Burger Battles

Adrià, Pépin Aren’t Clowning Around When They Defend McDonald’s

Pépin, unlikely spokesman for McDonald's.
Pépin, unlikely spokesman for McDonald’s. Photo: Everett Bogue; Photos: Getty Images

Ferran Adrià recently defended McDonald’s to London’s Telegraph: “I don’t think people should come and say, ‘McDonald’s isn’t good,’ if you don’t give me an alternative; what is the alternative, for the same price? It’s like saying everybody should be driving an Aston Martin or Rolls-Royce.” (Of course, we’ve already pointed out a superior $1.19 alternative — the Wendy’s Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger.) Let’s face it, “what’s your favorite fast-food burger” is one of those questions food journalists just have to ask esteemed chefs, much like “what do you listen to in the kitchen?” (Metromix reveals today that Patrick Connolly of Bobo digs Clinic and Wilco!) Sure enough, today another food-world luminary, Jacques Pépin, dean of the French Culinary Institute, is forced to admit to being a Ronald fan. In a Q&A; accompanying a profile of him, he tells Men’s Vogue, “I never feel guilty when I eat something I like, including french fries or a Big Mac. I don’t do it often, but if I do, I do it with it gusto. I’m basically a glutton.” Hey, nothing wrong with that, but Big Mac over Whopper? Really?

Visionaries Questionnaire: Jacques Pépin [Men’s Vogue]
The Original Iron Chef [Men’s Vogue]
World’s most popular chef: I want to eat at McDonald’s [Telegraph]

Adrià, Pépin Aren’t Clowning Around When They Defend