A Big Mac at the Louvre?

10.12.09 | Category: Art Licks, Cuisine Licks

Would you like to Supersize your Rubens?
Have Fries with your Fragonard?
Down a Value Meal with your Velasquez? Or not?
Either way, this CultureLick story is for you.

So a McDonalds is planning to open one of their fast food restaurants underneath the main entrance of the Louvre museum at the Carrousel du Louvre.

Check out our video where we interview real people on both sides of the issue — pro or against the McDonalds opening. Then leave a comment. We want to know what you think about the opening. And, don’t forget to:

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11 Comments so far

  1. borcho 10.13.09 at 12:19 pm

    I wonder who the target customer is – a starved american student struggling to survive at the current euro/$ exchange rate or a Parisian. Or perhaps, it’s just a marketing spiel for McDonald’s.

  2. Alastair Goldfisher 10.13.09 at 2:49 pm

    As a vegetarian, I can’t stand McDonalds, its abuse to animals nor its propagation of meat eating to children under the guise of a friendly clown. I also have a distaste for the their corporate branding. Certainly, the Louvre could have found a healthier choice w/o sacrificing its integrity by signing to such a marketing deal.

  3. Kim Stinson Serrano 10.13.09 at 3:45 pm

    Yes, my husband told me about this a few days ago. I was surprised! My first question was, “Hmm, did they change the menu?”
    Personally, I don’t like traveling and seeing the same shops/restaurants over and over. It seems a shame to do this to the Louvre.
    Why is McDonald’s food popular, anyhow? The versions I’ve tasted are not very good at all. I probably haven’t had any in fifteen years, though. Has it improved? I do remember reading an article about the unhealthy products used to create it.
    My largest question is: Did you really eat those fries???

  4. Noa Santos 10.13.09 at 7:08 pm

    What it means to be distinctly French, American, Chinese, etc. is undoubtedly changing with the emergence of a new, global culture. And while a McDonald’s at the Louvre certainly eases the traveling experience, especially for those who don’t immediately take to French cuisine, I can’t help but think that it must weaken the experience as a whole. The idea of traveling is to experience something foreign. So when you go to the Louvre, eat French food! If you hate it, you can always sleep at night knowing that when you return to the US, there will be more than enough McDonald’s food waiting.

    Furthermore, as the American culture, a relatively new culture, begins to mix with those of other nations, I think it’s important for us, as Americans, to put forth the best of what we are. I have a hard time believing McDonald’s is the epitome of American cuisine.

  5. Murad Goeksel 10.13.09 at 9:39 pm

    lesson is simple and clear: STOP Eating Animals !!

  6. Nathalie Coureaud-Shaw 10.14.09 at 6:29 am

    As a french woman ( living in the States), I’m very surprised that The Louvre accepted the idea of a McDonalds.
    We don’t eat McDonald’s in my family ( I’m veg and my hubby when he feels to have a burger, prefers to go to place with better meat quality) but for me the point is about the location
    I find it utterly unappropriate, to say the least, and I cannot imagine going through the magnificient pieces of arts with the smell of grease and fries…

  7. Sonalii Wardlaw 10.14.09 at 9:30 am

    Fine art and McDonalds seems like an unhealthy mix. It’s definitely a testament to how much commerce has become more valued than art. I could not imagine strolling through such a beautiful museum admiring works of art thousands of years old to have my senses assaulted by the odor of greasy fries and burgers.

  8. sean percival 10.14.09 at 2:09 pm

    I think it’s pretty horrible. Although when I was in Paris I had the urge to try McDonalds there. Normally I wouldn’t, but I was curious if it tasted any different. To my surprise it was actually A LOT better than here in the states. Although I think it was mostly due to a much tastier bun. They must use real bread there as opposed to the bread-like foam they offer here in the US.

  9. Ron Gutman 10.15.09 at 1:09 am

    Fabulous :)
    That reminds me of the Starbucks Coffee shop I saw in 2003 at the heart of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Culture.

  10. druekataoka 10.15.09 at 2:32 am

    @ Borcho good question
    @ Alastair – Ronald McDonald is an interesting figure. Has been compared to Joe Camel. I don’t think I’m a fan of his shoes.
    @ Kim – I agree that I don’t want to travel x thousand miles just to be back where I started. Yup – ate the fries! But we also had dinner at Le Petit Bistro so this piece was absolutely fair and balanced!
    @ Noa – Americans must export their best
    @ Murad – Chicken mcnuggets do go through a disturbing processing!
    @ Nathalie – It is surprising. Thanks for your burger anecdote.
    @ Sonalli – What is interesting to me is that this story was buried in the French press. A non-event. It was the world that reacted to the McDonalds being placed in the Louvre.
    @ Sean Percival – Wow a real taste-tester. Thanks for sharing your authentic French “McDo” experience. No foam bread. Hmmm — maybe baguette?
    @ Ron – That must have been jarring. Interesting story Ron!

  11. Elena Danielson 10.17.09 at 11:43 am

    In 1998, Alice Waters was asked to create a restaurant for the Louvre. She was not able to find the fresh produce she wanted at Rungis. Her beloved Les Halles was already long gone. The plan fell through. There already was a McDonalds on the Champs-Elysees in the 1960s, but we preferred to eat real French Fries at midnight in Les Halles. Recently, we were at Chez Panisse, and it still seems true to the spirit of Les Halles. Museums should preserve real values. Maybe Chez Panisse is the real Louvre museum cafe.

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