The Croque McDo
I’m a total sucker for fast food, as I’ve said SO many times. I guess you would think that a French food writer might be something of a snob. I’m a bons, the opposite of a snob. Snob backwards, inside out, and sideways. I could eat street food all day long. And often do.
So, it was no surprise to anyone that I mandated several stops at French McDonald’s. And guess what. French McDonald’s offers a croque monsieur, a “Croque McDo.” How cute is that? Even better than the fish stick Happy Meal I get in London.
REVEALED! Inside the Croque McDo
So, I did the Croque McDo Happy Meal, and this was no American Happy Meal. The croque monsieur had a very ooey-gooey Swiss cheese that melted into almost a fondue, between a crisply toasted set of bread slices that seemed like a Thomas’ English muffin without the nooks and crannies. And the ham was actually my favorite part. Great just shy of smoky flavor, good texture. Trying to be grown up about my little Happy Meal experiment, I chose cherry tomatoes instead of fries, cantaloupe instead of cookies, and Evian instead of Coke. All of them were offered, which I couldn’t believe. The little ham and cheese sandwich was great, and I loved that I could get everything else fresh and healthy. The cherry tomatoes were the best part–fresh, and bursting sweet and tart in my mouth.
I'm lovin': Tomatoes instead of Potatoes
Fruit: Why French Women Don't Get Fat
Apparently, McDonald’s has been undergoing a kind of makeover in Europe, according to Mr. English. I seem to remember something in the back of my mind telling me that French people hate McDonald’s, as a symbol of American cultural aggression. So McDonald’s has changed its color from red to green, and started sourcing produce from the region. (Check out this link to French McDonald’s–it’s hard to recognize a green Micky D’s!) Ads on TV were touting that McDo’s famous fries were made only from French and Belgian spuds. Even McDo is cashing in on the locavore trend in France!
The Whole Wheat Big Mac
I also noticed that French McDonald’s offers the Big Mac on a whole wheat bun. They do specialty sandwiches, like the Comté burger, written up to high praise on Serious Eats by my colleague Kenji Lopez-Alt. French McDonald’s is celebrating French food by topping speciality burgers with regional toppings, like real AOL Comté cheese, rosette de Lyon salami, et cetera. I love French McDonald’s. Using what was once a pillar of American influence and change as a place to celebrate and exalt French food. I’m lovin’ it!
I adore this post! I must immediatley book my flight to France to try the McDo! Thanks for sharing.
You must!
I love love love le McDo! It’s so hard in France to get a small, quick dinner, so we end up there more often than not on days when we’ve eaten our way through the city for breakfast and lunch and can’t sit down for another full meal. My favorite thing is the “sauce chinoise” for the McNuggets — it’s like orange chicken sauce but so much better (and no high fructose corn syrup!). (My husband’s favorite thing is the beer.)
Oh my gosh, I WISH I had tried the sauce chinoise! I was eyeing all the sauces, and was considering asking for all of them, and dipping my fries! But I was too shy. Next time! I do love le McDo…is that bad? I had a terrific green salad, fries, and a Magnum McFlurry there a couple of days ago. Loved.
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Wow! How amazing! I’m not one for fast food…but I did hear about the McDonalds in other countries! I would deff try the French McDonalds! I also heard that they have sandwiches on baguettes? Is this true? I heard that Hawaii has a McLobster burger and Japan has a rice patty? I’ve also heard of something different things in other places! How exciting!!
I’ve heard Maine has lobster rolls, but I can’t confirm it! But I would go to Hawaii just for a lobster burger. I wish I’d known when I was there. I didn’t see sandwiches on baguettes when I was in France. I saw steak au poivre wraps, and some other French concessions on the menu, but no baguettes this time. The rice patties in Japan sound good too. I have to check out some more countries!
Hi there, just found this article. I’m french and pretty much fond of McDonald’s =P, so I thought I could add some detail. About French baguette sandwich … there’s no such thing in McDonald’s, but any other shop selling sandwiches or panini sure use baguette. McDo sticks to its industrial bread though. However, people may have been mistaken by a sandwich called “Le M”, which is a limited edition, reddited every year or so, and it is basically made of the best igredients they can find, best meaning healthiest. So you’ve got a better quality bread, kinda like a baguette, but still not as good =p. I think people may have been confused by this one, let me know if not!
Thanks so much for that detail! It’s terrific.
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Hi there!
Every time I went to Mc Donald’s back in France, I used to have a Croque Mc Do. You are completely right, this is the most tasty Croque Monsieur I ever had. I tried a few times to cook the same at home, but something is missing.
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