There is a German obsession with McDonald's, no matter how American they think it is. I personally haven't been to McDonald's for years and it doesn't even whet my appetite to think about it.I have friends whose families went to McDonald's for family night, and those who will pick that as their first stop after a long train ride. But the most prevalent pattern I've seen is people giving directions in relation to McDonald's. "It's across from McDonald's," they'll say, or "you know you're almost there when you see McDonald's."
After picking up 9 strangers to give them rides during the holidays, I must say I now understand this, as I made that the meeting place in every city because there was guaranteed to be a McDonald's at the train station, and it's not like it's hard to find with that big, yellow M. This doesn't mean I'm going to start endorsing McDonald's or even start picking up a Big Mac here and there. It just means I recognize its usefulness as a meeting place since it's everywhere.
