Those gigantic golden arches along the highway. As a child, I could never drive past them without immediately craving a Happy Meal. The golden arches seemed to have a kind of magical pull. Now, as an adult, I look at them with a mixture of nostalgia and wonder.
It’s funny how things change. As a child, I saw McDonald’s as a sort of toy store with food. But now that I’m older, I also see the darker side. The so-called child-friendly company contributes to a grim reality of mass production and the problems that come with it.
It’s not just about the company itself; it symbolizes a bigger issue. We have become disconnected from where our food actually comes from. The convenience of those golden arches hides a deeper complexity and responsibility that we, as consumers, carry. I often think back to the times when I, as a child, devoured that Happy Meal without realizing all that lay behind this simple pleasure.
