Fitzpatrick-Mc's: why the parents of autistic kids are lovin' it

[Guest guest]

oh man - he refuses to see vaccines might be part of his child's autism and

now this.............

Sheri

eoharm

Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 3:52 AM

Subject: [EOHarm] Fitzpatrick-Mc's: why the parents of

autistic kids are lovin' it

http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CB045.htm

Article2 May 2006

Mc's: why the parents of autistic kids are lovin' it

Ignore the food snobs - for some of us the Golden Arches are a godsend.

by Dr Fitzpatrick

'Elitists have always looked down at fast food, criticising how it tastes

and regarding it as another tacky manifestation of American popular

culture.' Schlosser, Fast Food Nation, Penguin 2002 (1).

Mc's is the fast-food chain that Guardian readers love to hate, but

for many parents of autistic children there are few more welcome signs than

the double arches.

We were recently sitting with our son at Mc's in Leighton

Buzzard near where he goes to school, when we spotted another family also

struggling with an autistic daughter. When suddenly decided he wanted

to go to the toilet, he started pulling down his trousers well before he

reached the door. As I chased after him, I passed the mother of the

autistic girl and we exchanged a smile of mutual recognition.

'Isn't Mc's great', she said. 'It's so reassuring to know that

however badly your child behaves, it probably won't be the worst that the

staff have seen that day.'

It's true that the staff are one of the best things about Mc's.

Critics like Schlosser, whose latest diatribe against Mc's -

Chew On This - is published this month, complains that the company exploits

teenagers (2). I am sure that their wages are not extravagant, though I

doubt whether pay and conditions are any worse than those of comparable

British firms.

I cannot judge the quality of staff training, but I find that they are

always cheerful and welcoming and tolerant of ' unpredictable

behaviour. On one occasion when he started jumping up and down and

squealing - as he does when he is excited - the manager rushed around from

behind the counter. When he appeared he was carrying a party hat and a

balloon.

The food at Mc's is fast - a very attractive feature for children

who have a limited tolerance for waiting, and even more attractive for

their parents who have to contain their children's impatience. Small things

make a big difference. For example, because the French fries are only 8mm

thick (a feature of Mc's much-derided industrialised production

techniques), they lose heat quickly, thus enabling a child who has no

concept of allowing food to cool before attempting to eat it to avoid

burning his mouth.

likes Chicken McNuggets (apparently made from chicken breasts!),

French fries and Coke. I share his lack of enthusiasm for Mc's

burgers, which, as a fan of American cuisine, I always find a big

disappointment. I find the coffee excellent, much better than those

bitter-tasting free-trade varieties in trendier chains. But I'm not much

impressed by the recent attempts by Mc's to present itself as

something it isn't: a health-food outfit. If I wanted carrot sticks, I

would buy a carrot.

Like many health zealots, Schlosser wants a ban on advertising to

children of foods high in fat and sugar. This will make no difference to

who is oblivious to advertising, and also to Mc's promotional

toys (he wouldn't even wear his Mc party hat). However, it

could be a problem for promoters of breastfeeding who also, through

advertising and other means, encourage mothers to provide their babies with

a substance that is rich in fat and carbohydrates, vital nutrients for

growing children. The high fat/high carbohydrate food available at

Mc's is often particularly valuable for children with autism who are

notoriously fastidious eaters.

For parents of children with problems of continence, one of the most

important features of any public facility is the toilets - and those at

Mc's are excellent. They are well designed, with easy access, plenty

of space and they are kept scrupulously clean.

Perhaps some would prefer a good old greasy spoon British caff, with

filthy toilets, filthy kitchens, surly staff and grumpy customers. Others

might opt for the trendy whole food restaurant, with even dirtier toilets

and kitchens, even more miserable and ill-looking staff and a food snob at

every table.

Not for me and my family - give us Mc's any day.

Dr Fitzpatrick is a GP and author of MMR and Autism: What Parents

Need to Know (buy this book from Amazon (UK) or Amazon (USA)).

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

Vaccines - http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm