Bad Dream

I had a dream the other night, a nightmare, actually, because if it were to actually happen, it would be pretty catastrophic, in my book.

In my dream, famed restaurant chain McDonald's was bought out by a smaller, less significant fast-food chain. It might have been Hardee's or Chik-Fil-A that bought McDonald's, but it really doesn't matter. The point of the dream when I woke up, in a cold sweat, was when I realized that as a result of this major corporation buy-out, there would be no more McDonald's.

Can you imagine such a thing? A world without McDonald's?!

I can barely wrap my brain around it to fathom the possibility of a world as we know it without McDonald's. It is a staple of American culture, the first choice in fast-food, and one of the biggest and most recognizable companies in the world.

I first fell in love with McDonald's as a child, as did many an American child. I distinctly remember stopping at McDonald's during my family's frequent road trips across the country. I was a big fan of Chicken McNuggets and sweet and sour sauce. It took me a while to grow into enjoying the hamburgers and French fries, but I eventually did; how could I not?

For a spell in my young adulthood/adolescence, I remember a time when I strategically boycotted McDonald's, consistently thinking about how unhealthy it was for me and the rest of the country. I don't think that boycott lasted very long. While you cannot argue that it is unhealthy, the taste is what keeps calling me back.

I'm very happy that my dream was only a dream. After I cried a little, I realized that McDonald's was still here and probably not going away too soon. I went back to sleep, but then I was hungry for a Big Mac.