Look after the customers and the business will take care of itself. - Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald's Corporation

I learn this quote from the introduction of the movie, Supersize Me, and I think this is perhaps the biggest irony on this planet and the most sarcastic remark ever in the history of this planet. Well, it wasn't a sarcasm at first, it was sincere and well-meant, then McDonald's got sidetracked from the founder's words......

1954 was the year Ray Kroc changed the world with McDonald's, then which year McDonald's changed its menu? I have no idea, but in Tokyo, there is always something new!

JANUARY 12, 2011, 12:19 PM JST

McDonald’s ‘Texas 2 Burger’: The Spice of the Lone Star State

By Yoree Koh

Clocking in at a sound 645 calories, the Texas 2 Burger is like jumping off the nutritional cliff. But that didn’t prevent slim Japanese men and women of all ages to dive into the chili melt when it hit McDonald’s menus last Friday.

: McDonald’s; Meet the Texas 2 Burger, the first of four burgers from McDonald’s to be sold in Japan as a part of its “Big America 2″ campaign.

“I really loved the Texas Burger last year so I couldn’t wait to try the new one,” said Satoshi Tanaka, a 38-year-old engineer standing outside a McDonald’s outlet in the haute Ginza neighborhood in Tokyo on Jan. 7, the big launch day. Mr. Tanaka was among the many hungry patrons crowded into the pristine long counters during lunch rush hour , with a large silver box stamped with “Texas 2” open before him. One customer had dozed off, having likely surrendered to an inevitable food coma.

McDonald’s Japan launched the Texas 2 Burger as part of its “Big America 2” campaign, an encore to its successful crusade that named beef patties after U.S. locales last year. And among the four-burger series, the Texas Burger was the only one to get a younger brother. The other burgers – the California, Hawaii, and New York — were replaced with equally extravagant creations named Idaho, Miami and Manhattan this year.

If, as they say, everything is indeed bigger in Texas, then this creation inspired by the Lone Star state is no different. The Texas 2 Burger is a towering stack with chili, cheese, bacon, onion and a mustard relish sauce packed between the three buns. Taking a bite of the sandwich is akin to having the entire school lunch buffet on sloppy joe day explode in your mouth. It was a rioting mouthful. But the chili was undoubtedly the lead topping. It was almost too overpowering: the taste of the chili lingered even after two sticks of gum.

: Yoree Koh/The Wall Street Journal; An advertisement of the Texas 2 Burger in the window of a Mcdonald’s outlet located in Tokyo’s Ginza neighborhood on Jan. 7.

The chili is what makes this year’s Texas burger different from the original. And it seems the Texas burger part deux has fallen victim to the curse of the sequel. Its attempt to shake things up with the whole bean chili left some excited customers craving the barbecue flavored mustard sauce swirled on top of the original Texas.

“I wouldn’t say I didn’t like it, but it didn’t meet my expectations,” said Mr. Tanaka, adding the chili overpowered the rest of the burger. It was a review echoed by 74-year-old Yasutsuru Mori. “The sauce is what made it great last time,” said the self-described burger lover after he scarfed it down over the weekend.

Perhaps Japan wasn’t yet ready for the spice of Texas.

Vocabulary:

irony -- (n) [U]

a means of expression which suggests a different, usually humorous or angry, meaning for the words used

sarcastic -- (adj) (UK informalsarky)

using sarcasm

sarcasm -- (n) [U]

the use of remarks which clearly mean the opposite of what they say, and which are made in order to hurt someone's feelings or to criticize something in a humorous way

well-meant -- (adj) said or done in order to be helpful, but not always achieving this
sidetrack -- (vb) [T usually passive]

to direct a person's attention away from an activity or subject towards another one which is less important

chili melt -- (n) chili and molten cheese
pristine -- (adj) formalapproving

new or almost new, and in very good condition

doze off --

informal

If you doze off, you start to sleep, especially during the day

surrender -- (vb) [I] If you surrender to an experience or emotion, you stop trying to prevent or control it
inevitable -- (adj) certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented
coma -- (n) [C]

a state of unconsciousness from which a person cannot be woken, which is caused by damage to the brain after an accident or illness

crusade -- (n) [C] a long and determined attempt to achieve something which you believe in strongly
locale -- (n) [C] formal

an area or place, especially one where something special happens, such as the action in a book or a film

patty -- (n) [C]

a piece of food made into a disc shape which is then cooked

extravagant -- (adj) spending too much money, or using too much of something
towering -- (adj) very great
stack -- (n) [C]

•

a pile of things arranged one on top of another

relish -- (n) [C or U] a type of sauce which is eaten with food to add flavour to it
akin (to) -- (adj) [after verb]

similar; having some of the same qualities

sloppy joe -- (n) [C] an American dish of ground beef, onions, sweetened tomato sauce or ketchup and other seasonings, served on ahamburger bun
riot -- (vb) [I]

to take part in a riot -- used as a metaphor in this case

linger -- (vb) [I]

to take a long time to leave or disappear

part deux -- (n) Deux" is "two" in French.
fall victim to sth -- to be hurt, damaged or killed because of something or someone
curse -- (n) [C] magic words which are intended to bring bad luck to someone
sequel -- (n) [C]

•

a book, film or play which continues the story of a previous book, etc.

shake sth up --

[M]

to cause large changes in something such as an organization, usually in order to make improvements

crave -- (vb) [T]

to have a strong or uncontrollable want for something

scarf -- (vb) [T]

US for scoff (EAT) -- [T] (US also scarf) informal to eat something quickly and eagerly

death row -- (n) mainly US

on death row

in prison and waiting to be killed as a punishment for a crime

Opinions:
Okay, who wants to try? I would, trying is fine, but I guess I will only try one new burger a month. It is just too fatty and I wouldn't want to risk my health for the taste of it. What's more, I'm quite sure that fresh steaks taste much better than those hamburgers. Why settle for less? I used to be a Burger King lover, now for health, I hardly ever go for a burger -- heartburn is never easy on me.

As you can see, I'm a logical person with good control, but some aren't. Another news from Guyism reports that a Missouri man armed with a shotgun entered a McDonald’s after closing and demanded burgers!

Image from cdn.guyism.com

Guess the man has trouble figuring out which way is faster to death row.

Resources:
Ray Kroc Quotes | Star Quotes
http://www.quotesstar.com/people-by-nationality/north-americans/americans/ray-kroc-quotes.html

Movie: Supersize Me @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/10/movie-supersize-me.html

Health and Fitness: Supersize Me Add-ons @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/10/health-and-fitness-supersize-me-add-ons.html

Health and Fitness: Manage Your Weight @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/11/health-and-fitness-manage-your-weight.html

Ray Kroc @ Wikipedia

Thursday, 13 January 2011

News: McDonald’s ‘Texas 2 Burger’: The Spice of the Lone Star State

McDonald’s ‘Texas 2 Burger’: The Spice of the Lone Star State

By Yoree Koh

phrasal verb

phrasal verb

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