McDonald’s Japan has been kind of hit and miss with its strategies in the last couple of years. And just when they start doing a few things REALLY right (complimentary socks and free smiles!) they come up with another concoction that’s got netizens dry-heaving.
This time, the offending item is the “healthy” chicken veggie patty burger, aka the “Mogumogu Mac” (mogumogu is an onomatopoeia that means chewing), which is designed specifically for kids.
The Mogumogu Mac is the first new item in 11 years to be added directly to the regular menu. It consists of a chicken patty filled with bits of corn, carrot, beans and other vegetables inside a bun, with ketchup on top.
The new burger is a response to concerned parents’ calls for a burger that kids will enjoy which will also convince them to eat more vegetables. It’s available as part of a Happy Meal set that includes a drink and a side of sweetcorn. For some reason.
The burger went on sale across Japan on May 25 for an indefinite period, and is apparently part of a move towards making the fast food chain into the kind of “modern burger restaurant” that really resonates with the Japanese public. This all might sound strange to those of us who grew up with greasy burgers and juicy nuggets – after all, McDonald’s is probably the last place we’d choose to take a child who’s lacking vegetables in their diet – but McDonald’s Japan has to compete with other burger chains in Japan which tend to have a slightly more upmarket image.
Japan’s netizens were quick to weigh in on the new addition to the menu. Sadly, it wasn’t exactly positive:
“It looks like animal feed.”
“What parent would make their child eat this?”
“If parents want their kids to eat vegetables, they wouldn’t take them to McDonald’s… This is madness.”
“Looks disgusting, why don’t you add some lettuce at least?”
“This looks like a very unHappy Meal to me…”
“If I were a parent, I’d never feed this to my kid.”
“I showed my five-year-old this picture and he said it looked gross.”
“More chicken? It looks grotesque…”
The burger might look unappetising, but we’re going to withhold judgement until we can get our butts down to Makku and try one for ourselves (for science!). We’ll be sure to let you know how it tastes once we’re done mogumogu-ing. Hopefully we won’t follow it up with a touch of gerogero-ing (puking!)
Source: Livedoor – Itai News
Main Image: Mcd-Holdings