Submitted by Carly Whitman on the 2018 spring semester program in Rome, Italy…
Coming to Italy, I was excited to try all the pasta, pizza and paninis that I could find. I knew that carbs were in my near future and were going to be my main food group for the semester. I also knew that finding “American” food was going to be hard, but one day when adventuring around Rome I came across a McDonald’s. Yes, a McDonald’s in Rome! I was in utter shock not only because I love McDonald’s, but also because I have been coincidentally craving fast food and that is just not a thing in Rome. I had to take this opportunity to see if McDonald’s in Italy is the same as that in the United States, but much to my surprise, it was very different. I ordered a regular hamburger and a small Coca Cola. First, their size small soda is a bit smaller than ours. Second, the Coca Cola itself tastes different than that in the United States. It has a lot less bubbles and not as much sugar. I actually like it better. Third, the meat in the hamburger tasted fresher and more like beef than ours. The bun was a bit softer and the portion size in all was a little smaller, but not by much. From my experience, I observed a big difference between Roman McDonald’s and American McDonald’s. Just shows that something at home may not be the same abroad, and that goes for a lot of chains that we have at home that I have come across abroad. It’s just different versions of the same thing.
