Just when I thought I’ve seen it all, I haven’t. During my travels in Taiwan, I made it a point to check out good old MickeyD’s (McDonald’s for those who don’t know). It’s no secret that McDonald’s (and other fast food franchises) adjust their menu to fit the local tastes, so I thought maybe it’d be cool to see what they got abroad that we don’t have in the States.
After carefully inspecting the menu, two things caught my interested; corn soup and rice burgers/sandwiches. I bet most people are thinking to themselves, “hmmm rice burgers, it much be a patty made of rice or something…” Actually, it isn’t. Instead of a burger bun, the patty, lettuce, tomato are sandwiched between two circular pieces of rice. Think rice cake, but actual grains of steamed rice. How they make it stick like that is pretty cool actually. I had the chicken sandwich, so instead of a hamburger patty, i had a piece of grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato, etc… How did it taste? It wasn’t too bad I have to admit. Definitely different than having buns. It’s basically like having chicken, veggies and rice…all mixed in together in each bite.
For my side dishes, I ordered the corn soup and some fries. Now the corn soup is not as thick as cream of corn, it was literally soup (hence the name). It was rather plain, but it wasn’t horrible. I guess I am a bit disappointed since 20 years ago, I had it and liked it very much. This time around, it just didn’t stand out, maybe they chanced the recipe or perhaps I’ve developed higher food standards…who knows. The fries were great however. This was kind of funny story actually…when I picked up my order, the cashier gave me a brown paper bag and asked me what kind of seasoning I wanted. I was dumbfounded because I didn’t know what the seasoning was for, not to mention the brown paper bag. So she had to show me. Apparently, you had to pour the fries and seasoning into the paper bag, mix it and voila! Seasoned Fries. Pretty interesting concept, I opted for the curry seasoning and I have to say, it was pretty darn good…so good that I forgot to take a picture of it until I was about half way through those fries. McDonald’s should really try to market that in the US, not sure how the curry seasoning will be received here, but I think there are other flavors that might be well received here (like pizza, bbq, etc…kind of like how we season potato chips).
After McD’s, I checked out MOS Burger (another chain) because my sister told me their rice burgers were better. And they were. They are served pipping hot and they have more varieties (I had a steak & onions rice burger…way better than McD’s) of rice burgers as well. Overall, fast food is fast food. You get what you pay for, but it does help to know where to go. So next time I get a craving for some rice burgers in Taiwan, I think I’ll hit up MOS Burger instead.
1. Weirdest thing you have had for breakfast?
* Sushi & Sashimi
2. Most desperate meal you've ever had?
* Canned corn with a slice of American cheese, microwaved.
3. When you eat too much, you...
* Sit back on my chair and stare at the ceiling blankly...in pain. 
yeah.. mos burger is like yoshinoya in a burger form.. i stick to the chicken nuggets and fries and ice cream at McD’s in Taipei. sometimes the breakfast since the hash browns are still good.
Also, the apple pie is still FRIED here like they used to be in the states. mm
Lol soooo true! That exactly what MOS burger reminded me of. Haahaa. I felt adventurous so I went with the rice burger at mcd’s. not bad…not great.