German police officers are seen Saturday in front of the fence at the construction site of the first McDonald's in Berlin's "alternative" Kreuzberg neighborhood.
Posted on 07/30/2007 3:05:48 PM PDT by Graybeard58
BERLIN -- This city's funky Kreuzberg neighborhood teems with diverse places to eat. It has Chinese and Thai, a laid-back cafe with old sofas and dark German beer, and an Italian coffee bar with artisan-roasted beans and organic provolone.
Another flavor -- McDonald's -- will soon join the mix and the arrival of the fast-food giant is causing consternation in Kreuzberg, for decades a stronghold of left-wing, anarchist and anti-globalist sentiment.
Police on Saturday barred a small demonstration against the restaurant that they said had no permit, organized by a citizens' initiative under the German name McWiderstand, or ''McResistance.'' Several demonstrators in Ronald McDonald wigs nonetheless managed to sneak through a construction barrier and put up a banner decrying the restaurant.
The site's fence is smeared with obscene anti-McDonald's graffiti, and the company has hired guards.
Berlin already has 40 McDonald's outlets, including one a few blocks away. But opponents argue the latest venture from the Oak Brook multinational will tempt local students to eat fattening food, diminish the area's unique flavor and add to traffic with a drive-through.
''Kreuzberg is a very alternative neighborhood,'' said Philipp Raschdorff, a group spokesman. ''That's what distinguishes the area.''
Alexander Schramm, a McDonald's spokesman in Munich, said the restaurant will add to the area's diversity.
German police officers are seen Saturday in front of the fence at the construction site of the first McDonald's in Berlin's "alternative" Kreuzberg neighborhood.
From the headline, I thought this was an article about McCain.
Germany, land of sausages and beer, is afraid McDonalds will make them fat?
McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Coke, etc. It’s all the same to the commies. Its about hating big business, nothing more.
I have yet to have anybody explain to me exactly how McDonalds is worse for me than a sit-down restaurant or something I might make at home. I have no doubt it’s not. I have yet to understand how a Coke with corn syrup is bad but iced-frappa-mocha-latte with sprinklesis OK.
If I have a T-bone, baked potato, and cobbler, I’m fine but a cheeseburger and fries and I’m killing myself. Sheer idiocy and reflexive hatred for big business rule these days.
One of my all-time favorite movie scenes was from the movie Gotcha!, when Jonathan makes it back into West Berlin from East Berlin, and the first place he goes is to a Burger King, and orders.
“I’d like a Whopper? No, make that a Double Whopper with American cheese. And large American french fries, and a great big American chocolate shake. Okay? No sauerkraut. No schnitzel.”
Then the useless socialists will have to find some other stupid crusade to make their sad lives worth living.
In the new Steve Martin Pink Panther movie, there’s a fairly funny bit how he comes from Paris to NYC and finds out he loves McDonalds, whereupon he tries to smuggle it back to France.
It got bad reviews but that part had me laughing.
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