I'm not saying that McDonald's is the golden standard of quality dining.

It plays a role in the obesity epidemic in the U. S. and elsewhere.

I do recognize that there are ethical issues in some of the actions of big fast-food chains that should be addressed.

But I am tired of the popular bashing of McDonald's, and the type of mind that wants to "protect us" from it.

McDonald's isn't unhealthy. Poor decisions are.

We are all individually responsible for our own health, and the health of our children. Last time I checked, there was no law that would force us - or our children - to dine at McDonald's. 

To blame McDonald's for obesity seems to me as childish as blaming cars for traffic accidents. It diverts from the real problem, which is lack of education, lack of self-control, and in some cases gluttony. 

But of course, no consumer wants to buy a book and read that the problem is with him. Eric Schlosser would not make his millions (or whatever it was) if he did just that, 'Fast Food Nation' would not become a bestseller, and 'Super Size Me' would not - arguably - be nominated for Oscars if the problem was with us, the people. The problem is with the capitalist, and people are poor souls that need to be protected. And there will always be politicians who wouldn't miss an opportunity to impose their silly ideas on us. Like the two last mayors of New York City who tried to legislate on the size of our soft drinks.

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against literature or film that highlights the risks of excessive fast food consumption, as long as their aim is to educate and influence the public mind through the system of free exchange of ideas. But there is a difference between enlightenment and tendentious populism whose aim it is to stifle our freedom.

Take the "Super Size Me" atrocity: What kind of a person could possibly think that eating nothing but the unhealthiest items on the menu of a fast-food joint, for the duration of one month, is a clever idea?

If the author of 'Super Size Me' got into health problems, it wasn't because he ate at McDonald's. It was because his idea was royally stupid (except as a money-making scheme, of course). 

By the way, can you name a restaurant in which it would be healthy to eat for a month and choose only the least healthy dishes?

McDonald's shouldn't be told how to alter the menu. Especially not by bureaucrats who go about this world with a fixed idea that they know what's best for us, and aren't happy until they manage to change our lives according to their petty wishes. 

If such people don't find their happiness, we should not feel guilty about it.

Why I like McDonald's

In 2006, I moved to Canada. Back then, I wasn't drowning in money like today, and my daily budget for food was about $ 15. At that time, you could buy quality bread in Toronto for about $ 5, a liter of milk for about $ 2, a dozen eggs around for $ 3, decent yogurt for $ 3-5, 1.87 L of orange juice for $ 3-4, fruits and vegetables for about twice the amount you paid in my home country - Czech Republic.

You could survive on this budget, but you surely didn't have a photo on the wall in any decent restaurant.

Opposite my office, there was a McDonald's with the following cross-sectional price list: Double Cheeseburger for 1.47 CAD, 2 Breakfast Burritos for 3 CAD, scrambled eggs in the Big Breakfast for $ 3.50 and a coffee. There were special promos when any size coffee or Coke was just a dollar. Among the standard menu items was a Chicken sandwich (Crispy or Grill) on a wholemeal bun for 3.99 CAD.

Back in those days, I worked out regularly and thus I needed ample protein in my diet. My daily menu consisted of items such as porridge, egg whites and almonds, some dairy products (notoriously overpriced in Canada due to government interference in the market), scrambled eggs, fruits, and vegetables.

And McDonald's.

Lots of McDonald's.

In fact, for two years I would go to McDonald's almost daily.

I went there so often that pretty soon the staff - a rich mosaic of immigrants from Bangladesh, Thailand and other countries I had only heard of - knew me by name. They sometimes threw an occasional freebie into my food bag, and on a "slow" day, some of the employees would join me at the table and we spoke about life in different parts of the world, and how horrible and at the same time awesome Canada was.

My typical lunch was two Double Cheeseburgers with a Garden Salad. The price was 3.99 CAD, an equivalent of a liter of organic milk or a dozen organic eggs, or half-a-pound of good bread.

Herewith the nutritional breakdown of my favorite choices:

• 2 Double Cheeseburgers (top bun removed), Garden Salad: 640 calories, 41 g protein, 33 g carbohydrates, 38 g fat, of which 19 g saturated, 2 g fiber, 3.2 g salt.
• Scrambled Eggs with Breakfast Muffin and white coffee: 468 calories, 26 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 27.4 g fat, of which 10.9 g saturated fat, 2.6 g fiber, 1.2 g salt.
• 2 Breakfast Burritos and 1 L of white coffee: 620 calories, 26 g protein, 50 g carbohydrates, 34 g fat, of which 13 g saturated, 2.5 g fiber, 3.7 g salt.
• Grilled Chicken Salad: 133 calories, 22 g protein, 6.1 g carbohydrates, 1.4 g fat, of which 0.4 g saturated fat, 2.1 g fiber, 0.72 g salt.
• Chicken Sandwich on wholemeal bread, 1 liter of diet cola and 1 L of white coffee: 430 calories, 34 g of protein, 40 g of carbohydrates, 15 g of fat, of which 3 g saturated, 2 g fiber, 2.6 g salt.

The first three items on the list were approximately 4 dollars, the last two 5 and 6 respectively. I must mention that I was exempt from paying the GST(HST)/PST taxes due to a special status in Canada.

You may argue that some of the choices above contain too much salt and fat. That is true. But back then, I had regular physical activity at least 5 times a week, so I could afford to eat more salt and fat. Moreover, when I got 38 grams of fat from two Double Cheeseburgers for lunch, I took that into consideration and ate less fatty foods for the rest of the day.

My health parameters remained exemplary in these years: Heart rate around 45 beats per minute, blood pressure around 110 over 65, subcutaneous fat 6-9% (measured by electromagnetic impedance, so give or take). I had no problems with asthma that had sometimes bothered me back in Prague.

I'd like to stress the fact that I ate at McDonald's every day for two years, and still relatively frequently after that. 

If you know what you're doing, McDonald's is not unhealthy.

As of 2018, I am back in Prague. I no longer go to McDonald's that often. In fact, I should say that I was there less than five times in the past three years. This is because here McDonald's doesn't have a comparative price advantage. You can find much healthier options in other restaurants or save considerably if you eat at home. Moreover, the menu in local "Mekáč" is quite limited. Lastly, with increasing age, one likes to indulge in a slightly different dining experience (while there is time, I guess).