I came to France with a simple golden rule; Go Native. Speak French, Act French, and Be French.

Imagine then, the cognitive dissonance that came about when I was invited to McDonald’s; on the one hand, I was invited by a French person to join in, on the other hand it was to do something that could be considered the pinnacle of American (Anglo-Saxon!) culture.

It was a difficult decision. I haven’t eaten “Fast Food” for a number of years now, mainly just because I don’t like it, rather than any sort of culinary snobbery, so I desperately wanted to get out of it.

However, I ended up going because this particular mademoiselle was “persuasive”, shall we say.

I’ve asked a number of French people if they like Fast Food and how often they go. The general response is “Yes, from time to time.”

My follow up question is usually related to “Americanisation” and “cultural imperialism”. Having written a report about whether France is really Anti-American in a political sense, I was interested to look at the cultural implications. Evidently, I found that my colleagues in Bath were mistaken for suggesting the French were antagonistic towards American food, or even foreign food. My search for Soy Sauce is a good example.

Of course, my friends are generally quite young. Here in Nice, there is an independence/nationalist (you heard me) movement with the slogan “Yes to Socca, no to the Kebab!” (Socca is a Nicois speciality.)

McDonald’s is successful here because of American tourists (obviously) but also because it has been able to adapt its menu. Some options are in fact just versions of traditional French sandwiches.

Burger King, to the contrary, tried to establish a presence in France, but it was quite short lived.

The most popular chain here is “Quick”, a sort of French McDonald’s, (they tell me it’s French, but I’m inclined to believe it’s actually Belgian) which removes any cultural ramifications that might have existed. Frankly, it’s almost indistinguishable. It’s mainly just a bit of teasing against the fact that I’m an Anglo-Saxon. In reality, Anglo-French relations boil down to sibling rivalry.

That said; I won’t be going back unless I really have to, as another act of conformism!