I'm italian. I think that McDonald's offers extremely unhealthy, almost killer food. Then I discover that it's like a fancy vegan restaurant compared to the US one! 🤣
@xnobodyx9799vabbè dai capisco l'intento del voler essere alternativo dicendo "ormaisimangiamaledappertuttoh" ma paragonare una catena di fast food a trattorie/ristoranti no. Non siamo ancora a quel livello su
@xnobodyx9799ha solo detto che in america è ancora meno salutare del nostro il che non è una novità ma questo è il succo del commento mica ha detto che il nostro fa bune
A bit of history for those interested in Crispy McBacon. In Italy I think it is the most loved sandwich (I had read somewhere that 50,000 were consumed per day) and it is an Italian exclusivity because it was born here 30 years ago thanks to the Italian fast food chain "Burghy" which was then bought by McDonalds. It was such a loved burger that they decided to keep it on the classics menu
L’ho scoperto da poco anch’io, in pratica la lore del crispy Mac bacon è che è un omaggio a una catena italiana chiamata “Burgy”, che produceva questo panino ed è stata comprata da McDonald negli anni 90. Comunque confermo che esiste anche in altri paesi europei oltre all’Italia perché a Barcellona l’ho mangiato
I work at mcd in Italy and the reason for the gluten free burger to be pre packed is to avoid contamination, since many restaurants don't have separate grills and toaster to make only gluten free items, I also believe it's for cost reduction since they are not very popular. Also side note, I'm sorry you got those burgers in that state, there should have been more attention during production😅
I also work at McDonald’s in Italy, I also have to say something in favor of the restaurant regarding the gluten free burger, probably the bread is so hard because it is preferable to consume it immediately and not after 20 minutes, the condensation usually makes the hamburger soggy and after an hour it becomes hard like stone
Do you guys also offer big mac gluten free? Like in spain they do bou unfortunately here in germany we dont have any glutenfree options and i would be glad to have that soggy bag hahaha
Could you imagine they literally do this for all 197 countries of the world the video would probably be about idk probably something in days maybe weeks lol
Joe was spot on about the value for the product is no longer there. I love watching Claudia trying to be diplomatic about the junk food she is forced to flaunt. She is so charming and educated in the foods of the world while trying to say nice things about food she would never want to eat. This is the best Food Wars series by far!
If you want value, in my country for some reason they have a family share box thats chicken big mac, the mcRoyal, a hamburger, cheeseburger and 2 regular fries and 2 regular drinks for 13$. Im scared why it costs that much
It's funny because not only it's the basic of the basic but the tastier McDonald's burgers are the 3 specialties and are quite expensive if you think that for the same price you can actually go to a pub here and have a nice burger that is not from a fast food, is tastier fuller and has ingredients with better quality. But you know.. sometimes you just fancy the drive in greesy macdonalds experience
The gluten free burger is cooked in the bag to prevent cross contamination with gluten from other items. When fresh and hot the gf bread on it is actually decent but if it cools down the bread is not good.
@@Alby_Torino Absolutely. I live in the US. I see it every day. It has been happening for decades. A lot of people don't care much about what they put in their body... (and I am not just referring to food), and for a few extra dimes they mindlessly just add on to what is a highly caloriic meal. And yes, though I have never seen it with my own eyes, I know that some people would eat those 40 pcs by themselves. However, Mc Donald's has always promoted it as a "sharable". This is more a marketing strategy to relinquish "responsibility" if you will, as the company can always say they never intended that item to be for a single serving. I probably should have said it better in my first comment but I was in a hurry when I left it 😅 What upset me about this video (unless I missed it) is the lack of mentioning of the fact that in Italy McDonald's is seen as a "once in a while" type of meal. Most people would not eat this on a daily basis. First of all, it would be too expensive to sustain it as a daily habit. Second, it would be too expensive to feed a large party. Italians are money savvy when it comes to food. There are plenty of cheaper (not to mention tastier and healthier) alternatives easily available everywhere from North to South. Claudia's reaction to most items she shows comes from that experience exactly. I used to work at Mc in Piacenza, and families would only come for birthday parties. Most office people who didn't bring lunch from home, would choose "competitors" that had better options. Junk food is for a "fun" time out with friends, a sort of transgression... Oh man. I am homesick now 😅😄
@@iv2439 That's about 700 grams of food, which makes sense for one fat person (american people are) so I'm thinking people have died from eating these. Pricing is also quite reasonable when you compare $6.29 for 10 pc and $8.59 for 20 pc. Then you've got that monstrosity 40pc for $14.39 which makes it sound like a good deal for a single fat person.
that would be hilarious but i feel like the real reason is that the quarter pounder became a staple name, like a brand of sorts, and the marketing point of the double quarter pounder isn’t really the 100% increase in weight, but a doubling of the iconic quarter pounder experience😮😮😮 i know it’s the same thing, but semantically speaking it makes sense
It’s a matter of psychology. (Double) quarter pounder “sounds like more” than (one) half pounder to any typical person’s ears. It’s not because Americans don’t know that two quarter pounds equal one half pound; that’s just “dunk on America” bs. It’s nothing but power of suggestion marketing.
Pikachu is more famous than Mickey Mouse actually. Pokemon is literally the biggest franchise in the world. Kind of impressive he went all this time without knowing to be honest
Shock horror, not everyone is interested in Pokemon, I'm certainly not, I was around in the 90s and wouldn't have had a clue what it was, I wasn't aware it was even around in the 90s (Samurai Pizza Cats yes, Pokemon no) and I only do now cos it gets relentlessly mentioned everywhere.
I bet she is thinking of Vinavil. It's a white Polyvinyl acetate glue that is quite popular in Italy and it's very close in consistency to that sauce :D
Guys I'm Italian and I'm gonna tell you, we won from the beginning, we have the amazing crispy Mcbacon, which is exclusively sold in Italy. That's the best sandwich from McDonald's
@@ErrRomanistanot in Greece. only in Italy because it's not an original McDonald's burger. It was sold by Burghy an Italian burger chain.after McDonald's wasn't able to have success on Italy has bought Burghy and their burger. So the Burghy best burger changed name to Crispy MC bacon
@@ghira86h ok, btw if they bring it in america it would be a success, i dont like burgers at all but the crispy mcbacon is so good and i get it everytime i go to mcdonalds
Yeah.... about that, I totally agree with her that it would be sacrilege to eat McDs in Italy of all places, but all the same, these videos are meant to be entertaining. I LOVE, LOVE Claudia as the voiceover for a lot of the food videos, but she simply doesn't have the charisma for these compared to Joe, Harry, Tienren, George or Nikhil.
I've got very fancy Italian friends who love this stuff and it doesn't mean they eat it all the time or think it's as good as or superior to traditional Italian cuisine. Everyone in the world loves variety, even the Claudias!. Also, my biggest travel tip for other Americans is telling people they SHOULD visit a McDonalds or Starbucks or places like that at least once when abroad. They're never overcrowded or overpriced tourist traps, and you are immersed with almost all locals who just want a burger or something easy and calorific that day. The people are definitely aren't the type who are "performing" for tourists and it's weirdly a little mental break for you. Plus You really get to appreciate the everyday people that way and it's incredible. I went to a McDonalds in Sweden once and it changed my life, no joke. Of course the food itself that didn't do that, it was seeing how this immigrant woman was actively learning Swedish on the job, and how gracious and friendly the manager was translating my English and limited Swedish into basic Swedish as a second language for the woman training to take orders. It was like we were both learning Swedish in that moment and I would like to think it helped the woman feel less anxious and out of water seeing that I was struggling with her too. Of course I can't speak for her but we had a great moment that I'll remember :)
It's actually due to the different food safety laws between the countries. The way many food items are created and processed in US, would be considered illegal in the EU.
@@GabrieleMazzola1 Come on. Sometimes a tourist just wants something easy and fast without the need to understand a foreigner menu. Especially in a crowded city, after hours of walking and when you are coming across so many McDonald's. And sometimes one just wants to make comparisons. Se ci vanno così tanti italiani non è proprio il caso di scandalizzarsi se qualche straniero lo fa.
@@giovannimoriggi5833 se vado in un posto nuovo utilizzo il mio tempo per scoprire cosa mi può offrire quel posto mica spendo soldi per una vacanza per mangiare fast food
It would be a nice addition to the menu if they added an "around the world" menu, with a few different items from different countries seasonally. I'm sure they have the supplies, and as much as i understand croissants and fresh baked items in Italian McDonalds, I'm sure the American market would give it a try!
they do sorta in uk in summer we get ones with ciabbatta rolls etc , and of course philly cheese steak burger in uk is from america but i do think the shrimp b urge should be in uk had that in japan
A friend of mine came back from Germany talking about being able to buy wine at McDonalds there. I asked about the quality of the wine and she analogized; McD's wine was to wine as their food was to food. This has been my perfect description of all things "McDonalds" ever since.
I remember in 'The Italian Bob,' The Simpsons went to Italy and got alcohol at McDonald's and had a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa on their cups. I was curious if they ever did that, or the writers didn't really do their research.
i heard of all of them i love cheese my favs prob stilton although to strong for a burger but i also like tasting ones i dont know last xmas marks in uk did a gastronome cheese selection
i live in Iowa, but you'd swear that i was from Wisconson. i am a cheese fanatic, i snack on Colby and Cheddar cheeses, if left to my own devices, i could probably devour a block.
I doubt you’ll see many more. There isn’t that many fast food chains in Italy. They opened the first KFC and Starbucks just in the last decade if i’m not wrong. I grew up in Italy and I never even seen Burger King or Subway or anything apart from McDonald’s lol
Luckily, I'd say. We have so many street food, bar and pubs we would not even need McDonald's at all. Fast food is just a more unhealthy option for our youngest people @@23jasmy
@@23jasmy no Subway, but we do have Burger King. My uni was right behind a Burger King, and professors would get pissed if you tell them “Ah, that building behind Burger King?” 😂 There was also Domino’s but clearly didn’t last long, for obvious reasons. I tried ordering once and they cancelled my order for no reason one hour after estimated delivery time.
@@heybeuzI think the last Domino's in Italy closed like last year after many unlucky attempts to take over as a pizza chain. I remember being offered a free treat outside my highschool by the Domino's guys around 2018-2019. Everyone avoided them like the plague.
I found Italian McDonald's to be quite close in comparison to their North American counterparts, however I did find that the Italian beef used in the hamburger patties was of superior quality.
She really failed to convey that both the Beef and the Chicken used in Italian McDonald's are sourced by 2 major Italian companies that specialize in the production of those meats, marketing campaigns take pride to assure that both cuts are 100% Italian meat and considered to be better quality than what fast food meat is usually associated with
@@whatafreakinusername they still use better quality beef in European mcdonalds then American mcdonalds And not just that there's a bunch of nasty shit that's literally illegal to put into food in Europe that America puts in theirs
@@KeiFloxthat’s pretty much it, poutine. Everything else is the same as the US. I know the McGriddle in Canada uses regular egg from the McMuffin vs the US uses the folded yellow egg.
@@Dontworry1 super wrong. Almost everything is different at our (canadian) mcdonalds. Sure lots of it is subtle, but it all matters. Also the folded egg vs fried egg is just an option, you can get both in canada too, but yea the default seems to change randomly and/or they run outa stock on the folded one a lot.
@@Axer128 I don't know where you live but in Ontario and Quebec I've only ever had the round egg and I've asked at numerous locations for the folded egg and they all say it's not available in Canada. So unless every mcdonalds employee have lied to me when I order the Mcgriddle it's not an option in those provinces. But I've been to the US a lot and I've had different sandwiches, burgers, sides and they are ALL the same as the Canadian version. There might be a chicken sandwich with different toppings by default but you can always add those on yourself and it would be identical. It's nothing close to other counties like italy, japan, india, france, etc... they all have wildly different options and although I've only been to italy and france. The food ingredients taste very different. I've had a big Mac in US, Canada, Italy and france, and I can tell you without a doubt they taste identical in the US and Canada but very different in italy and france. It must be where they source the ingredients like the meat. The meat is very similar in North america but in europe is different tasting. Again I don't know where you are but from my experience Us and Canada are the exact same and would make for a boring episode for mcdonalds.
@@Dontworry1 Mcdonalds employees are not usually the brightest of people. It was available in BC for some years, think its gone now. Ive moved to ontario and yea its not avail here in kitchener.
Claudia is doing an amazing job She's so amazing.Italy McDonald's looks absolutely tasty would love to try it,and like I said with other countries so far they just do a better job of making things healthier than the US. The J-Man keeps this production going❤❤❤
Crispy McBacon and BBQ chicken are ELITE. Im love Italian McDonald's! And their coffee sundae, which is literally a soft serve dunked in a real espresso. Oh and don't forget the beer!
fun fact: The Cryspy McBacon was an Italian "invention" from another Italian fast food called 'Burghy'. subsequently McDonald buy it and added it to it's menù
8:57 1 additional difference here, in Italy (And EU in general) anyone can request a "Happy Meal", In US for some weird reason, only if you have or are a kid 🤷🏻♂ 37:02 And some of the US "additional ingredients" are banned on EU for be considered toxic btw 😅
man, 2012 was the best year for McDonald's lol they had all this experimental stuff on the menu that I loved 😩 angus burgers, the mc wraps (and baby wraps since they are discontinued now) , the mighty wings, the popcorn chicken kinda thing....why it gotta be like it is now 😭😭
@@deadzio that's still going on? I remember it was a thing they were doing like 2 years ago. I got to try the German exclusive mcflurry because of that! I just wish they would bring back the snack wraps at least 😂 even Wendy's brought back one of their old school wraps.
A German guy I knew once told me that in his opinion the quality of Mcdonald's is pretty much the same all over the world. In some countries that is a good thing, and in some countries that is a bad thing.
Should do a Food war against one of the African countries for KFC, burger King or pizza hut. I know McDonald's I think is in south Africa. I live in Ghana so we have KFC, burger King and Pizza Hut
Where I live in Italy the peak hour at McD is probably at 2/3 AM on Saturday nights, after people exit the night clubs go there to eat something and there are even bodyguard at the entry
Interesting, i like how she explains things and not just try to randomly entertain people. She counts stories, gives explanations. I didn't know about caciocavallo (which i guess is horse cheese, caballo in spanish), used to see them in the markets when i often go grocery shopping, but never tried it. Definitely will do next time I'm there and will try to find a Buffala one cause it must exist ! Thought the US rations would be so much larger though, surprising
It's true that "cacio" stands for cheese and "cavallo" stands for horse. But it's a misleading name: caciocavallo is made with cow's milk. It's more difficult (but still possible) to find it made of bufala milk. No horse milk though... The origin of the name is actually a mystery! There are many theories, I'll tell you two: 1. cacio del cavallo, a cheese typically used in travel on horseback and therefore the name indicates a real horse. 2. cacio a cavallo, from the italian way of saying "a cavallo" (literally translates as "on horseback"), is used like in english you do with "straddle" to describe something that is figuratively positioned as a man on a horse (the cacio for maturing was tied in pairs to the ends of a rope and the rope was then placed "a cavallo" on a horizontal pole with the two cheeses dangling on both sides of the beam, like a man's legs when he's on horseback).
Mc Donald's in Rome are different depending on the area, for instance where I live is less touristy and surrounded by office buildings. Here you can find a huge salad bar detached from the counter as people tend to go there for their lunch breaks.
In my area, they have another pie....cookies and creme. I agree with Joe, the apple pie has not been the same since they stopped frying it. I still eat them, but onky because I like cooked apples.
I'm from Italy and apart from a few differences, it's mostly identical stuff. Food commodities are sourced from different places, sure but the end result is somewhat similar. What I envy of the US McDonald's is some breakfast stuff like the bagels. We have the McMuffin but it's not really the same imo. What we do have that in the US don't is the McToast which is absolutely legendary and I suggest you to try it out at a local Mc, should you find yourself visiting here. Oh and panzarotti with mozzarella ... obviously.
That’s what I find unique about international McDonald’s. Other countries can add a few uniquely made items. America cannot because… it’s not in America. We are the blueprint of the original items and cannot celebrate international for some reason😅
20:32 The transition from America's fully cancelled breakfast items to Italy's full table of breakfast croissants and cakes is hailarious
Wow, in the US there is no more mcCafè items? Lucky I'm Italian then ahahah
@@matteobestetti4070 No worries. We have doughnut and pastry shops everywhere here in the US.
@@PapagenoMF Can't wait to travel there as soon as I can
I’m Italy the mcafe is actually a cafe. A separate part of the restaurant with real espresso machines and a glass case pull off pasteries
@@Himothybrix By the way, McCafe was invented in Australia, so the world has Australia to thank for McCafe existing.
I'm italian. I think that McDonald's offers extremely unhealthy, almost killer food. Then I discover that it's like a fancy vegan restaurant compared to the US one! 🤣
Also me! I’m Italian but I love McDonald’s
@xnobodyx9799 basta con sta cazzata degli antibiotici. La carne o i prodotti derivati che contengono antibiotici non possono essere venduti.
@xnobodyx9799vabbè dai capisco l'intento del voler essere alternativo dicendo "ormaisimangiamaledappertuttoh" ma paragonare una catena di fast food a trattorie/ristoranti no. Non siamo ancora a quel livello su
Affanculo il MC Donald viva i paninazzi del bar sport
@xnobodyx9799ha solo detto che in america è ancora meno salutare del nostro il che non è una novità ma questo è il succo del commento mica ha detto che il nostro fa bune
A bit of history for those interested in Crispy McBacon. In Italy I think it is the most loved sandwich (I had read somewhere that 50,000 were consumed per day) and it is an Italian exclusivity because it was born here 30 years ago thanks to the Italian fast food chain "Burghy" which was then bought by McDonalds. It was such a loved burger that they decided to keep it on the classics menu
it is mostly on sale if you use the app
There is also crispy mcbacon in portugal
@@miguelletria perhaps they did some collaboration or seeing that it is the most loved sandwich in Italy they thought of bringing it to Portugal too🤔
There was nothing crispy about the bacon on that sandwich...
@@PapagenoMF and?
3:53 As an italian I am absolutely shocked that the Crispy McBacon is an italian exclusive, it's always been my favorite one!
Actually I think that it isn't, We have it on Spain so maybe it's exclusive for EU in general 🤔
L’ho scoperto da poco anch’io, in pratica la lore del crispy Mac bacon è che è un omaggio a una catena italiana chiamata “Burgy”, che produceva questo panino ed è stata comprata da McDonald negli anni 90. Comunque confermo che esiste anche in altri paesi europei oltre all’Italia perché a Barcellona l’ho mangiato
Italian mcdonalds brought it to the iberian peninsula@@Alvargon
@@AlvargonYou imported it
@@Alvargon I've been to Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid and Crispy McBacon wasn't there
I work at mcd in Italy and the reason for the gluten free burger to be pre packed is to avoid contamination, since many restaurants don't have separate grills and toaster to make only gluten free items, I also believe it's for cost reduction since they are not very popular. Also side note, I'm sorry you got those burgers in that state, there should have been more attention during production😅
I also work at McDonald’s in Italy, I also have to say something in favor of the restaurant regarding the gluten free burger, probably the bread is so hard because it is preferable to consume it immediately and not after 20 minutes, the condensation usually makes the hamburger soggy and after an hour it becomes hard like stone
Do you guys also offer big mac gluten free? Like in spain they do bou unfortunately here in germany we dont have any glutenfree options and i would be glad to have that soggy bag hahaha
@@noabre2000 unfortunately nope, there is only a cheeseburger like burger
It would be cool tho
@@noabre2000 it's made with two patties and two slices of cheese and the bun
@@nicolepatrizio8077 thanks for your answers :)
I really hope they make a McDonald’s episode with all the countries - the ultimate World Food War 1
would be a pretty cool comparison
World War Food? :)
Agreed !
Honestly that's a really cool thing but they also could do the swaps too so double content
Could you imagine they literally do this for all 197 countries of the world the video would probably be about idk probably something in days maybe weeks lol
Joe was spot on about the value for the product is no longer there. I love watching Claudia trying to be diplomatic about the junk food she is forced to flaunt. She is so charming and educated in the foods of the world while trying to say nice things about food she would never want to eat. This is the best Food Wars series by far!
yea she clearly never eats any of it except to taste with such tiny bites.. Where as joe eats plenty of it and still takes big bites after he's full.
In Italy McDonald’s is actually very popularity. More so than in the us. I walked by 5 on a single street in less than 2 miles
@@Himothybrixi wouldnt say its more popular than in america, mostly in italy the only ppl who go are teenagers lol
If you want value, in my country for some reason they have a family share box thats chicken big mac, the mcRoyal, a hamburger, cheeseburger and 2 regular fries and 2 regular drinks for 13$. Im scared why it costs that much
She clearly is very annoying, just dont be there if u dont like what u are doing. What is this high praise for? U guys suck
Love the way Italy's menu looks gourmet compared to the states and yet it's still like the basic of the basic in relation to Italian cuisine lol
It's funny because not only it's the basic of the basic but the tastier McDonald's burgers are the 3 specialties and are quite expensive if you think that for the same price you can actually go to a pub here and have a nice burger that is not from a fast food, is tastier fuller and has ingredients with better quality. But you know.. sometimes you just fancy the drive in greesy macdonalds experience
All the items look just disgusting 😅
I think a sandwich is the basic of the basic in every corner of the (civilized) world
Gourmet? You actually think that that shit is better in Italy ? 😂😂😂 All these new generations going to MC shit to pay to eat shit. Very clever 😂😂
So essentially the McDonald's in Italy has much "healthier " options than we have here in the United States. Imagine that.
I think all countries in Europe have healthier options. And also some exclusive products associated with traditional cuisine in each country.
Yeah but they’re all super dry and tasteless
You’re better off at any place that serves piadina
And it tates pretty dam bad and bland.
Europe has laws that do not permit the food to have "things" inside that are poisonous. So yeah
Happens when the goverment doesnt allow corporations to do whatever they want
Italy: Drinks come in three sizes.
USA: Our drinks also come in four sizes.
😂😂😂
I was looking for this comment 😂
also they're measuring with ice 😆
The gluten free burger is cooked in the bag to prevent cross contamination with gluten from other items. When fresh and hot the gf bread on it is actually decent but if it cools down the bread is not good.
Next question is why are so many people in the US intolerant to gluten, nuts, milk and all that bullshit
@@alainportant6412 there are tons of gluten free people in Italy as well, hence the gluten free burger....
@@JillianCristina yeah I looked up the numbers but its weird. No such thing in France and we're right next door.
@alainportant6412 maybe since you guys eat so much bread, all the gluten free people have died already 💀💀💀
The 40 box of nuggets looks like an absolute beast
Yep, just like a beast heart attack
It's supposed to be a shareable.... like feed a family for less money instead of buying 4x10 nuggets at a higher cost
@@Alby_Torino
@@iv2439 Or it's the perfect fuel to supersize people. That's what actually is happening in the US
@@Alby_Torino Absolutely. I live in the US. I see it every day. It has been happening for decades. A lot of people don't care much about what they put in their body... (and I am not just referring to food), and for a few extra dimes they mindlessly just add on to what is a highly caloriic meal. And yes, though I have never seen it with my own eyes, I know that some people would eat those 40 pcs by themselves. However, Mc Donald's has always promoted it as a "sharable". This is more a marketing strategy to relinquish "responsibility" if you will, as the company can always say they never intended that item to be for a single serving. I probably should have said it better in my first comment but I was in a hurry when I left it 😅
What upset me about this video (unless I missed it) is the lack of mentioning of the fact that in Italy McDonald's is seen as a "once in a while" type of meal. Most people would not eat this on a daily basis. First of all, it would be too expensive to sustain it as a daily habit. Second, it would be too expensive to feed a large party. Italians are money savvy when it comes to food. There are plenty of cheaper (not to mention tastier and healthier) alternatives easily available everywhere from North to South. Claudia's reaction to most items she shows comes from that experience exactly. I used to work at Mc in Piacenza, and families would only come for birthday parties. Most office people who didn't bring lunch from home, would choose "competitors" that had better options. Junk food is for a "fun" time out with friends, a sort of transgression...
Oh man. I am homesick now 😅😄
@@iv2439 That's about 700 grams of food, which makes sense for one fat person (american people are) so I'm thinking people have died from eating these.
Pricing is also quite reasonable when you compare $6.29 for 10 pc and $8.59 for 20 pc.
Then you've got that monstrosity 40pc for $14.39 which makes it sound like a good deal for a single fat person.
Claudia grazie per aver detto al mondo come pronunciamo pistacchio in Italia 🤣
4:25 - Still blows my mind that it's called a double quarter pounder because Americans thought a half in the name sounded less than two quarters
😂😂 wait what
@@boykevanderborst682 well... considering that something like that already happened with A&W's third-pound burger, it wouldn't surprise me at all!
@@Jerry98x I knew america was underaducated but I didn't expect it to be that bad
that would be hilarious but i feel like the real reason is that the quarter pounder became a staple name, like a brand of sorts, and the marketing point of the double quarter pounder isn’t really the 100% increase in weight, but a doubling of the iconic quarter pounder experience😮😮😮
i know it’s the same thing, but semantically speaking it makes sense
It’s a matter of psychology. (Double) quarter pounder “sounds like more” than (one) half pounder to any typical person’s ears. It’s not because Americans don’t know that two quarter pounds equal one half pound; that’s just “dunk on America” bs. It’s nothing but power of suggestion marketing.
Thanks to Claudia and Joe for reviewing these items ! The country specific items are the most interesting aspect of McDonald's.
How does Joe not know Pikachu’s name?!?! Where was he in the 90’s??? Pikachu is practically as famous as Mickey Mouse! 😩
I'm 33 and I know what that is. Even my 60 year old mother know that.
Pikachu is more famous than Mickey Mouse actually. Pokemon is literally the biggest franchise in the world. Kind of impressive he went all this time without knowing to be honest
he just disappeared for a decade thats all
I would venture to guess that pikachu is more popular than Mickey Mouse.
Shock horror, not everyone is interested in Pokemon, I'm certainly not, I was around in the 90s and wouldn't have had a clue what it was, I wasn't aware it was even around in the 90s (Samurai Pizza Cats yes, Pokemon no) and I only do now cos it gets relentlessly mentioned everywhere.
The Italian chicken burger pull apart - "I think this is glue" - biggest laugh I've had in ages.
A great realisation of what most McD food is.
Ingredients are not that bad. It's just super expensive. I wish we could go back to a time where fast food was cheap.
I bet she is thinking of Vinavil. It's a white Polyvinyl acetate glue that is quite popular in Italy and it's very close in consistency to that sauce :D
Guys I'm Italian and I'm gonna tell you, we won from the beginning, we have the amazing crispy Mcbacon, which is exclusively sold in Italy. That's the best sandwich from McDonald's
I think its also sold in greece but im not sure
@@ErrRomanistanot in Greece. only in Italy because it's not an original McDonald's burger. It was sold by Burghy an Italian burger chain.after McDonald's wasn't able to have success on Italy has bought Burghy and their burger. So the Burghy best burger changed name to Crispy MC bacon
@@ghira86h ok, btw if they bring it in america it would be a success, i dont like burgers at all but the crispy mcbacon is so good and i get it everytime i go to mcdonalds
Italian imported it in iberic penisula and greece too @@ErrRomanista
the mini parmesan blocks of cheese as a snack is just the greatest idea ever ahahah
You don't need to go to MacDonald's for it though, this is Italy you could literally go anywhere else in the country and get a better quality cheese.
@@JohnBloggs-m8l Your point ?
You can buy those parmesan blocks at the supermarket as well!
It is also a common break food for kids! Like lunchily in the US
Her calling Joe Bastianich "American" was the subtle shade I didn't know I needed.
i love claudia's barely concealed contempt for this junk food 😂
Yeah.... about that, I totally agree with her that it would be sacrilege to eat McDs in Italy of all places, but all the same, these videos are meant to be entertaining. I LOVE, LOVE Claudia as the voiceover for a lot of the food videos, but she simply doesn't have the charisma for these compared to Joe, Harry, Tienren, George or Nikhil.
@@nahor88 100%
@@nahor88 well, we Italians eat Italian food every day so sometimes we crave something different 😅
I've got very fancy Italian friends who love this stuff and it doesn't mean they eat it all the time or think it's as good as or superior to traditional Italian cuisine. Everyone in the world loves variety, even the Claudias!. Also, my biggest travel tip for other Americans is telling people they SHOULD visit a McDonalds or Starbucks or places like that at least once when abroad. They're never overcrowded or overpriced tourist traps, and you are immersed with almost all locals who just want a burger or something easy and calorific that day. The people are definitely aren't the type who are "performing" for tourists and it's weirdly a little mental break for you. Plus You really get to appreciate the everyday people that way and it's incredible. I went to a McDonalds in Sweden once and it changed my life, no joke. Of course the food itself that didn't do that, it was seeing how this immigrant woman was actively learning Swedish on the job, and how gracious and friendly the manager was translating my English and limited Swedish into basic Swedish as a second language for the woman training to take orders. It was like we were both learning Swedish in that moment and I would like to think it helped the woman feel less anxious and out of water seeing that I was struggling with her too. Of course I can't speak for her but we had a great moment that I'll remember :)
@@nahor88 I disagree. I prefer her sarcasm to the 'entertainment' of the other hosts
After just coming back from Italy a few days ago, I will say American McDonald's just isn't the same anymore
It's actually due to the different food safety laws between the countries. The way many food items are created and processed in US, would be considered illegal in the EU.
So you went to Italy as a tourist and u ate fast food for even once?🤦
@@GabrieleMazzola1 Come on. Sometimes a tourist just wants something easy and fast without the need to understand a foreigner menu. Especially in a crowded city, after hours of walking and when you are coming across so many McDonald's. And sometimes one just wants to make comparisons.
Se ci vanno così tanti italiani non è proprio il caso di scandalizzarsi se qualche straniero lo fa.
@@giovannimoriggi5833 se vado in un posto nuovo utilizzo il mio tempo per scoprire cosa mi può offrire quel posto mica spendo soldi per una vacanza per mangiare fast food
@@GabrieleMazzola1why not? It's like eating pizza abroad, except that he enjoyed it, so we're the stupid ones here
It would be a nice addition to the menu if they added an "around the world" menu, with a few different items from different countries seasonally. I'm sure they have the supplies, and as much as i understand croissants and fresh baked items in Italian McDonalds, I'm sure the American market would give it a try!
We have that some years ago(once) .... They should have that every year seasonally.
Same
they do sorta in uk in summer we get ones with ciabbatta rolls etc , and of course philly cheese steak burger in uk is from america but i do think the shrimp b urge should be in uk had that in japan
This exists at hamburger university in Chicago
@@jordantroche9505 and I think in Orlando (albiet discontinued foods)
any food that comes out of Italy is automatically 1000000 times better then food here in America,
It's ass here in Ital. More expensive and bland
che cazzo dici!@@juanaparicio3116
Clearly you don't know how our own government has been poisoning us for decades be grateful your country loves you -from usa@@juanaparicio3116
You know I just commented that McDs in Italy really really YOU ARE INSANE you have really Italian food and your wasting it on McDonald’s
It's healthier, but why would you even go to McDonalds in Italy?
A friend of mine came back from Germany talking about being able to buy wine at McDonalds there. I asked about the quality of the wine and she analogized; McD's wine was to wine as their food was to food. This has been my perfect description of all things "McDonalds" ever since.
I remember in 'The Italian Bob,' The Simpsons went to Italy and got alcohol at McDonald's and had a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa on their cups. I was curious if they ever did that, or the writers didn't really do their research.
@@lucinae8512 Yes it is true that you can get beer here in Italy but I think its still pretty rare to find them, not all of mcdonalds here serve them
You can find beer in Italy but is not made by McDonald's...They mostly sell beer in bottle made by Birra Moretti.
@@lucinae8512writers don’t have to always depict everything exactly as they are, especially when it comes to cartoons!
The cheese talk! 🧀 Comment below if you knew the cheeses mentioned in the episode (or the panzerotti!)👇
i heard of all of them i love cheese my favs prob stilton although to strong for a burger but i also like tasting ones i dont know last xmas marks in uk did a gastronome cheese selection
I had never heard of the panzerotti but now I really want to try it.
i live in Iowa, but you'd swear that i was from Wisconson. i am a cheese fanatic, i snack on Colby and Cheddar cheeses, if left to my own devices, i could probably devour a block.
@RyanG144Videos Trust me, you won't regret it😅
all the love from bari
When I was stationed in Italy, I’d always get a beer with my Big Mac Meal.
The epitome of nutrition
@@Farquad76.547 when you’re 19 in the military, it was just a snack 😂
There are Better options in Italy dawg
@@GabrieleMazzola1 I lived there for over four years. I wasn’t a tourist.
Can't wait to see more of Italy (Considering its a new country to the Series)
I doubt you’ll see many more. There isn’t that many fast food chains in Italy. They opened the first KFC and Starbucks just in the last decade if i’m not wrong. I grew up in Italy and I never even seen Burger King or Subway or anything apart from McDonald’s lol
I always go to Subway in Pisa so they're definitely here at least @@23jasmy
Luckily, I'd say. We have so many street food, bar and pubs we would not even need McDonald's at all. Fast food is just a more unhealthy option for our youngest people @@23jasmy
@@23jasmy no Subway, but we do have Burger King. My uni was right behind a Burger King, and professors would get pissed if you tell them “Ah, that building behind Burger King?” 😂
There was also Domino’s but clearly didn’t last long, for obvious reasons. I tried ordering once and they cancelled my order for no reason one hour after estimated delivery time.
@@heybeuzI think the last Domino's in Italy closed like last year after many unlucky attempts to take over as a pizza chain. I remember being offered a free treat outside my highschool by the Domino's guys around 2018-2019. Everyone avoided them like the plague.
I found Italian McDonald's to be quite close in comparison to their North American counterparts, however I did find that the Italian beef used in the hamburger patties was of superior quality.
She really failed to convey that both the Beef and the Chicken used in Italian McDonald's are sourced by 2 major Italian companies that specialize in the production of those meats, marketing campaigns take pride to assure that both cuts are 100% Italian meat and considered to be better quality than what fast food meat is usually associated with
See thats because the EU has a higher standard for beef then America so yea you'll see the difference in mcdonalds
It’s not like McDonald’s uses restaurant-quality beef for its burgers
@@whatafreakinusername they still use better quality beef in European mcdonalds then American mcdonalds
And not just that there's a bunch of nasty shit that's literally illegal to put into food in Europe that America puts in theirs
Not really the EU, it's more Italy that self impose more quality checks and restrict more things. I'm an italian farmer, so...@@kurtpunchesthings2411
Joe not knowing Pikachu hurt my feelings. How can you not know Pikachu? 😂
Good ol charmagard..
I know, right? I'm 4 years older than Joe and everyone I know knows at LEAST what a Pikachu is 😆
ye, i'm with the Editor and Pikachu is the best known one
pikachu is so overrated, there are far more cuter pokemon
My thing is these people are marketing for no one like McDs in Italy really really you want the pizza and the pasta not the freaking McDS
That gluten free burger was one of the scariest things I've ever seen. I'd lose my appetite.
It is packaged to avoid contamination. It's not made by mc, they just heat the whole package and put it in the cardboard. Very sad...
You're supposed to eat that burger right in the moment is ready otherwise it gets very hard
That gluten free bun looked like foam insulation. I wouldn't eat it.
@@madda_s I always say the same about my pheeenis 🥚🥚
Yeah trust me, it’s barely edible 😫
I am italian and just days ago they introduced the spicy mc nuggets!
i enjoyed the italy host so amazing and joe is simply the best , i love this series so much
I love that the Happy Meals in Italy 🇮🇹 come wit Cheese ❤
The Italian McFlurries are really good, I get it every time I visit Italy
Really lmao
Like when I go to Italy I want real Italian food
You should do a US vs Canada or Mexico. It would be interesting to see the difference between the countries closest to the border.
As a Canadian, I'd love to see Canadian food on here. Lots of fast food poutines to show off!
@@KeiFloxthat’s pretty much it, poutine. Everything else is the same as the US. I know the McGriddle in Canada uses regular egg from the McMuffin vs the US uses the folded yellow egg.
@@Dontworry1 super wrong. Almost everything is different at our (canadian) mcdonalds. Sure lots of it is subtle, but it all matters. Also the folded egg vs fried egg is just an option, you can get both in canada too, but yea the default seems to change randomly and/or they run outa stock on the folded one a lot.
@@Axer128 I don't know where you live but in Ontario and Quebec I've only ever had the round egg and I've asked at numerous locations for the folded egg and they all say it's not available in Canada. So unless every mcdonalds employee have lied to me when I order the Mcgriddle it's not an option in those provinces. But I've been to the US a lot and I've had different sandwiches, burgers, sides and they are ALL the same as the Canadian version. There might be a chicken sandwich with different toppings by default but you can always add those on yourself and it would be identical.
It's nothing close to other counties like italy, japan, india, france, etc... they all have wildly different options and although I've only been to italy and france. The food ingredients taste very different. I've had a big Mac in US, Canada, Italy and france, and I can tell you without a doubt they taste identical in the US and Canada but very different in italy and france. It must be where they source the ingredients like the meat. The meat is very similar in North america but in europe is different tasting.
Again I don't know where you are but from my experience Us and Canada are the exact same and would make for a boring episode for mcdonalds.
@@Dontworry1 Mcdonalds employees are not usually the brightest of people. It was available in BC for some years, think its gone now. Ive moved to ontario and yea its not avail here in kitchener.
Italian McDonalds is by far the best I've tried. I even got a McTowel last time I went!
U actually come to Italy to eat shit instead Italian food? Wow very clever 😂😂😂
0:28 because the ice is made from freezing water, so if it is melted then the ice will turn into water which would made the cola has more
Claudia is doing an amazing job She's so amazing.Italy McDonald's looks absolutely tasty would love to try it,and like I said with other countries so far they just do a better job of making things healthier than the US. The J-Man keeps this production going❤❤❤
Crispy McBacon and BBQ chicken are ELITE. Im love Italian McDonald's! And their coffee sundae, which is literally a soft serve dunked in a real espresso. Oh and don't forget the beer!
Good to see that McD in other countries puts the same zero effort into food presentation as we get in the UK.
the new philly cheese steak burger was very nice in uk hope hey keep it prob my fav
Claudia mentioning poutine at 13:18, really makes me want to hear her take on my national dish!
I like the Italy menu better, especially the bakery items
my parents who grew up during the sixties in some poor village in iran without even proper roads
know about pokemon
how does this guy
not
Editing error in the intro. it has the UK flag instead of the US in it. 0:07
Ladies, find you a man that will adore you the way Joe adores the McGriddle
My favourite 🇪🇺 McDonald’s: 🇮🇹, 🇩🇰 🇩🇪, 🇳🇱 and 🇪🇸
😊
Cheers from 🇺🇸
😂
fun fact: The Cryspy McBacon was an Italian "invention" from another Italian fast food called 'Burghy'.
subsequently McDonald buy it and added it to it's menù
That's exactly what they told in the video..
I love ❤️ Claudia and I love that she quietly and rightfully despises this food 😂
She has her own channel 😊
8:57 1 additional difference here, in Italy (And EU in general) anyone can request a "Happy Meal", In US for some weird reason, only if you have or are a kid 🤷🏻♂
37:02 And some of the US "additional ingredients" are banned on EU for be considered toxic btw 😅
“Just absorb the cost…you’re doing great” is NOT gonna age well 😂
3:59 I actually did too! It was a shock to realize that they don’t have it abroad.
Claudia’s amazing and cheese talk should be a regular part of the show!
The fact that Joe didn’t know that was freaking Pikachu on the Happy meal box is….well it’s not surprising actually 🤦🏽♂️
I'm not. I'm surprised he didn't know that. Even the first card he pulled should have been a clue
can't beat the italian traditional cheeses in hamburgers! and the tasty cold cuts! asiago and caciocavallo seems like great choices!
Claudia is the best❤
Agreed,but I don't think this venue shows her formidable talents.It's good to see her anywhere!
Joe not being able to name Pikachu physically hurt me
ITALY NOW?! Wow food wars really is expanding to more and more countries! I cant wait in the future for more countries!!
only makes sense when UK has been done in every kind of fast food venue, was only a matter of time before the rest of the world got a turn.
man, 2012 was the best year for McDonald's lol they had all this experimental stuff on the menu that I loved 😩 angus burgers, the mc wraps (and baby wraps since they are discontinued now) , the mighty wings, the popcorn chicken kinda thing....why it gotta be like it is now 😭😭
@@deadzio that's still going on? I remember it was a thing they were doing like 2 years ago. I got to try the German exclusive mcflurry because of that! I just wish they would bring back the snack wraps at least 😂 even Wendy's brought back one of their old school wraps.
The Angus snack wrap was the greatest item ever, I pray everyday they bring it back.
@@venom5809 YES!!!! and those big Mac wraps too!
Angus burgers are still a thing in Australia, I think the wraps are too
@@elysian7510 welp....time to move to Australia 😂
A German guy I knew once told me that in his opinion the quality of Mcdonald's is pretty much the same all over the world. In some countries that is a good thing, and in some countries that is a bad thing.
Bad, I’m afraid is true for a few of them. Especially in India, where the cow is considered sacred.
Should do a Food war against one of the African countries for KFC, burger King or pizza hut. I know McDonald's I think is in south Africa. I live in Ghana so we have KFC, burger King and Pizza Hut
Yes we have all of them in South Africa. Even popeyes chicken. As well as pizza hut
Where I live in Italy the peak hour at McD is probably at 2/3 AM on Saturday nights, after people exit the night clubs go there to eat something and there are even bodyguard at the entry
We really need the 40 box of nuggets option, I hate having to order two 20 boxes
0:07 why did you show the union jack and the Italian flag for a US vs Italy video? Mistake I guess 😛
Interesting, i like how she explains things and not just try to randomly entertain people. She counts stories, gives explanations.
I didn't know about caciocavallo (which i guess is horse cheese, caballo in spanish), used to see them in the markets when i often go grocery shopping, but never tried it. Definitely will do next time I'm there and will try to find a Buffala one cause it must exist !
Thought the US rations would be so much larger though, surprising
It's true that "cacio" stands for cheese and "cavallo" stands for horse. But it's a misleading name: caciocavallo is made with cow's milk.
It's more difficult (but still possible) to find it made of bufala milk.
No horse milk though...
The origin of the name is actually a mystery!
There are many theories, I'll tell you two:
1. cacio del cavallo, a cheese typically used in travel on horseback and therefore the name indicates a real horse.
2. cacio a cavallo, from the italian way of saying "a cavallo" (literally translates as "on horseback"), is used like in english you do with "straddle" to describe something that is figuratively positioned as a man on a horse (the cacio for maturing was tied in pairs to the ends of a rope and the rope was then placed "a cavallo" on a horizontal pole with the two cheeses dangling on both sides of the beam, like a man's legs when he's on horseback).
If someone asks you about making Cheese in Italy 🇮🇹 can you start off by saying “Yo Asiago….”? 😂
I’ve stayed up or woken up early for a McGriddle before. It really hits the right notes. 💯
In Germany we call A-C-E „Multivitamin juice“
P similar with the idea, just signifies its got a lot of vitamins
Also in Italy exist ace juice
4:24 Apparently it's called double quarter because people would think half was less than quarter.
I bet when they see Joe go to a McDonald’s, the workers are just like ‘ah no here we go again 🙄’.
the differences between the material of packages are insane, in italy we have almost everything in paper
WHOA! 🤯….look at all the bakery stuff in Italy 🇮🇹 McDonalds! We don’t have in the US
Joe not knowing who Pikachu was was bizarre. Everyone knows who Pikachu is... my grandma knows!!
i would love to watch a Brazil version of this show 😍
Thy dont have franchise restaurants in brazil 😮
😴
@@sycofya1677Yes, they do.
@@sycofya1677 In fact, there is Macdonalds in Brazil, and here there are exclusive sandwiches that you don't have anywhere else in the world either.
Oh my I feel disappointed when it comes to that happy meal bit that Joe doesn't know it's a Pikachu. One the most iconic character on the planet
Would love to see a Italy vs USA 100Montaditos episode, granted that you’ve got hosts near a location ofc
these videos always make me hungry
Parmigiano Reggiano 24 months at a bare minimum🤤
Claudia always gets a thumbs up, I just cant help it. It's like an involuntary reaction.
Claudia's SMILE makes my day. Love to see her interact and Talk more. ❤️😇
24:33 lol im in tears 😂😂
*Restaurants seeing Joe and Food Wars coming into order everything on the menu*
Restaurant: Damnit! This is the fourth time this year!
McToast is one of the best items of Italian McDonald's, its just cheese and ham i love it
All good, but you put UK's flag instead of US at start - was thinking wth why Joe is presenting UK lol
Best around the world fast food show ever.
I agree, I will also choose food like this when I am not cooking dinner. Do you often go to the store to experience such food today?
You did miss a fry size. It could be market-dependent but here in North Carolina we can get the basket of fries which is $3.99 I believe
Mc Donald's in Rome are different depending on the area, for instance where I live is less touristy and surrounded by office buildings. Here you can find a huge salad bar detached from the counter as people tend to go there for their lunch breaks.
those my selection burgers look amazing!
This is an actually useful video
I ain't buying that Joe doesn't know Pikachu. 😆
I can listen to her speak all day
Why on Earth when there's veggies in hamburger it's called deluxe in US? 😄 In Finland McDonald's hamburgers with veggies are just regular not deluxe.
Ahaha at 4:00 she scrambles the word and says "crispy BcMacon" lol
Coffee from mcdonalda in my country tastes like coffee flavoured water, but we have local places like Mug&Bean for proper coffee
0:32 "quite generous". WELL MAYBE BECAUSE IT HAS ICE?
In my area, they have another pie....cookies and creme. I agree with Joe, the apple pie has not been the same since they stopped frying it. I still eat them, but onky because I like cooked apples.
Here in Germany they still sell the good old fried ones😙👌
And McRib's all year round😘👌
Why?
Try another country 😅I never heard of it, always fried
4:12 I think you meant “royale with cheese” buddy
I love the Italy edition :D can't wait for the german one and hear all US people cry cause we have the McRib all year long
Thanks for the video. I enjoyed the Italian version. Also I'm thinking: I hope no food was wasted???
I'm from Italy and apart from a few differences, it's mostly identical stuff. Food commodities are sourced from different places, sure but the end result is somewhat similar. What I envy of the US McDonald's is some breakfast stuff like the bagels. We have the McMuffin but it's not really the same imo. What we do have that in the US don't is the McToast which is absolutely legendary and I suggest you to try it out at a local Mc, should you find yourself visiting here. Oh and panzarotti with mozzarella ... obviously.
That’s what I find unique about international McDonald’s. Other countries can add a few uniquely made items. America cannot because… it’s not in America. We are the blueprint of the original items and cannot celebrate international for some reason😅