As a 14 year old, I worked nearly full-time at a McDonald’s. The food then was real. Real beef, real potatos, real milk products in the shakes, etc.
Today? I can’t tell you what the hell is in it, but nothing they sell, except the Coke syrup they use is 100% anything. You taste the meat and it isn’t beef - lots of fillers of something, same for the fries - processed something. Shakes? Hell I don’t know - maybe wood pulp for all I know.
Steve Martin was right:
I have a theory about McDonald’s, that is, everything they make is all one thing, and in the back they have this big vat full of this stuff, these little molds combining, like SPLURT ‘Hamburger!’ SPLURT ‘Malt!’ SPLURT ‘Paper box!’ SPLURT ‘Here’s your change!’