Is it McPoland?

We are all aware of Poland's McDonaldisation. Where do you think it will lead in 10, 20, 50 years? Will the cheap, tacky, throw-away popculture embodied by that term destroy all vestiges of Poland's unique indigenous heritage? Or, conversely, will a backlash occur with Poles saying 'enough is enough!' and rebelling against all the American lifestyles, chemicalised fake food, tabloidised media and 'Made in China' crapola?

" We are all aware of Poland's McDonaldisation."
Speak for yourself. In 17 years in Poland I've seen Polish things getting better and better. The finest restaurants in Warsaw serve Polish food. Polish beer now rivals that of the Czechs. Polish artisan vodka is the finest in the world.

Perhaps those in the USA should stop bleating about a country which they choose to not live in changing, those of us who do choose to live in Poland like to see it improving.

As you know there are many voices here on PF that decry Poland for not being multi-cultural. You can be certain that the majority of migrants (particularly from Britiain and America) living in Poland wholeheartedly welcome its McDonlandisation; crass commercialization is their own heritage after all.

McPoland is hardly an example of multi-culturalism. BTW there are many, probably a growing number of thinking Yanks, Brits and othrtd who are no big fans of McWorld.

We should at least define terms. Gourmet restauants and quality tipples are not examples of McDonaldisation. McDonaldisation is actually its antitehsis becuse it is strictly low class -- budget shops selling the same monotonous, throw-away Chinese junk, fast-food joints, celebrity tabloids and the homogenised pap churned out by the mainstream entertianment media (Madumma, Lady Zgaga, Doda, er, um...I mean Dodo) and the like.

Erm, yup, sure, right, of course.... :/


Most sensible thing said today.
McDonalds serves it's purpose for those who want a quick bite or tummy filler on the go. It's hardly a place someone would go dine out in everyday. There are many examples of fast food joints throughout Poland, from the "cabbage kiosks" which sell a thin slice of whatever meat product with half a pound of cabbage to your everyday pizza joints. It's up to the individual to decide where to eat if not eating at home. Can't blame the establishment for selling fatty food, you gotta blame the people who choose to go eat there.

As Harry says, there are plenty of decent cafes and restaurants that sell great Polish food.

Or just stay at home and cook your own dinner FFS :D

If you are complaining about the modernization which is part of Poland at the moment, then don't bother. As it is just part and parcel of the country's development. But as I've seen Poland has developed it's own unique way anyway. So no fear.

I believe it is. When things become commodified and globalized they may seem to be tailored to the local culture but this is actually false advertising. They (corporations and multi-culturalists) never offer anything that is truly unique. Anything they present is commonplace or a watered down version of originality. It is also multi-cultural because all cultures are presented as having an equal footing with each other. That's why virtual every product sold or store built can be found in most other developed countries. They have to do this in order not to cause potential offense or sense of being excluded among their customers. And this standardization has cost savings as well. It's all about the bottom line for their balance sheets and not the preservation of any one culture.

People don't start food businesses just to preserve a culture. People in Poland go to McDonalds because they want to. Nobody is forced to go, and Poland isn't stuck in some sort of time warp just to make Americans happy that the country of their ancestors is just how granny remembered it.

But you would be surprised just how many people do go there on a regular basis [3 or 4 times a week at least]. Why? It tastes good to them. It's cheap. The fact that it is actually, for the most part, absolute crap, has no meaning in this case.

Anyway Poland is not the only country to be attacked by a worldwide fast food chain, many countries have, even the very poor countries where you would be surprised to see this type of restaurant have them. Since this freedom stuff got so very popular, the most we can do is educate people as to why they might be better off avoiding fast food restaurant, cigarettes, etc. Evidence so far suggests that this 'education' does not get through most of the time.

In many places of Europe McDonalds simply satisfies a demand which the local cuisine doesn't. France for instance has a great cuisine, but their takeaway food sucks. All they have are Baguettes with different fillings like cheese or ham. That's not very convincing, and thus France is the second-biggest market for McDonalds (quite funny if you think about it). Germany on the other hand has traditional as well as imported takeaway food (Bratwurst and Döner Kebab), and thus McDonalds only comes third.

Who knows, maybe McDonalds will lose to Döner Kebab in Poland too?

Must be a polish imitation of Döner Kebab. In Germany they use lettuce instead of cabbage.

There is a common 'fear' by few members on this site.
You think that culture is stagnant,you also think it too weak and cheap to survive.
''Polishness'' has survived world wars, communism, amongst a whole host of other wars and you think a few burgers are going to crush her, yeah sure.

There is no such thing as a stagnant culture, cultures evolve and change, to think otherwise is pure fantasy and you just pick a date, say "that's what 'Polishness' is" and overlook what Polishness continues to offer.

Plus I'm sick of people complaining about McDonalds, if you don't like it, don't eat it, simple.
And this thread coming from a Pole who lives in North America just adds irony to the whole thread, see if you can spot it PS3 :)

Spot on. They wouldn't be opening stores all over if there wasn't a market for it.

+1

I'm a great cook, and I never buy supermarket ready meals (ugh) - I like the taste of my own cooking more than anything. But even I go to McD's occasionally. It's a nice change. and, unlike a certain local kebab shop, or a certain very well-known pizza chain, they have never, ever given me a dodgy stomach. Shame they had to demolish a historic local cinema to make way for it though.

I'd rather go to Nando's, which is more like "real" food, but they always look at me funny when I ask for four fried chickens and a Coke, especially if I take the pi** and order in a really whiny Salfordian accent lmao.

However, I would never use one In Poland unless I lived there, as I always eat local food when abroad.

Join the club. I never go there now, ever. I go to McD once every month or two and it's a convenient change. There is some very nice Polish "fast" food here in Wroclaw but also a growing alternative take away market of Vietnamese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine etc. Some of them are quite good. My main concern is to avoid E621 which is found a lot in take aways of all kinds because it's a flavouring short cut.

Why is this a unique heritage? And as I remember you live in the original McDo country?

Every authentic heritage is unique. Until global commercialisation sinks its ugly claws into it and redefines it with a view to extracting maximum profits.

Mcdonald's deserves careful scrutiny. If it gets too big, it will control Poland's food production. Maybe keeping it small is a good idea. America is pretty controlled by Mcdonald's which is why we have those huge commercialized animal feeding operations.

mcdonalds is revolting. and everything it stands for. it has single handedly changed the way meat is manufactured the world over. and worst of all Polish people love it. they are eating their piece of the U.S. with every big mac they stuff in their hole. As a result- the Polish population has gotten fatter at an alarming rate. it is too bad that Poland didn't look to the west to see what not to do.

That's the worst thing about it. I never buy the McBurger.

One thing I have noticed, they are slowly but surely phasing out the silly clown and making Mcdonald's more like Starbucks in atmosphere. It's not nearly as garish.

I went there yesterday for the first time in ages after reading this thread (the branch on the corner of Marszałkowska and Świętokrzyszka).

It actually wasn't as bad as I remember. The 'bread' they use is pretty awful, but the salads were good, the fries much better than local ones and they have a coffee place at the front with decent seats. Also clean toilets which you don't usually get here and the girl serving was very polite.

McDonalds isn't perfect, but in terms of price, customer service and appearance it knocks the spots off anything the locals have ever managed to come up with. I'm not surprised people prefer it to greasy kielbasa and zapiekanka places with surly staff and dirty toilets.

They have added a lot of choices to the menu. There's also a new Smore's pie and a few smoothie varieties along with their McCafe choices like Frappacinos and such. Much more than those artery clogging hamburgers. They have taken some clues from Sonic and added whipped cream and other amenities to their shakes. Quality has gone up. The french fries are only good when they are fresh though. What I don't like is when they make a ton of fries and leave them sitting at the fry station for thirty minutes so they get dried out and stale. They taste awful but when they are fresh they are the best except for Freddy's. Freddy's Frozen Custard has the best fries imho.

Does McDonald's in Poland currently list the caloric content of their food products? I can't recall if they were doing so, when I visited McDonald's in Warsaw 2 years ago.

No they don't but if they did I actually think it would come in as one of the healthier quick eating options in polish towns. Choice is limited to vile kebabs, poor quality pizza and very greasy polish food. coffee shops cost huge amounts here - more than 5 euro for a weak coffee and a half filled sandwich.

Things are changing - more and more sandwich bars, salad bars etc but never close to offices.

I like that.


I know exactly what you are talking about and it drives me nuts. When the fries are fresh, they are delicious. Most of the time they are ok, some of the time they are not good, and they've got about a one in five chance of being delicious.

Mcdonalds food is crappy and full of chemicals, but when you need a quick bite, it won't kill you. If you don't have health problems or lead a sedentary lifestyle, eating it once a week or less isn't going to make you a big fatty. I used to practically never eat fast food, but now that I've been in college for a few years I've definitely gotten my freshman 15, although I was quite skinny then. I wouldn't quite say I'm too fat yet, but I'm definitely borderline a little too heavy. So, yes, if you eat fast food now and then, you will most likely not be slender, your waist will get bigger. I think you Polish should watch out and tell this fast food crap to go away, it tastes like crap and will ruin your culture. I'm also in favor of parents being strict on young girls (and even boys sometimes) about their diet. Fear has to be instilled in them about getting fat to counteract all the agressive marketing of junk food. They have to be taught that the taste of junk and fatty food is not worth what it will do to you and you should avoid it like the plague.

My ol' lady says when the Mickey D's first opened in Wro, there was a line a mile long of people waiting to try it. When her grandmother spotted her eating their fries, she gestured for Ola to give her one. Her granny smelled it, frowned, took a tiny bite, and immediately shook her head in disgust. They have weird burgers there, and other stuff, like fried cheese, that they don't have in the States. The one outside Katowice once charged me for a packet of ketchup, god I was pissed. But even more than McDonald's the Poles LOVE them some KFC. I have been to every corner of these united states, and it wasn't until I was in Poland that I saw a two-storied KFC. Their's don't offer the KFC signature mashed potatoes, which sucks. I think the best carry-over from a U.S. fast food company is Pizza Hut. The Hut in Bielany, Wro, by the Ikea, is still the best I've ever visited. They have a full bar, an extensive Italian menu, and more ambiance than every tired Pizza Hut in America put together.

yes it will. it is easier, cheaper and healthier to go to a corner store and get fresh buns and some cheese- if you need a quick bite. The problem is that Poles want this food. I go to the seaside most weekends in the summer. The amount of fat people on the beach is about 95% more than what it was 10 years ago. This is thanks to fast food culture- mcdonalds, kfc- which is thought to be healthier because it is chicken, frozen pizza, food from a box- pre packaged food. It is disgusting.

Polish children eat far too many sweets- never in my life have I seen so many children with black teeth. It is revolting.

you are 100% right about the weight but I think its partly down to more cars, longer work days. Not just food.

I dont think its easier to get buns and cheese from a corner shop - you need a knife, you dont get any plate and napkins, no hot drinks, nowhere to sit (and sitting on benches outside in Poland in a suit tends to make you the target of every beggar in a 1km radius), nowhere to go to the bathroom. Add to that the fact that you will have to queue behind a bunch of people buying lottery tix, that the guy will not have any change for your 20 zloty note and the buns are normally hard by late morning.

I honestly think that in most Polish towns then the golden arches is the most reliable place to get something quick to eat. As someone else said, just make sure its once a week, dont supersize your fries and you will probably not die.

I see your point. I am just anti fast food. I have seen what it has done to the west. I have read books about the "business" of fast food- how the meat is slaughtered as well as the working conditions. McDonalds has single handedly changed the way beef is reared. It is revolting.

We haven't eaten any fast food in over 7 years--and don't miss it at all. I don't even think about eating it as an option. There are people in my husbands office who eat KFC (kids fattening centre) every day for lunch. I make my lunch every day and take it to work- it is all about effort. Personally, I would rather stand in a line up behind some old granny than eat McDonalds- but to each their own.

let us not forget there's a zapiekanka/tost shop around every corner, and no, a 12" long kielbasa on a long roll is not healthy folks.


that is a very misleading statement. many americans want nothing to do with fast food. you'd be amazed at how many fitness freaks there are in the USA. go to any major city in the USA and you will see more runners and cyclists in one day then you'll see in an entire year in Warsaw/Poznan/Gdansk/Krakow. it was one of the most glaring differences i noticed when i moved to Poland. i'd go weeks without passing a single fellow runner on the streets of Wroclaw.

I was in Washington D.C. last weekend, you literally can't drive for 30 seconds without seeing someone jogging/cycling on the sidewalks, it's a huge part of their culture there.

back on topic, my opinion is no, Poland will continue down this trend. life is getting busier and busier and convenience is the new crowned king in most developed countries. some people avoid fast food better than others but fast food isn't going anywhere, we can only hope that it gets healthier.

I have a bike path in the front of my house- there are loads of runners, bikers and roller bladers. I live in Warsaw. maybe people don't run in the city because of all the dog ****.