Wednesday 9 February 2011

McPie shocker! Lovin the Dutch “glocalisation”

Ok, so not everyone’s got a degree in Geography, but I’m sure you’ve heard of this kind of scenario before:

McDonalds become a global brand, bringing the BigMac and fries to various countries worldwide... but they also target the local consumer in each specific country with food that suits local tastes. Take the Chicken Maharaja-Mac, available to suit the taste buds of their Indian consumers. That’s called “glocalisation” – the global combines with the local.

Ok, lecture over!

Well imagine my surprise when, hitting the McDonalds Liedsestraat, Amsterdam, those clever people in Holland had decided to reach out to the pie loving community by selling a proper Apple Pie in McDonalds! Not one of those Apple slices that they fob off to unaware British consumers! For the Dutch McDonalds Apple Pie is indeed an Apple Pie! Not an Apple Slice, but an Apple Pie!

So after the shock of seeing a real apple pie being sold in McDonalds...what’s it like?!
Well, firstly, you’ve gotta love the plastic casing you get your pie in. Sure, it’s only a piece of pie, but presentation is key. Secondly, while the pastry is quite soft and crumbly, it really does fill the hole. It’s full of flavour and you know you’re getting real fruit inside you. While it would be well complemented with some sort of custard or milk/cream/ice cream, the pie did taste good. You just have to eat it quick, before it crumbles completely! And at just 2 Euros when bought in combo with hot chocolate, it’s reasonably priced too. While it may not be the best pie in the world, it certainly is worth buying – especially when you’re out and about in Holland. You just have to wonder why they don’t sell proper pies in McDonalds UK (the pie capital of the world!)

So maybe at pierate.co.uk we were a little hasty in our review of McDonalds pies... for what McDonalds UK lacks, the Dutch certainly make up for in Apple Pies. In fact, I’d say “Ik ben lovin het!” (...or something like that!)

Score: 4/7




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1 comment:

Thanks for getting in touch with the Pierateers!

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