tap Temperature

  We all remember the McDonald's coffee lawsuit -- probably the most famously frivolous suit in American history -- when a jury in Albuquerque awarded $2.7 million dollars to a woman who spilled burning hot coffee on her lap. (Civil penalties were ultimately reduced to $480,000.) Apparently, New York City landlords are now also -- excuse the pun -- in hot water of their own. Last week, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge ruled that landlords are responsible for regulating the temperature of hot water i

  July 7, 2009

• Denny's Gets Sued Over Salt; Hawaii to Kick Wienermobile to the Curb

   A man from New Jersey is suing Denny's for failing to warn him that his favorite item, the Moons Over My Hammy egg sandwich, was "loaded up with the salt." [NY Daily News] Brooklyn councilman Bill de Blasio has proposed that New York follow in Chicago's footsteps and pass a green food resolution that would encourage the city to establish and promote climate-friendly food policies and programs. [NY Times] More supermarket chains are launching products under their own private label. With

  July 24, 2009

• Under the Toque: Phil Conlon in at Broadway East; Todd English in at Great Jones Hotel

  ​Broadway East has confirmed yet another new chef to head up its kitchen. Phil Conlon, the opening chef de cuisine at Cafe Cluny, has taken over from Gavin Mills, who has reportedly left New York to work in California. Grub Street] Todd English has confirmed rumors that he will open a new space with nightlife promoter Jon B in Chelsea. In a recent community board meeting, it was also revealed English would be heading up the food and beverage program at the coming-soon Great Jones Hotel. [

  August 13, 2009

• Cadbury Holds Out for Better Offer; Beware the 'Halal Mafia'

  ​Anthony Bourdain took his culinary adventure show No Reservations on a tour of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx on Monday night's episode with his friend Fat Dave, lead singer of the New York Dolls David Johansen, Chris Cheung of Monkey Bar, and Momofuko's David Chang. [NY Daily News] Frank Bruni is still making the media rounds. He wows a Time interviewer with this bit of shocking insight: "When I first started five years ago, everybody was doing some version of sushi... R

  September 8, 2009

• The Fish in Your Filet-o-Fish is Both Ugly and Possibly Unsustainable

  The hoki, known more commonly as a filet-o-fish.​The Times has a piece about the hoki, the homely yet delectable fish that's been the star of countless McDonald's filet-o-fish sandwiches and featured on the menus of chain restaurants like Denny's and Long John Silver's. The hoki, which lives in the deep waters around New Zealand, has found favor with commercial fleets as an alternative to overfished populations of monkfish, tuna, and red snapper. But it turns out that the pop-eyed fish are

  September 10, 2009

• Food Network to Go Global; Daniel Joins Michelin Three-Star Club

  ​A group of food corps is launching the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a national, multi-year campaign to help reduce obesity -- especially childhood obesity -- by 2015. [PR Newsire] A study reveals that customers at fast-food chains, such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, and KFC, don't necessarily make better food choices now that nutritional information is posted, especially in poorer neighborhoods. [NY Times] Scripps Networks Interactive and Chello Zone has plans to launch

  October 6, 2009

• McDonald's Opening in the Louvre. Bienvenue, Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

  ​How did McDonald's choose to celebrate its 30th anniversary polluting the bloodstreams of French citizens? By opening France's 1,142nd outlet in the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and numerous other embodiments of the best that human civilization has to offer. It's set to open next month, in an underground entrance to the museum. A spokesperson for the museum told the Daily Telegraph that the "quality" McDonald's and McCafe was "in line with the museum's image." Assuming the museum's image

  October 6, 2009

• A Word From the Les Desirs Landlord

  A week ago, a story emerged that Les Desirs Patisserie, the 47-year-old Chelsea bakery beloved by neighborhood seniors, was about to be closed by its landlords and replaced by a branch of Sullivan Street Bakery. A petition to save the bakery collected some 700 signatures. But now the landlord is weighing in; it seems that Les Desirs's owner, Jean Pauget, had planned to retire and then changed his mind. Still, who likes the idea of senior citizens being forced to go to McDonald's because they can

  October 7, 2009

• Stephen Colbert on McLouvre: 'Hey, France, Fast Food Is Our Culture!"

  In his "Tip of the Hat / Wag of the Finger" segment, Stephen Colbert envisioned what the Louvre's new McDonald's might be like: A Grimace de Milo. A McLisa smile. And a pack of Gitanes in your "Ennui Meal." [via Eat Me Daily]

  October 8, 2009

• Times: New Storefront Art Shows Like Old Kind, Except Fancy, Curated

  ​Last week we mentioned that some city-owned rental space, even in buildings one imagined would be very rentable (the Staten Island Ferry terminal, for example) were being offered free to artists to use as exhibition spaces. Today the Times tells us the city's not the only landlord to give over its moribund commercial spaces to daubers. So have the owner of a dentist office, the owner of a stretch of Flatbush Avenue Extension "squeezed between a McDonald's and an Applebee's," etc. The T

  October 12, 2009

• Things I Liked That No One Else Did

  ​Pierce Brosnan's singing in Mamma Mia! Sofia Coppola's performance in The Godfather III Jar Jar Binks Dancer in the Dark McDonald's chicken fajitas Showgirls Woolworth's Viva Laughlin Bookstores So shoot me!

  October 16, 2009

• Worst New Trend: Redesigned McDonald's, Burger King

  ​Jeremiah's Vanishing New York visits the McDonald's at 6th Avenue and 15th Street and finds "seating inspired by Arne Jacobsen's biomorphic Egg and Swan chairs of 1958," and "flat-screen televisions... mounted over the dining tables." This is apparently part of a "next generation of McDonald's" the chain has been rolling out for years already, though it's the first we've heard of it here. And Burger King is playing catch-up, recently unveiling a "20/20" redesign for the Home of the Whop

  October 21, 2009

• Fancy Fast Food Drinks: The McNuggetini

  This "culinary abomination" incorporates one large McDonald's chocolate milkshake, half (yes, half) a bottle of vanilla-flavored vodka, two packets of McDonald's barbecue sauce, and a couple of Chicken McNuggets for garnish. Sound disgusting? Wait till you see its creators take their first sip. [via Eat Me Daily]

  October 22, 2009

• Mickey D's Moves Faster; Kellogg Retracts Claim That Rice Krispies Protects Against Swine Flu

  ​New research reveals that tomatoes can help you lose weight, as they act as a natural appetite suppressant. [NY Daily News] Kellogg has decided to remove the banner on the front of Rice Krispies boxes that says the cereal "helps support your child's immunity," but failed to cite the San Francisco city attorney's request for substantiation on the immunity claim as a reason. [Wall Street Journal] McDonald's is testing wrap sandwiches, but is not likely to adopt them as they take longer t

  November 6, 2009