My Salute to Chemically-Altered Fries
In case you don’t know much about me, I spent most of my teen years in Eastern Europe. In the summer of 1995, I was an angsty thirteen-year-old on a plane to Timisoara, Romania. Let me give you a few details about this beautiful city:
Did You Know?
Timisoara is located half a day’s drive from Bran Castle (also known as Dracula’s house). Yes, I’ve been there several times. No bats, no vampires. Totally worth the visit.
Timisoara is the home of the Romanian revolution.
It is pronounced “Tee-mee-shwarah” (at least that’s how I say it).
The Things You Miss
As much as I deeply loved my time in Romania, there were, things I missed about America. Back in the 90’s, Romania was slowly emerging from the oppression of communist dictator Nicolai Ceaucescu. I gained a new appreciation for luxuries like indoor toilets and heat in the winter.
So what does any of this have to do with French Fries? If I’m being completely honest, one of the biggest things I missed about America was the food. Good old-fashioned, artery clogging, caloric junk food. Reese’s Pieces and Peanut M & M’s hadn’t arrived on the scene. There was no Taco Bell, no Dairy Queen, no Round Table Pizza. The closest Romanian McDonald’s was about 10 hours away, so we frequently crossed the border into Hungary for a taste of home.
Rumors Circulate
And so we suffered this hardship for several years until one day, a rumor began to spread around town: McDonald’s was coming to Timisoara. Could it be?
Like a good American teenager, I loved McDonald’s. Those chemically-induced fries, the sesame seed buns, and even those pickles I always picked off and ate first. This was long before Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me made us think twice about what we were eating. Back then it felt good for getting so much food for so cheap. Oh, the good old days…
Please don’t judge me when I tell you what I used to eat. My typical McDonald’s trip involved no less than: the two cheeseburger meal, complete with supersized fries, and - wait for it - a supersized chocolate shake. That’s right. I ate it all. Are you judging me yet?
Grand Opening
On the day of the grand opening, the crowd that gathered in the public square was like the line at a Star Wars movie release. And of course, our family was right there in the thicket. It was a beautiful sight.
Unlike our American menu, there was no supersize option on the Timisoara menu. But there were hamburgers. There were fries. There was soda. There was ice cream. It was thrilling. Just to know there was a bite of home within walking distance made me feel a little less homesick, and for that, I will always be grateful to McDonald’s.
Since that time, we’ve learned a lot about fast food. Yes, I try to avoid it whenever possible, but I shamelessly admit that there will always be a special place in my heart for the golden arches and the taste of home that a hamburger and fries brought to a teenage ex-patriot in the late 90’s.
TELL ME:
What’s something you loved to eat when you were a kid? Do you still eat it?
BOHEMIAN CHALLENGE:
Journal about a favorite summer memory from childhood.