A food fight has broken out in Italy over McDonald's new "McItaly" sandwich — an Italian beef burger strategically arrayed with local toppings such as Asiago cheese and artichoke spread. Though critics call the sandwich an affront to Italian cuisine, Agriculture Minister Luca Zaia, who has taken to wearing a McDonald’s apron to promote the McItaly, praises McDonald's for giving Italian farmers and cheesemongers a boost. Is the government's plug a “monstrous act of national betrayal,” as one critic called it, or just a smart business move? (Watch a report about the McItaly burger)
A ludicrous idea, with dubious intentions: The McItaly is the latest weapon in McDonald's push to standardize global tastes, says Carlo Petrini at the Slow Food Movement — a plan that will only bleed local cuisine of its flavor. But the real "insult" is claiming this will help local farmers, when it's really just forcing them to sacrifice tradition and their own profits for McDonald's bottom line.
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