Arch Nemesis

“When McDonald’s opened its first Italian branch, in Rome in 1986, Valentino, the mononymous fashion designer, was outraged. He complained about the “significant and constant noise and an unbearable smell of fried food fouling the air,” and took legal action against the chain. He wasn’t the only one to be upset. Thousands of Italians gathered in protest, furious at what they perceived to be the Americanization of their beloved capital. Some passed around perfectly cooked plates of pasta to fellow protestors just to make a point.” The protest didn’t work. They never do. McDonald’s Macarons: How U.S. fast food took over the world — and then went local.

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