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Articles by Molly Hannon

Molly Hannon is a freelance writer based in Berlin who hails from Virginia. She has written for the New York Times, NPR, the Dailybeast, Gambero Rosso, Berlin Stories, TimeOut, and La Cucina Italiana. She holds a Master’s in Food Culture and Communications from the University of Gastronomic Sciences. You can find more of her work on her website.

Featured Article

One of two recent McItaly burgers, made with some certified Italian ingredients.

Ever since McDonald’s introduced a pair of Slow Food-inspired McItaly burgers last fall, the company has caused quite a stir on the boot-shaped peninsula. The international chain collaborated with Gualtiero Marchesi, one of Italy’s most renowned chefs — and the only Italian chef to date to receive three Michelin stars — to create the sandwiches. In the process it has also raised big questions about whether a fast food chain can ever truly adopt a Slow Food approach.

Although McDonald’s maintains a fairly consistent core menu around the world, it’s not uncommon for the fast food chain to tailor its restaurants regionally. In Japan, the chain serves ramen noodles, for instance, while the Indonesian menu offers the “McSatay,” and the Indian menu includes something called a “Veggie McMuffin.” Even proud McDonald’s France, otherwise known as “MacDo,” dishes out a popular petit dejeuner-cum-McBreakfast, composed of buttery croissants and cafe au laits, known as “McCafes.”

In Italy, h... Read more