Tuesday Fast Food Blogging

Ross posts a classic ad, with Jason Alexander pitching McDonalds' McDLT. To the modern environmentally conscious consumer, the styrofoam packaging may be a bit shocking:

This comes via Vic Matus who commenting on McDonald's announcement that it's going tomato-free says "Hold on a second. There were tomatoes at McDonald’s? I think the last time I had a tomato at McDonald’s was when I ordered a McDLT." The "premium" chicken sandwiches (Premium Grilled Chicken, Premium Grilled Chicken Club, Premium Crispy Chicken, and Premium Crispy Chicken Club) are all normally served with tomato. What's more, a sandwich identical to the McDLT is still served under the name Big 'N Tasty.

Comments

How can you say the Big n Tasty is identical to the McDLT, when the defining feature of the McDLT was keeping the hot side hot and the cool side cool?

Posted by lfv | June 10, 2008 1:53 PM

If all the carnivores would just keep their meat off my vegetables, none of this would happen. Nothing like shitting on the competition, literally, to undermine consumer confidence in your competitors.

Posted by phil | June 10, 2008 1:54 PM

Oh god. Oh god oh god oh god.

Posted by seth | June 10, 2008 1:54 PM

As I recall, McDonald's argued for months (years?) that polystyrene was the friendlier option, both for food safety and the environment. But they finally caved to public pressure and switched to cardboard.

I'm not on expert on this, but I do know that whatever else its faults or merits, polystyrene is fantastically efficient to manufacture. For the energy it takes to fire a single ceramic mug you can create over 1,000 polystyrene coffee cups.

So the "modern environmentally conscious consumer" may soon be clamoring for styrofoam instead of that wasteful, tree-destroying, energy sucking cardboard.

Posted by Geoff | June 10, 2008 1:56 PM

I always thought the weirdest thing about the McDLT was that they put the cheese on the cold side. Just never made any sense to me.

Posted by Crusty Dem | June 10, 2008 1:57 PM

A nostalgic tear comes to my eye as I contemplate the meme of quasi-Fascist gang dance-marching. From its origins in West Side Story through Thriller, it stood as a proud testament to both the authoritarian and vaguely homoerotic undercurrents in the American psyche.

Alas, dance-marching vanished sometime around 1990 (I can't even remember its last major appearance) and has not been seen since.

Posted by James Gary | June 10, 2008 1:59 PM

There's no way that _we'll_ look that ridiculous to the hipsters of 2023. Right? Right?

Polystyrene's a tough call...of course, one thing that has to be factored in versus cardboard is that polystyrene will give the archaeologists a lot more to do five hundred years from now, when the cardboard will have long ago rotted. Perhaps the living history museums will be able to serve a McDLT (soy-based, no doubt) in the original packaging?

Posted by Craig | June 10, 2008 2:03 PM

Here's Brad Pitt in a Pringle's commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mucuLrWHGqc

Posted by blah | June 10, 2008 2:08 PM

This clip makes me feel sorry for actors, even rich and famous ones.

Posted by Delicious Pundit | June 10, 2008 2:11 PM

Alas, dance-marching vanished sometime around 1990 (I can't even remember its last major appearance) and has not been seen since.

Posted by James Gary | June 10, 2008 1:59 PM

Austin Powers?

Posted by lfv | June 10, 2008 2:14 PM

Alas, dance-marching vanished sometime around 1990 (I can't even remember its last major appearance) and has not been seen since.

Does this count?

Posted by EarBucket | June 10, 2008 2:18 PM

It's a shame that they couldn't muster the same enthusiasm for the Arch Deluxe.

Posted by Chris | June 10, 2008 2:24 PM

George Costanza does Footloose. ZOMG.

Posted by NCProsecutor | June 10, 2008 2:33 PM

wow, what a commercial..I'm sorry you just don't see the type of enthusiasm for products that you saw in the 80's. these actors/actress just went all in on this one. Why the hell were they so happy?

Posted by jstrick | June 10, 2008 2:33 PM

Am I the only one who misread that for a second as "Big Nasty"?

Craig, whether the cardboard will rot depends on where it goes. There are plenty of landfills where conditions are pretty effective at preserving things for the archeologists.

Posted by KCinDC | June 10, 2008 2:35 PM

"Hey, you say you're getting tired of lettuce tomato hamburgers in this town that don't quite make it?"

Right after that, someone should have beat him silly.

No jury would convict.

Posted by SoCalJustice | June 10, 2008 2:37 PM

I never really understood this -- "It's an ordinary burger with lettuce and tomato, but this time we don't fuck it up!"

Posted by Matt Weiner | June 10, 2008 2:47 PM

Hell, a beating for that white jacket with rolled-up sleeves would be perfectly justifiable.

Posted by RSA | June 10, 2008 2:50 PM

Maybe I wasn't paying attention before, but over the last few days I've become aware that MY is some sort of fast-food connoisseur. With the talk of NASCAR and fast-food I'm starting to feel like a huge snob.

Posted by eriks | June 10, 2008 2:54 PM

Maybe I wasn't paying attention before, but over the last few days I've become aware that MY is some sort of fast-food connoisseur. With the talk of NASCAR and fast-food I'm starting to feel like a huge snob.

It's really just a coincidence. Like decent snobs, I very rarely eat fast food, but I've been traveling a lot lately.

Posted by Matthew Yglesias | June 10, 2008 3:02 PM

To be fair, I'm pretty sure I remember the styrofoam packaging being an issue back then, too.

Posted by scarpy | June 10, 2008 3:06 PM

I always feel a bit annoyed when Alexander pretends that he's not exactly like George Costanza.

Posted by godoggo | June 10, 2008 3:09 PM

one thing that has to be factored in versus cardboard is that polystyrene will give the archaeologists a lot more to do five hundred years from now, when the cardboard will have long ago rotted.

They found an undecomposed hot dog from the 1970s when digging through Fresh Kills. Those preservatives may mean the food outlasts the packaging.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | June 10, 2008 3:19 PM

In the 1980s, McDonalds had displays depicting the pastic VHS casettes that could be made from recycled polystyrene containers. Talk about a confluence of datedness, looking back now.

Posted by phil | June 10, 2008 3:23 PM

"...polystyrene will give the archaeologists a lot more to do five hundred years from now, when the cardboard will have long ago rotted. "

That polystyrene securely locks up the carbon, while the cardbord treacherously decomposes into CO2.

Posted by Njorl | June 10, 2008 3:33 PM

I actually don't think the Big N Tasty is the same as the McDLT; the Big N Tasty, which was added a few years ago, is a (shameless) Whopper clone.

Posted by Freddie | June 10, 2008 4:02 PM

the McDLT gets re-introduced every so often under a new name, like "Arch Deluxe."

Posted by SDM | June 10, 2008 4:23 PM

The McDLT came out when I was 11, and even at that age I could see that the idiocy in the concept was that they wouldn't need to keep the hot side hot and the cool side cool if they'd just serve you the burger fresh instead of holding it under a heat lamp.

Plus, the tomatoes and mayo, which I'm fundamentally opposed to.

Oh, and the ad looks odd because before the 90s, the idea behind advertising was to show people enjoying your product. Nowadays the idea is to associate your product with a cynicism about the marketing system.

Posted by Adam Villani | June 10, 2008 4:47 PM

Thank you EarBucket. Thank you.

Posted by jay | June 10, 2008 5:23 PM

Hey, KC, Njorl, Pseudo...

Like I said, it's complicated, no? I'm not saying cardboard is a lock on "most earth-friendly packaging," especially if it's lovingly wrapped in a plastic bag itself before going to the landfill.

That hot dog thing scared the hell out of me. That can't be true, can it?

Posted by Craig | June 10, 2008 5:31 PM

I didn't realize that "lettuce tomato hamburger" was even a category.

I loved the Arch Deluxe, though. Round bacon? Peppercorn sauce? Chewey bun? Delicious.

Posted by Chet | June 10, 2008 7:02 PM

I never really understood this -- "It's an ordinary burger with lettuce and tomato, but this time we don't fuck it up!"

Except they did:

I always thought the weirdest thing about the McDLT was that they put the cheese on the cold side. Just never made any sense to me.

Me either. If I'm gonna have a cheeseburger, the cheese can be American cheese in a pinch, but if it IS American cheese, it damned well better be melted over the burger, like God intended.

Posted by low-tech cyclist | June 10, 2008 7:22 PM

Can anyone find me the McDonalds commercial about the retarded kid who works at McDonalds? Somewhere along the line, he says, "that is my mom, she is the best." I like to say that a lot, but nobody ever knows what I'm talking about. Help would be appreciated!

Posted by Nordy | June 10, 2008 7:32 PM

I keep telling you, Matt. BURGER KING! Flame broiled!

They have tomatoes still! I had one the other night - with tomatoes!

Meanwhile, you eat at WENDY's! Gag! And McDonald's! Gag!

The one time I ate at Wendy's, I almost drowned in the sloppy sauce they dumped on the burger!

But what I really miss - ARBY's! You can't screw up a roast beef sandwich! (Although they try.) Unfortunately, all three Arby's in San Francisco rolled up and out.

Posted by Richard Steven Hack | June 10, 2008 7:42 PM

First of all, I win : http://onesidedwar.blogspot.com/2008/04/fast-food.html

Second of all, comparing a McDLT to a Big N Nasty is blasphemous. I can't explain what made the McDLT so good, but dammit it was. Must have been the hot side hot, cold side cold thing.

Jack In The Box needs to bring back the nachos!

Posted by xjerryx | June 11, 2008 12:40 AM

This thread makes me hungry for a big bowl of snot.

Posted by calling all toasters | June 11, 2008 12:51 AM

Can someone explain what a DLT actually is? What's this hot side/cold side business about?

Posted by Ginger Yellow | June 11, 2008 9:53 AM

Of course the Big N Tasty wasn't the first reincarnation of the McDLT but, rather, the Arch Deluxe which came about at the turn of the century to provide a "mature" burger for "mature" diners.

Posted by Dylan | June 12, 2008 4:30 PM

Interesting video. Concerned about Fast Food Packaging? Check out nofreerefills.org for more information and ways in which you can help.

Posted by KC and the sunshine band | June 20, 2008 3:46 PM

Interesting video. Concerned about Fast Food Packaging? Check out nofreerefills.org for more information and ways in which you can help.

Posted by KC and the sunshine band | June 20, 2008 3:48 PM