Monday, October 5, 2009

To the Barricades!!

Red - the blood of angry men!
Black - the dark of ages past!
Red - a world about to dawn!
Black - the night that ends at last!
- The ABC Cafe, Les Mis


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WTF!?!?
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First, check out this article, then come back.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm about as American as they come, but something about this just smells sooooo wrong. Seriously? A McDonald's, in the Louvre?

*Shudder*

I love me a Royal with Cheese just as much as the next guy. And McDonald's fries? Someone should definitely give some thought to adding them to the DEA's Schedule I. I just don't feel like smelling them as I head in to visit Mona and some of the world's greatest art treasures.

McDonald's at the Air&Space's Udvar-Hazy Center? Fine, no problemo. Let the kiddies go to town on their Happy Meals. The Golden Arches near the Cour Napoleon and the Louvre Pyramid? Ehhh....not so much.

I've never been to the Louvre, but I hope to go someday soon. In fact, earlier this year, I gave my best friend a ration of shit for visiting Paris on his honeymoon and not going to the Louvre. This was before he told me he and the wife were only there a short time and went to Notre Dame de Paris instead and there was a strike of some kind messing things up. A toss-up, but life holds some hard choices.

Putting a Micky D's in the Louvre should not one of them.

According to the Daily Telegraph, this is what one art historian had to say: "This is the pinnacle of exhausting consumerism, deficient gastronomy and very unpleasant odors in the context of a museum."

I'm forced to agree.

12 comments:

Liebchen said...

Ugh. That really is absurd. There's already a McDonald's on every other block of Paris (with a Starbucks on the *other* blocks). I agree with you - one in the Louvre is a terrible idea.

Brando said...

I gotta say though, there must be a lot of people who want to eat their "Le Big Macs" while looking at Dutch 17th Century paintings for McDs to invest in setting up there.

J said...

I think I'm inclined to agree. Parisians do seem to love their McDonalds (despite rumors to the contrary). But *in* the Louvre? C'mon. I did like that when I went to one in Paris, the guy at the counter became snooty about my not being so great at French. I mean, he can be snooty all he wants - he's working in a giant metaphor for American cultural imperialism :)

FoggyDew said...

Liebchen - I'd forgotten about the Starbucks' takeover of the Parisian coffee scene.

Brando - After the U.S., France is McD's biggest market.

J - Hey, as long as they get the order right, they can be as snooty as they like.

Alice said...

the french definitely do love their macdo. but GAH. i agree. it's not even that i care it's in the museum so much, it's that i don't want to SMELL mcd's when i'm in the louvre. urgh.

brad said...

there are just some places in this world where it's okay to never, ever, hear, "Would you like fries with that?"

FoggyDew said...

Alice - "Wow! I'd never imagined the Mona Lisa would be so beautiful...Hmmm, why am I craving fries?"

f.B. - Apparently, the Louvre is no longer one of the.

Titania said...

This is just wrong. So so wrong, it's not even funny. WTF were they thinking? Aside from confirming some stupid stereotype, that is. BTW, sweetie, it is "problema" not "problemo" :-P

rachaelgking said...

Honestly, I can't believe the Parisians are standing for it.

Sebastian Anthony said...

To be fair, there's already a Starbucks there... The Louvre is HUGE. Like, really frickin' big. The whole 'welcome area' has plenty of space for a Starbucks, other cafes... a McDonalds...

But yeah, you should definitely go. Immense place :)

redhead said...

Well, they are "french fries." Ha!

FoggyDew said...

redhead - welcome! And them's Freedom Fries if you don't mind. Actually, they'll always be french to me. You should just never change a good thing.