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Across the Fence:  Boycotting McDonalds  |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
 Posted - May 23 2008 : 09:46:02 AM
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Well hey, even if they did use eyeballs and other "gross" things, every now and again I just want a taste. Think about what people in Asia eat and consider good. Maybe is IS good. I'll try anything once. For our purposes though, it's no excuse. I wonder how much of that stuff is hype and urban ledgend
Usually I crave Zaxby's Chicken.
They came to town about 3 years ago. It's REALLY good, but kind of expensive. Found our recently they don't use chickens pumped full of hormone. Now THAT's cool!
I too am famillar w/ Temple Graden. Read her book and it helped me better manage out animals here at the zoo. We tend to forget that animals don't see and react like people do |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 10:08:16 AM
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I have not eaten at McD's in several years because the food causes my Lupus to flare up and is very painful. DD has stopped eating there when on trips with her sports teams because it made her so sick the next day that she couldn't even go to school. It took us a while to figure all this out. Once I did figure it out, I stopped going to ANY fast food place and dd learned to pack a lunch/dinner for her road trips. No more problems.
I don't know exactly what they do to the food or where they get it. I do suspect the cows and chickens are pumped up with all kinds of antibiotics and growth hormones, which is not healthy for US. I know that this "food" (if you want to call it that) is FAR from healthy and that folks with certain health conditions seem to be even more sensitive to whatever is in it. That includes the salads. I can't eat them, either. It could be something they're using to keep it fresh?
It's not just McD's food, either. Lots of stuff off the shelves in the grocery store cause the same problems for us. Fast food or convenience foods in any form are not even a consideration anymore. DD and I feel MUCH better since discovering this and I will stand by good, clean, all natural food every time because the "proof is in the pudding".
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 10:23:28 AM
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I have not eaten at McDonalds for years and years, because of reasons close to Lisa's, not because of cow eyes, that is just a little something DH told me. I am sure a cow eye can be prepared to taste wonderfully. I find defense of McDonalds on an organic farm's forum sort of funny.
Trish
Farmgirl Sister #91
Make cupcakes not war!
FREE TIBET! |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 11:11:23 AM
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| I have heard that McD's uses beef from China. Some 70 percent of Chinas fresh water rivers are polluted with raw sewage, so is that what these cows are drinking? (china is building something like 6 or 7 coal power plants. They are so hi tech and extremely intelligent, but aparently have no regard for the environment. |
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DearMildred
True Blue Farmgirl
223 Posts
Amanda
Tulsa
OK
USA
223 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:15:03 PM
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Annika, I'm with you on the pudge, I have started Operation Muffin Top and I'm on a roll. Or, trying to lose the roll.
And Lisa I can agree on the chemicals making you sick too. No one in my family can eat the salads at one of our local restaurants because of the preservatives they put on them. Not worth it to me to spend that much time in the bathroom for a restaurant salad!
I can agree with almost everything posted so far, and I don't know if the beef from China or the eyeballs or whatever is true but I just plain feel better when I eat better. Sometimes I crave McD's (in fact I can practically taste a quarter pounder with cheese as I write this) but when I induldge I am usually disappointed. (now, PIZZA on the other hand...)
Hottest trend in city restaurant industry these days seems to be the local food "concept" but where I grew up, they'd fry the salads if they could figure out how to do it.
~Amanda in OK~
Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered by your old nonsense. -Emerson |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:24:37 PM
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They don't use beef produced in China, unless you go to a Chinese McDonald's. (Yes they exist.) Some international markets use beef produced in other countries. For example, Australia might use New Zealand beef in exchange for New Zealand using onions grown in Australia. The beef in the US is from the US or, to a very minor extent, from Canada. And the Canadian standards for growing and slaughter are exactly like our own or McDonald's won't buy.
And it is illegal for anyone producing poultry for meat to use growth hormones or antibiotics. Get it? Against the LAW. Whether it's Tyson or Perdue or McDonald's it's still against the law. I laugh when I see different vendors saying that their chickens are hormone or antibiotic free; they ALL are.
Many of the products in McDonald's is the same as on your supermarket shelves. Their yogurt is made by Dannon. Their cinnamon rolls are made by Sara Lee. I don't recall who produces their lettuce. Most ketchup is Hunt's. The fruit pies are made by Bama. Apples are dipped in an ascorbic acid solution to keep them from browning. What is ascorbic acid? Is it a terrible chemical designed to give you cancer? Nope; it's another word for vitamin C.
I'm not defending McDonald's per se. What I'm defending is the need to see things as they are, objectively, without being prejudiced by rumor or innuendo. I've been a part of the whole, organic foods movement for more than 35 years. I've served on the board of directors for one of the country's most largest and long-lived food co-ops, and grown much of my own food organically. It's a method of cultivation, not a religion. I take umbrage at people having silly ideas about organic living that are not supported in fact, too. Where does this feeling of smug superiority come from? Is it unavoidable that our species seems to want to separate into "we" and "they" in order to feel good about our choices? Why do we have to bash McDonald's, or Walmart, or meat eaters, or vegans, or any other group or entity? Can't we accept that people have choice, and can exercise it at will?
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kissmekate
True Blue Farmgirl
890 Posts
Kate
Delano
Minnesota
890 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:29:04 PM
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I worked at Mickey D's in high school. I didn't eat much there though. I can say this, Mc Donald's is probably the cleanest restuarant you will ever eat in.
I can't eat there, it makes me literally ill because it doesn't agree with me.
Don't miss out on a blessing, just because it isn't packaged the way you expected. ~MaryJo Copeland |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:38:28 PM
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Ladies-
Let's remember that we are all entitled to our opinions and beliefs. We are all right at time and all wrong at times. Please remember, before putting that pen to the paper or the hands to the keyboard that many people will read it. Without body language and tone of voice our writings can come across much different than we intended. Please remember that we are all farmgirls, whatever our beliefs and in such, let's try to treat each other as we would like to be treated.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:41:38 PM
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It has been years since I went to McDonalds. Not because I decided to boycott consciously, but because I do not enjoy their food. Do not go anywhere you don't like, if you don't have to!
I know the Ronald McDonald houses are great. Over the years, many large industrialists and major companies have balanced their questionable practices with good charity. Think about the Rockefellers, etc. But we as a people should just choose what is healthy for us and buy those things.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
Edited by - jpbluesky on May 23 2008 1:50:29 PM |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 1:45:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Horseyrider
Where does this feeling of smug superiority come from?
I'm not sure who this is aimed at, but it's like the pot calling the kettle black. It's wonderful that you're armed with this knowledge, but how did you come by it--you've not given any tangible references, very much the same as the first (or any poster after that, including me,for that matter). If you know this to be true...wonderful--but at this point, it's also just your opinion. Enlighten us, don't scold.
I'm an intelligent person, not easily swayed by just any old comments--give me an article or report as reference and I'll be glad to be engaged. Knowledge is power.
I choose not to eat fast food--for personal reasons. Period.
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 2:18:09 PM
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Mary Ann-
You are right! We need to be educated about the choices we make and know the truth about the things we hear and food we eat. It's always good to keep a level head and consider things from all angles before making a decision.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 2:56:40 PM
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How do I know these things? Because thirty years ago I worked there. I married a guy who also worked there. I stopped working there but he didn't. He had a BA in physiological psychology but decided to not pursue a career in medicine, but due to his success at McD's, to get an MBA at one of the top five schools of business in the nation. He worked full time running a restaurant while he went to school. The program available at McD's at the time paid for ALL his school expenses; every tuition dollar, every book, even his pens, pencils, and erasers. There were no strings attached. When he graduated he interviewed with many different companies, but he chose to stay with McD because they offered by far the best opportunities for growth. He's worked directly with the suppliers, the marketing folks, and those in the restaurants. He designs databases for them. While it's proprietary information, it is possible to know exactly, to the box, what is in every single restaurant anywhere in the world, where it comes from, when it's used, when it's replaced, and where the replacement comes from. It's called a supply chain. I can promise you, NONE of the meat comes from China. McDonald's has been very good to us, and has put every ounce of the organic food we eat on our table.
There's no Snopes for most of this sort of information, although they do refute some of it. But as you know, silly rumors abound. I still know people that say that you can't be properly nourished if you're a vegan. That organic farmers use human waste to grow their food. That organic food is inferior and dirty because it's always infested with eggs of insects. They cling to their smug superiority in the same way, based on misinformation and prejudice. I get plenty sick of that too.
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 2:59:16 PM
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| Oh, and it's okay if you don't want to eat there. Really. As a shareholder though, I'm glad that millions of people every hour do. |
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Carol
Moderator/MaryJane's Design Diva
452 Posts
Carol
Moscow
Idaho
USA
452 Posts |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 5:03:17 PM
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Hello everyone.
This thread has gotten too combative for our forum, so we're going to block further discussion here. Of course, after I'm done having MY say. 
We've stated repeatedly that this forum is not a place for argumentative discussions. However, I think it can be a good lesson for everyone involved.
First of all, before any of us condemns a company, a lifestyle choice, politics, religion, etc., we should first consider how that affects others, especially on a forum like this. There are many varieties of farmgirls on our forum, and lots of differing lifestyles and opinions. But we're all connected by the things we love about the Farmgirl Connection - farmgirl really IS a condiditon of the heart. And if you do feel strongly about something and feel that you have to be defensive, tell us why. And back up your opinions with facts. If you just state your opinions as facts, you come off as sounding superior and unapproachable. And if you're stating facts, but not telling where they come from, it sounds like you're just stating opinions.
In this case, if Alee started out by saying that she was going to try to avoid going to McDonalds and why, then Mary Ann could have come back and told us that McDonalds had been good to her family and enlightened us about some of McDonalds' practices. As it was, she was put in a position of defending the company, but neglected to tell us why, and therefore came across that she was only stating her own opinions. Remember that old adage "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar" when you are stating your opinions - people are never going to listen when they feel they're getting hit over the head.
Thanks everyone!
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, red wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming 'WOO HOO, what a ride!'"
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Across the Fence: Boycotting McDonalds |
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Boycotting McDonalds
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