Fast Food:  There is no Escape

It probably comes as no surprise that there are American fast food chains at every corner of the globe and the capital of  Thailand, Bangkok  is no exception.  I just got done watching a news report on CNN stating that a new KFC opens up every single day in China.

The CNN report claimed that the food is healthy and clean which I actually agree with!  That was the primary motivation for adding this blog entry as I credit McDonalds for saving me from digestive misery twice already in the 2 months I’ve been here.

I have twice so far had a persistent upset stomach from eating the real fast food in Thailand, street meat, aka the satay which you pay $7.00 for at your local Thai restaurant which you can buy on any street corner here for 10 cents a stick.  You can also buy an assortment of protein sources from cockroaches, to stick bugs, to hot dogs, to squid and much much more which I will blog about later.

I’m actually not sure what gave me a painful stomach ache but, I had a couple suspicions one being the meat on the street.  Others being brushing my teeth with the Thai tap water, accidentally drinking Thai tap water as ice which had melted in my iced tea and eating too much fruit which had been washed with Thai tap water.

McDonalds my Favorite Medicine

Both times I had a stomach ache for a couple days straight I simply went to McDonalds and ate a large meal which ended my stomach pain.  It got me thinking about McDonalds.  First of all, owning a McDonalds is probably the surest bet of any business in the world.  McDonalds franchises have been around, aren’t going anywhere and are growing like the plague.

Secondly I thought, McDonalds is some of the safest food to eat in the world (in the short term of course).  I mean, have you ever heard of anyone getting sick or food poisoning from McDonalds?  I have eaten at McDonalds since I was 4 years old and the food tastes exactly the same.  I’m kind of a McDonalds expert as when I was a boy I used to cry when my parents took me to any restuarant which wasn’t McDonalds causing my parents to call every restaurant McDonalds (i.e. Taco Bell McDonalds) which worked.

The only differences between McDonalds in Bangkok and in the USA is the price is far lower in Bangkok, Ronald McDonalds is Buddhist, there is the Samurai pork burger, cream corn pie, and a double decker fillet-o-fish.

The Sizzler

Another interesting Thailand tidbit is in Bangkok, “The Sizzler” is super popular!  I remember I used to make fun of it with my clients all the time in food snob land aka San Francisco.  I like low-end steak houses, my favorite being the 40 year old “support your local steak house,” Palace Steak House in San Francisco and I remember how my high school baseball team used to have shrimp eating contests at the local Sizzler so I will always have love for “The Sizzler” and the Thai people and tourists do as well packing every Sizzler I see around Bangkok.

A Lot More about Thai Fast Food Coming Soon