Wendy's na lang!

Please take time to read Gary Granada's story on why McDonalds
burgers taste the way they do.


My Personal Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of McDonald's
5 seconds


My name is Gary Granada, I am a Kaalagad volunteer, and I need
5 seconds of your time to help reduce the use of styrofoam in fast food chains.

What was meant to be a nice and simple Saint Francis Day
motorcade-march to McDonald's yesterday turned out to be a
nightmare. We were rudely treated by McDonald's, to put it
mildly. Weeks before, we already sought a dialogue with them to
reiterate our concern for their reluctance to reduce their use of
styrofoam, despite their pledge to seriously attend to it during our
dialogue in 2002! (Jollibee said the same thing, and while we are not
satisfied with their response, at least they made some effort to
shift to other packaging and serving materials.)

We sent them a letter, went to their office, made follow ups,
waited for a response. The most we got from them was 'you wait for
our call'. They never called, never wrote back, but verbally said
they will assign representatives to receive our motorcade's representatives.

When we got there, their representatives turned out to be the
Citibank Building's security detail. Ill-mannered and impolite, they
told us that they were told by McDonald's that they were not
expecting us. One of our staff went up to their 17 th floor office to
find out whether they were willing to sit down and talk
matters. Told to tell us to wait, we waited. The giant that it is,
the bosses of McDonald's apparently regard little children, nuns,
mothers, priests and concerned consumers as their employees. We
asked how long we were supposed to wait and got no straight
answer. Finally they sent word for me to come up, just me, no one
else. I thought these people must have seen too many spaghetti
movies, perhaps they thought they had a hostage crisis. I was led to
a conference room that could easily sit six or seven people and was
greeted by two bright boys.

Think about it. Naglakad kami papuntang McDonald's, at
pagdating namin doon, wala man lang bumaba para kausapin kami ng
maayos. At pinatawag ako nitong dalawang batang managers!

It occurred to me that there were far more basic issues that
plague McDonald's than styrofoam. Like common courtesy. So I
explained to these rich young rulers that the courteous thing to do
was to go down, greet the delegation and ask how they may be of
help. I even asked them where they were schooled, because in the
public school in an obscure town where I came from, they manage to
teach such things in Grade One. Their bloated bright brains must
have taken up the space that was meant for their ears. It felt like
talking to an electric fan.

Meanwhile I insisted that somebody from Greenpeace, the
Ecowaste Coalition, Franciscan Missionaries for Justice, Peace and
Integrity of Creation, and the JPICC of the Association of Major
Religious Superiors of the Philippines (our partners in the activity)
be present as well. They said they can only accommodate three people
at most. Fine. So I said I and our staff will go down and we will
send three people up. But at the lobby, the three representatives we
sent were barred by security people from proceeding, again upon
McDonald's instructions we were told.

It looked hopeless.

We decided to wrap up the program when out of nowhere a
condescending woman materialized and introduced herself as the media
relations officer of McDonald's. She said, 'Why don't you go to
Jollibee instead, they're number One.' To which Father Ben Moraleda
replied, 'We did, and at least they are doing something.'

On the side, irked by her audacity, Fr. Ben quipped, 'And
please take that hand of yours off my shoulder, I don't like you.'

And all that commotion for a very simple and very reasonable
plan: that McDonald's reduce the use of styrofoam by 50% within one
year. McDonald's has once again demonstrated its arrogance and
incapacity to appreciate the sincere and constructive efforts of
common folks to protect our environment. Unlike them, we do not make
money doing what little we can to help make things a little better
for everybody.

5 seconds, that's all I ask of you to help reduce the use of
styrofoam. Sa mundo ng mga mayayabang, papansinin lang nila tayo
kung tayo ay maninindigan. Take 5 seconds to think twice before
choosing where to dine or order food.


WHEN YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DON'T CHOOSE MCDONALD'S

I feel sad for that woman and those two young managers. So
young, so successful, so ahead of their game, so privileged; so rude,
so arrogant, so lacking in character, so bland. And I have since
stopped wondering why their burgers taste the way they do.


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It will take a bit longer than 5 seconds, but it will go a long
way if you can email this page to friends. Thank you for your time~

--Gary Granada ( http://www.garygranada.com)
7 October, 2006


Gary Granada is a known environmental activist as well as a respected
musical artist. He has recorded songs that cry out for justice and
call for action against the evils that pervade in society.
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