As a kid, there was nothing better than getting picked up from the school carpool lane and heading to the McDonald’s drive-thru for an impromptu surprise treat — a cheeseburger and fries, chicken nuggets or the holy grail of after-school snacks: an Oreo McFlurry.
But despite those warm, fuzzy memories, McDonald’s and I had been estranged for a good long while. I avoided McDonald’s, and fast food in general, for years, mostly out of a desire to eat and be healthy. But now that I have my own school-age kids, I find myself back at the golden arches, and ba-da-ba-ba-baaaa, I’m lovin’ it.
Perhaps a vignette will help illustrate why. Recently, on our way to a birthday party at the bowling alley, my boys got ravenous. We had time to burn. I spotted a neon “M” and we pulled over. I ordered a $1 coffee and two Happy Meals: a four-piece nugget and hamburger with fries.
My six-year-old performed his usual quality check, removing the top bun of the burger to confirm they made it just how he likes it. They did. He then proceeded to munch slowly, contentedly on his perfect burger, legs happily kicking to and fro under the table, savoring each bite like it was wagyu beef.
After the meal, my older son accidentally threw out his Happy Meal toy along with his trash. Mildly distraught, I encouraged him to explain the situation to the lady at the register, who listened attentively and replenished his plastic. On the way out, my boys plucked two yellow balloons-on-sticks from a balloon tree. Total cost: $12. Total time: 20 minutes.
Happy Meal? That’s a Happy Steal. Plus, they actually ate everything. Kids don’t do kale.
As for my health concerns, Happy Meals now come with apple slices and milk or water — as a whole, certainly no worse than the nuggets, hot dogs or mac n’cheese combos you fire up at home.
Look around a McDonald’s and you see lots of different kinds of people: retirees chatting over coffee; harried moms trying to get their kids a quick, cheap meal; mechanics from the shop across the parking lot; homeless people trying to take a load off; kids in grass-stained and dirt-smeared sports uniforms. It’s a real slice of life. I think that’s a good thing.
I’ve come to appreciate McDonald’s for the simple pleasures of sitting together with my kids at a table and treating them a bit without breaking the bank. It’s probably one of the few places that most families can still afford to do that. And I defy you to find me a better soft serve, or a better breakfast sandwich than the Egg McMuffin.
I won’t be going full Morgan Spurlock and eating at McDonald’s every day. But for those times when I want to give my kids an impromptu surprise treat on the way home from the carpool lanes, it’s nice to know the golden arches are there.
Zach Przystup (zprzystup@gmail.com) works for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Global Public Affairs and writes about parenting and family life.
