Like most people (?), I’ve read a bunch of Malcolm Gladwell’s books. I mean, his books are bestsellers for a reason – people love to read contrarian, faux-statistic bulls–t and social theory. Blink was one of his biggest bestsellers, but people really liked The Tipping Point, Outliers and David and Goliath (that last one was widely criticized, for good reason). I read Gladwell’s books because I find them to be interesting thought exercises and a fascinating way to look at history, success, civil rights movements and more. Gladwell has a podcast called Revisionist History, and in his latest podcast, he takes an interesting position: McDonalds french fries are trash. OH NO.
Malcolm Gladwell’s latest contrarian position could go over worse than the time he defended Lance Armstrong’s doping: McDonald’s fries suck, he declares on the latest episode of his Revisionist History podcast. Before you rush out and declare him un-American, though, realize he means well. Gladwell opens the podcast by telling listeners that “McDonald’s betrayed me so many years ago” when it stopped frying potatoes in beef tallow, so his ultimate goal is to help the fries return to their former glory. But his personal vendetta is woven into the far more interesting story of Phil Sokolof, the drywall magnate who spent millions crusading against saturated fat and cholesterol, and convinced McDonald’s to swap the beef fat for vegetable oil.
Gladwell talks about how, at Sokolof’s insistence, the chain moved to a canola-corn-soy oil mix on July 23, 1990, the day McDonald’s “changed the recipe of their fries forever, and turned their backs on everything I once held dear.” He argues texture and taste suffered, and to prove there’s general consensus about this, Gladwell interviews people his age who get nostalgic about the old fries, then feeds a facsimile of them to millennials who are too young to have tried the pre-1990 version. They all agree he’s right.
Is this a trash opinion? The whole reason I’m writing about this is because I’ve been thinking about it too much ever since I read this piece last night. I like McDonalds fries. Are the best things ever? No. But they’re good. If we’re ranking fast food fries, I give Burger King’s fries the edge, actually. And I f–king love Arby’s curly fries. But I’ll be damned if McDonald’s fries aren’t perfectly crave-able too, let’s be honest. I find this whole “fries were better when they were fried in beef fat” discussion to be… disingenuous, maybe? McDonald’s had good reason to change the oil and I’m guessing all of the vegetarians and vegans who like french fries are happier with the current oil too. (Also: Gladwell IS un-American… in that he’s Canadian.)
Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.
Actually, there is beef fat flavoring right in the fries themselves, so they’re still not vegetarian.
Wait, what? There is???
I actually called McDonald’s corporate offices in the US a few years ago to inquire about this and they informed me that the beef flavoring in their fries comes from an animal derivative and is not vegetarian. They didn’t seem to want to elaborate beyond that. That same ingredient is also in their hashbrowns, just FYI.
The yogurt in their breakfast parfait contains gelatin, so that is also not a vegetarian item.
according to their website (which, yes, may be lying) the french fries in Canada are actually vegan and they fry them in separate oil from their chicken nuggets, etc.
ETA: as a Hindu who doesn’t eat beef or pork, please leave my (Canadian) fries alone!
The American fries include something called ‘Natural Beef flavour’ that they say comes from milk and wheat derivatives. It basically comes from byproducts of beef and contains traces of actual beef, so isn’t vegetarian.
In most countries though the fries are just potato, canola oil, salt and dextrose.
If it comes from milk and wheat derivatives, they are vegetarian, though not vegan. Milk is not beef.
I’m aware milk is not beef thanks.
McDonalds lists it as a milk and wheat derivitive in their ingredient info, which to a large extent it is, but tests show it does in fact include beef also. McDonalds is oddly unwilling to say what exactly is in it/how exactly it’s made, but they do say it is not vegetarian.
Also, switching to a soy based oil screws over people who have a soy intolerance (basically everyone who’s lactose intolerant)
He is right. I have never understood the love for McD’s fries. I prefer the fries from Checkers, Popeyes, or Burger King over McDs. Even the fries at Wendys taste better.
The only time McD’s fries are good is right out of the oil. If you let them sit for a while they start to taste like cardboard. Don’t even get me started about how they taste after you reheat them.
My sister swears that a small fry and large coffee from McDonalds will cure even the most stubborn case of constipation.
lol.
Silver Diner has great crispy fries by the way.
Oh, man. I could get nostalgic about some Checkers fries. My love affair with those ended the day I found a fingernail clipping in my fry box. 15 years later, I haven’t been back since. 🙁
I left McDonald’s years ago (though I still eat them). The best fries are from Chick-fil-a.
I like the old Burger King fries (the thin ones), not the new ones. I haven’t had Wendys in years, but I remember their fries being really good decades ago.
Wendy’s has these thicker fries with the skin still on…they win all the kudos. Especially when you dip them in your Frosty. *makes Homer Simpson drooling noise* I don’t eat fast food that often, but when I do, Wendy’s fries.
I prefer Portillo’s fries, but they only have locations in a small number of states.
Mmmmm Portillos! My husband and I don’t end up in IL often (we’re in WI) but now you’re making me want to take a trip lol
Portillos is all over now. I saw one during my last trip to Florida.
They are in seven states. Most are here in Illinois.
As an ex-pat Chicagoan, people always ask me if I miss the pizza. I’m like, no, I miss the Portillo’s Italian beef sandwich!
Portillo’ s Italian beef… 🤤🤤🤤🤤
Whaaaaat? McDonald’s still has the best fast food fries in the game. When they’re hot and salted just right, they’re awesome.
Some of these upscale burger places have a good creative take on fries. I like the garlic parmesan duck fat fries.
Smashburger’s smash fries are herby and yum. I used to go to a gyro place that cooked the fries in the lamb grease, though. Those were AMAZING. It’s been over 25 years since I’ve been there and I still drool just thinking about them.
I like the Sweet Potato fries at Smashburger.
I don’t like McDonald’s french fries either. They’re limp, soggy with grease and too salty. I like Burger King fries
Yeah I hate to say it but they definitely tasted better when they were fried in beef fat. Admittedly I was very young when they made the change, but I remember. I don’t eat McDonalds as a rule now but I will grab the occasional fries. As is the sad fact of so many things, they tasted better when they were even unhealthier than they are now.
I was 12 when they made the change, and they were definitely better before. I remember noticing something different about them at the time, but I still liked (and like) the current iteration of their fries. I’d be thrilled if they went back to frying them in beef fat, though.
Ditto. I preferred the old fries. They do taste different and I don’t buy McDonald’s fries anymore.
Have to hand it to Malcolm—there’s no comparison, in my mind. The original McDonald’s fries used to be sensational— their flavor and texture played a major part in McDonald’s early, phenomenal success.
Like the trend years ago to decrease butter use and substitute less delicious and less healthy margarines, the replacement of beef tallow with corn/soy/canola oil is misguided. Obesity rates began to rise when the armies of dietary experts began tinkering with the way we ate. High carb, low-fat, etc.
How cute
on July 23, 1990, the day McDonald’s “changed the recipe of their fries forever, and turned their backs on everything I once held dear.”
Didn’t know suffering and killing is something you can hold dear.
Right?!
Okay, I feel that McDonald’s is losing that swagger with their fries. They are not as crispy as they use to be. I am willing to hear Gladwell out, is what I am saying.
And the winner of the Art Garfunkel look alike contest goes to (Excitedly opens the envelope)
I love you
By a unanimous vote.
La La Land;)
I was 21 in 1990, so I remember the days when my formerly skinny self would have a large order of McD’s fries and a Diet Coke for lunch. Those fries were amazing!
The “new” fries aren’t as good and leave a strange coating in my mouth. Do I think they need to go back to beef tallow? No. But surely there is something better they could be cooked in.
McDonald’s has the best fries.
But I could be wrong. I haven’t had their fries in several years. I have had Burger King and Wendy’s fries in the last two years. They’re good, but I thought I remembered McDonald’s being better. I have fries so infrequently that it’s hard to compare.
Beef tallow is stable at high temperatures while vegetable oils break down and become oxidized and dangerous. The whole vegetable oil is healthy is a huge scam. Even olive oil should only be eaten at low temps or it start oxidizing.
Restaurants buy cheap vegetable oils and reuse them over and over in frying. These oils are very dangerous. I only eat fried foods at home where I use lard, tallow, or coconut oil to fry them.
Their fries now have that chemically fat after taste, so I agree with him.
Bring back the beef fat! I support Malcolm in this very important issue.
Also, while we are talking, I would like to bring back the personal pizza as well tyvm.
Any pizza can be a personal pizza if you try hard enough and believe in yourself.
hehe brilliant.
So its not enough for animals to die so that you can eat their flesh directly… you need more meat in your fries too? He probably thinks salad is inedible without bacon and cheese all over it, too.
We exploit and disrespect their bodies enough as it is; let’s not undo a tiny microscopic bit of progress and throw MORE animal ingredients into MORE of our food. (Not that these fries are even vegetarian in the first place.)
Eh. I’m a vegetarian who mostly eats vegan, but I think if you’re going to kill an animal anyway you should at least use it all for as much as possible.
MickeyD’s fries WERE fabulous back in the past. They used to be my guilty pleasure and they totally satisfied a potato chip craving.
Bring back the animal fat!
The fries in America taste so very different tham in Europe. I guess they have a bunch of stuff in them thas’s banned in Europe?
True that! The European fries taste much better!
The McDonald’s in Paris have amazing french fries! I worked in that city for half a year and was so busy and tired that I ended up eating at the neighborhood McDonald’s nearly every day just for comfort and reliability. And every day I would have those fries. I was raised in Los Angeles, and lemme tell you, there was a marked difference in taste and texture! Plus, I never got that queasy-sick feeling an hour or two after eating the Paris fries like I always would after eating L.A. McDonald ones.
In Germany, they are pomme frites and so delicious. Greece fries them in olive oil, and they are just out of this world.
Five Guys fries are pure addiction fodder. Best ever (and no animal fat.) I wouldn’t even park my car at Mc Donalds. Their fries have a weird after taste and feel like a film is left in your mouth.
I got the runs after eating Five Guys fries, so I must disagree! They were really greasy.
I can’t really see the appeal of fries, myself. I like the chips you get with fish and chips (even better when there’s vinegar on them) but fast food fries? No thank you.
Maybe the curly fries, if only for their shape- but otherwise, no thanks.
I’m allergic to mammalian meat, so I appreciate fries being vegetarian.
Who????
This says more about you than it does about him.
So I don’t know who he is and you think you know me? That’s not very open minded. How about sharing your knowledge about him instead of judging someone.
Wendy’s or Burger King for me, but then, it doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t eat fried food anymore due to a GI disorder. Sadface. I was never a huge fan of fried food, but I did love my onion rings and French fries.
I really liked “Blink.” Definitely an interesting thought exercise, and I was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t afraid to touch upon the more serious issues like race and gender when examining the impact of such an concept.
How profound… man… give a guy a mic and few will know what to say.
How about going somewhere else that makes fries the way you want them and give them your business? Wasn’t that the point of those books like “Tipping Point” and “The Long Tail” etc.?
Dumbass….
SOME BATTLES ARE WORTH THE WAR, 445566.
He’s right. Those fries used to be amazing. They’re inedible now.
I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s since the 90’s and I remember how differently the fries tasted after they changed them. They weren’t as good. They also stopped frying their apple pies. Fired apple pies were so much better than the baked ones. The 70’s & 80’s McDonald’s were awesome.
Chipotle did the same thing with their pinto beans. Vegetarians complained that the vegetarian black beans weren’t enough for them and insisted they take the pork fat out of the pinto beans. Totally changed the taste and now they’re as bland as the black beans.
omg – I just had a flashback to college when I would take my vegan roommate grocery shopping. She spent what felt like HOURS in the legume aisle inspecting the labels of every can of refried beans looking for the one without lard. This was back in the dark ages when vegans were .0001% of the population and literally no grocery store in existence even thought to carry vegan-specific items.
They’re still pretty good, but the *were* better when they were fried in beef fat. He is not wrong.
Beef and Cheddar croissant from Portillos. Yum! This guy reminds me of Bob Ross and Billy Crystal’s baby a little bit.
Burger King must be VERY different in the US from the way it is up here in Canada. Ugh.
I’ve never seen this Gladwell person before, but the very first thing I saw in that photo was Barbara Hershey in the TV movie KILLING IN A SMALL TOWN.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm376374272/tt0099936
Great little film, by the way.
“Before you rush out an call him un-American though…”
Malcolm Gladwell is Canadian.
Edit: I see his nationality is acknowledged in the final sentence.
In and Out and Burgerville (Hey Pacific NW!)