To The Land Of The Rising Sun Part 8- Why Would I Want A Big Mac?

I’ve come all this way and she suggests going to a McDonald’s….of all places, why would I want to go to a place where I have many of them back home? It’s not a stretch or that adventurous, other than it’s menu which could be slightly different from the one in Britain, that and I guess I would technically be eating Japanese Beef in a sense so I reluctantly said that I would give it a go, just for the sake of it.

After a day of exploring a Japanese Palace, I guess I was rather hungry and it was starting to rain so my wife suggested the nearest place which happened to be McDonald’s…even though we’ve walked past it everyday so far and not been interested in it, now we were…because we were tired and starving! Desperate needs or anything will do because of rain I guess.

The nearest McDonald’s wasn’t that far actually which wasn’t a surprise, I guess Japan is the same as Britain in that sense that a fast food place can be found on most streets in a big city! It was a small place with a few seats so I guess most people either eat elsewhere or take it away. I had the Mega Mac which we don’t have in Britain so I thought, when else will I get to? Unless I order 2 Big Macs and out them together or something but why would I do something daft like that?

It’s just a regular Big Mac with a few more patties on it! Nothing special but I wouldn’t recommending having anything else during the day! Tastes no different to a Big Mac from back home…why would I assume that things taste that much different to a McDonald’s in Britain or America? seasoning….bit of salt, maybe I don’t know but comparisons are that it tastes about the same, it’s just bigger!

If you go abroad and see a McDonald’s in another country, it can be tempting to go for the sake of having something that you can’t get in your homeland but sometimes….your fooling yourself in thinking that it’ll be so different….it’ll be slightly different but mostly the same at best! Unless I got a lobster sandwich or a burger with squid ink buns or something, nothing else is that apart from a McDonald’s I could easily get at home and I barely ever go, unless nothing else is available to me like a Wagamama or a Nando’s

Sometimes, it can be fun…no denying that and you can always wonder what a familiar place is like in another country, it always has that wonder factor to it and it always will but I wasn’t going to make a habit of having McDonald’s over here…I wanted to try new things so much more and if it wasn’t for the rain, I probably wouldn’t have gone to McDonald’s really but walking about a Palace all day tired us out and the restaurant at our hotel was really expensive so we stuck to home comforts, we admit it and do we regret it? No…food is food and it was still an experience, not much of one but it’s still something to cross off a check list and that’s good enough for me on this adventure of ours!

 

Autism and Having Hope

I was having a lot of thinking time today as I recalled how I would think about not having much hope in having a fulfilling life from an early age, what I mean is because of my Autism, I would be held back an unable to climb those ladders to success and happiness because everyone would just think I couldn’t achieve much at all because I am ‘labelled’ and if people didn’t completely understand what Autism was and just saw it as a condition or something along those lines! in short, Not very bright and can’t do much! I’ve had that for a long time off so many people who thought I wouldn’t make it far at all, no University, job, relationship…nothing and it was awful because…everyone just assumed automatically, no one gave me a chance

In today’s world, everything can be hard to come by such as work as jobs are becoming harder to come by, shopping amongst other things is getting more expensive and it makes you wonder how governments expect people who don’t earn that much money are expected to get by…I mean in the UK, they are looking to cut Tax Credits which will make life for not so well off families that much harder! When you see someone in a high paying job look down at someone…say for example working at McDonald’s and they rub it in your face…you can’t help but feel sad because a fellow human being is trying to make you feel bad…why are we so cruel to one another in this world? Times are hard but people who struggle are…made fun of by people who are wealthy and doing well…because…it’s satisfying? I don’t know but it’s weird but anyway for someone like me, I always worried about work and University because of my Autism…I struggle to socialize and I get terrified in situations and confrontations so it’s very hard sometimes and when people don’t understand or even care, it’s even harder so what am I supposed to do?

Well despite my fears, I went to University and my goodness, I had to battle through so many scary moments, all the meltdowns and worries could have made me drop out so many times but by pure luck…I hung in there and survived! Even though all my doubters thought I would quit every step of the way…they were left dumb founded and surprised by this  but as I write this today…I still worry about what my future holds for me…I always doubt I will get that high paying work because I doubt my abilities…lack of skills and confidence and what not makes me struggle to believe that I could be one who earns thousands yearly and I don’t want to sit at my desk with my arms crossed yelling how unfair the world is…life is one sided and favors only a few whilst the rest struggle and scrape by…I just want to be happy, to have a good life for me and my fiance…I don’t think if others don’t think I can achieve much, if they look down on me because of who I am…I have Autism…that doesn’t stop me from doing what you can do at all!

Of course I want to be successful,  I just think it’s stupid for others to give people a hard time, just because they might not be as successful or they struggle to get food on the table or pay bills…life’s hard but mind your own business I say and get on with your own journey…I hate to say this sometimes but people just annoy me sometimes because some can just be rude and unkind so for no reason other than they enjoy it! If they go to a supermarket and make a cashier’s life miserable because things don’t go their way or if they go to a restaurant and insult the waitress because their food wasn’t up to their standards…GROW UP AND STOP ACTING LIKE BABIES IN PUBLIC, IT’S PATHETIC! Let’s face it, some don’t like being told what they can and can’t do in life and take it out on the whoever they can and it’s a shame because it happens all over the world and in this day and age when life is that much harder, it just makes things worse….I worked at McDonald’s and I got so much abuse off customers for the stupidest of reasons! One elderly man threw a big mac at me for no reason….I think he was just bored but really…you just paid for that and wasted it…I’m sure someone else could have used that instead of you! but it can just show that some human beings live off being annoying and it’s a shame…I always try to see the best in people and will always try to be as polite as I can to you because I won’t stoop to your level!

For someone with low confidence like me, it can affect us in so many ways like we might get afraid to go outside because you might bump into a rude person again who might abuse you for no other reason than they can get away with it but running away isn’t the answer, even if it feels like it is because what’s the point of life if you spend it running away from people that don’t even matter! I don’t care who you are or what you do….if you insult me, I will insult you right back and I won’t run! I am proud of who I am and where I am! I am happy and no one can make me feel unhappy! Whatever happens to me in life, I will always be proud that I tried my best every day and never gave up, I ignored what others thought of me, I achieved what no one thought I could and I don’t care if you earn tens of thousands every year, you will never be able to look down on me!

More Soon

Asperwhat 14?! Moving Out Of Your Parents House

This was a weird one for me and it’s not for the reason that you think it may be..well it wasn’t straight away anyway but here goes! the year is 2014, me and my fiance have literally just returned from our Summer Holiday in Italy and as we get back into her Aunt’s house, we are told that her Aunt and Uncle have found a small house to live in a few minutes up the road and that we could live here. Now that sounds like it’s good news, doesn’t it? Well it was and it sort of wasn’t as well because

1. We were caught off guard, having just come back from our holiday
2. We assumed we wouldn’t be living together until 2015
3. We only had about a month until they moved out
4. We needed to get jobs quickly!

It was all so much to take in and we had to take it in quickly! I left the next morning and informed my family off this and they were happy for me, albeit surprised that it was happening so quickly and they also said that I needed to go for a job as soon as possible. This was all down to be caught off by surprise and then my Autism kicked in which just made me worry even more about the whole situation, mainly because jobs weren’t something you could just walk into and I had to take into consideration the location of where we would be living and how many places were actually hiring…soon enough, I applied for jobs, left, right and center although I wasn’t so confident, regarding my Autism and being hired…it’s easy to not believe in yourself when you think no one will give you a chance because you have something…I’ve always thought this world is very judgmental and harsh in that department!

My family said apply for everywhere…even those places that most people really wouldn’t want to work unless they were absolutely desperate, sadly…I was so I ended up to Work at McDonalds…you can read about it at the highlighted link, it was quite the experience! The point is that I had a job, even though it’s probably not what anyone wants to do once you go through University but needs must…I’m sure we’d all love to get that high paying job! and luckily as well, Emma was able to find one at a local cafe as well. With that out of the way, I guess it was really just moving my stuff over to the house and accepting that I was moving house…Emma was going nowhere…it was me that was doing all of the moving! I had left home before to go to University but that was different because I would eventually go back and live there again…this time, I was taking my life to another place and staying there…the feeling was strange and scary as well because it can be a make or break situation for a couple…I was praying for a make.

It’s funny…families can annoy you at the best of times but you soon discover just how important they really are to you the minute you don’t live with them anymore…you don’t see their faces around everyday and you really only see them once a week, if that! a new place to get used to, a new job…it’s all so much to get used to…August 2014 to September 2014 was the busiest space of time I’ve ever had to get so much done but it transformed us to becoming a proper couple and now a year has past and we are completely used to living with one another and it’s nice….this place is my home now and I can see us being here for a long time…we love each other and that’s what we really need in this world…even if I never get that high paying job…I have Emma and that’s all that really matters to me…being happy.

What Is It Like To Work At McDonald’s?

Hi guys, this is a blog to talk about an experience of mine, what is it like to work at McDonald’s? Now some people might already think, Why would you work there? I know some people that do work at McDonald’s and they are very happy working there whereas some hate it and are looking for other jobs. I will admit that I wasn’t jumping at the chance to work at McDonald’s at first…it sounded horrible, to say the least but I needed a job as I had just moved in with my fiance and we needed bills to be paid and she had just got a job in a small cafe in town.

I searched high and low for any job but came up short, until I saw McDonald’s advertising for jobs, now my local McDonald’s isn’t in the town that I live in, it’s on the outskirts, so I would often walk a mile and a mile back to and from it each day I worked. I applied for the job and about four days later, I had a trial there. Now at my trial, I was asked questions about ambitions, what I thought it meant to serve customers and what not and I answered as honestly as I could which they seemed impressed with, then I was to have a small look about the place, where the customers sat and ate, the back where the food was cooked, the staff room where workers had lunch and the storage room which was all interesting as I had always wondered what it would be like to see where the food is all prepared.

Next I was to work on the drive thru part, not where they take the orders but where I would hand out the food and drinks to customers in their cars which didn’t sound so hard at first but it’s the speed that catches you, that makes you think twice about it all because a lot of the time, their are a lot of customers in cars, waiting for food…don’t just assume you can have a few moments to yourself all the time, it just ain’t going to happen.

I can say that my trial went pretty well, even if I spilled a drink and gave out ketchup to a customer ordering a few cokes instead of a cup holder…nerves I guess but a week later, I get an email saying that I was successful and I had to attend a welcome meeting In Leeds which was fun (got a free drink) I got a uniform and had to fill out info and such but I had a job, that’s all that mattered to me.

My first day on the job wasn’t so bad as I had plenty of help, was told how to do everything which was a lot to take in. Drinks, French Fries, how to pack a bag and all that…in quick procession…wow, you had to always be on your feet at all times, no time to slack off!  Customers can be lovely, local ones especially that come in often but you do get a bad egg every now and then that looks down on you, I had a few in my first week that made it their mission to make me feel as low as possible. I got quite scared at times at how harsh peoples comments about performance could be, I get that it’s fast food but surely yelling at me after 30 seconds when I am sorting out another order before yours is a bit much but that’s just my opinion. I remember having to go into the back to calm down because it had really gotten to me but it was a lesson well learnt, I couldn’t go on assuming that everyone was a nice person and I didn’t let anyone else get under my skin after that.

French Fries are ok, I guess but man they can be hot, especially if someone else accidentally spills hot oil onto your hand…man that hurt for weeks afterwards, little blisters all over my hand…wasn’t pretty but their you go, life goes on. Drinks were ok, as long as the machine decided to work for you, cleaning was needed to be done often and it was something to do when it was quiet in the restaurant. I never went on to the cooking process of McDonald’s although judging how things were done so quickly, I’m relieved about that! I would have likely burned myself on many occasions.

Till work was tough, with getting the change correct at fast speed and what not but being on the Drive Thru window was very hard as well! Let me explain, you wear a headset and when a car arrives you take the order and the customer pays for the food, sounds easy enough right? Wrong, imagine doing that during lunch or dinner time, when you had a queue of cars, all waiting for food! it is stressful to say the least! cars beeping horns, shouting abuse and making it seem like it’s all your fault…even though your new and have only been doing this for about five minutes, talk about being thrown to the sharks. Ok, that is a rare occasion when it happens and more than likely, McDonald’s will put someone their that can handle the situation and stress but for me, I was placed there and I was so nervous because it’s even faster than the tills, the cars seemed to never end coming…before I knew it, a queue had formed as far as I could see and you could hear people in their cars calling you stupid or slow at what your doing but you can’t exactly say ‘I’m New!’ Once this happened to me and I was brought off because my supervisor was angry at me for being so slow ”Apparently they had no idea that I had never done it before!’ So they apologized but for me, the damage had been done, it took a long time to be able to go back and try again…the memories of cars beeping, abuse hurled at me and furious faces was horrifying.

Now I know it sounds like I’m moaning about the job, making it sound like it’s something to stay away from but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Many jobs involve dealing with customers, you can’t escape that by not working at McDonald’s! it’s a job, chances are the staff are very friendly and kid like they were at my McDonald’s. Ok, so it didn’t work out for me…After collapsing one evening, I decided that it just wasn’t for me…I went back after seven hours in A and E and told them that I was leaving, I couldn’t keep doing this, not if it was going to affect my health and they wished me luck for the future.

It was an experience that I will never forget…I learned so much in a space of a month that I use in everyday life now..to not be walked all over by people who think they are better than you…anyway to all the people who work at McDonald’s or are thinking about it, go for it or keep going…It’s a job to not be ashamed about….your earning money and have the chance to go up the pecking order in the company which is a good thing. In this day and age, jobs can be hard to come by so if a chance to work at a McDonald’s comes up than take it! it’s better than nothing after all and who knows, you can either climb the McDonald’s ladder or have a reference for your CV for another job in the future.

Until Next Time.

Great Tastes of America at McDonalds

                   Can You Take The Heat?

I went on a Jog this afternoon along the canal for a few miles and when I got to the end of my run , I noticed that I happened to be by my McDonald’s which are doing the yearly Great Tastes of America, A collection of Burgers from different states of the U.S so I decided to stop by and pick myself something up. I decided to try the new Hot and Spicy Buffalo BBQ Chicken Sandwich. Now I’m not normally one for spicy foods but I do like the Chicken at McDonald’s so I thought I’d give it a go just one time!

Ingredients- Chicken breast fillet, topped with bacon, cheese, onions, Batavia lettuce, cool mayo and a Hot & Spicy Buffalo BBQ Sauce.

This is the picture I found on the Internet, looks good as all burgers advertised do…wonder what they hold them up with to look picture perfect? but as we all know, it never looks like it does on the picture!

And this is the one that I purchased and ran a mile back home to eat. looks like any old McChicken sandwich or Chicken Legend from McDonald s, although the bun is different, I’ll say that much.

But let’s have a look with the bun off the burger. You can see the hot sauce, bits of lettuce all over the place, the chicken piece and just about see the diced pieces of Onion on there. Also, there’s cool Mayo and Bacon but it looked floppy and weak…same as usual from McDonald’s.  I’ll admit, it doesn’t look so appetizing from this picture but as I ate the thing….was it hot and spicy??? Kind of, this is coming from a guy that doesn’t like Spicy Food, I sometimes can’t stand Mild heat from a Tikka Masala but this…wasn’t so hot….I could take it, although by the end I was sweating a bit and my lips were slightly tingling, making it a sandwich that get’s spicier with time, it slowly builds up over time. The bacon is what it is, floppy and lacking of much taste, I forgot Bacon was on it until I actually saw it under all the toppings. The chicken as usual was very good, the best thing of this sandwich actually, a messy thing it is!

I’d give it a 3/5, it’s not bad but I probably wouldn’t buy one again unless I was starving and everything else in town was closed so I probably won’t be buying one anytime soon! worth a try though, but if you like your food spicy, you might want to look elsewhere because the most this will do is a mild tingle in your mouth, won’t set it ablazing or anything.

Day out in Leeds

Today me and my fiance decided to go to Leeds which is in West Yorkshire, to see the new avengers movie age of Ultron. It was a nice sunny day in Leeds surprisingly compared to what I was when we came from it was cloudy and raining all morning so that’s a good start to the day we decided to go and get lunch straight away so we went to the nearest McDonald’s just to try out the new monopoly again because I decided to stay away from it this year because I never win anything at all. To my surprise the new McDonald’s is all computerised in what I mean by that is you can order your meal from these little computer screens and then take a coupon and collect your meal at the collect desk which was a little weird but hey, that’s the future right?

I went for the chicken legend with mayo media mail I thought that might get me a few stickers but to my surprise as I was finally able to find a table to sit at, with another family because it was that busy, my mail had no stickers I have no idea why that was because they were promoting the monopoly stickers events all over the place yet I had no stickers with my meal and as I looked around no one did. As well as this the meal was a bit disappointing actually, the chips weren’t as salty as they normally are and the drink wasn’t as dilutive it as it normally is not to mention I didn’t get any stickers so that was disappointing in the end McDonald’s I normally, I’m normally more satisfied with you but today I wasn’t. 

   

   

Meal gets a 5/10 

After that we looked around the shops for a little bit because the film wasn’t until 3:45 PM and as we looked about we saw bands playing about on the streets and is it was just general generally busy today in the city centre which is always nice to see. We decided to perches portal 2, so we could work on our teamwork and to have some fun as well after that we went to the cinema to purchase our tickets and the line was very very long and the cinema was promoting avenger cups with characters on top of the cups. I wanted one but unfortunately, they only had black widow ones so I didn’t bother, not to say that I don’t like black widow but I would have preferred off Thor or Ironman cup. To my surprise, you now have to buy your own 3-D glasses to watch a 3-D movie and the total price for the movie today was £12, that’s like 3 pounds more than what it used to be! Not to mention you have to purchase the glasses and then keep them afterwards,  I used to just throw them away, not any more.

Some people just have more money than sense I guess, I mean I cant always afford to pay £12 to pay to see a movie every single week. I don’t know about you? But there you go, we decided to not buy any snacks well my fiance bought some water for £2.22 p that’s extortionate, that much for water! Then as we go into the cinema we are asked if we have 3-D glasses and we say no even though we’ve paid for some so after they look at a receipt, they reluctantly give us some. Wasn’t that nice of them? Then as we get into the actual cinema where the movie is showing, A couple sit behind us and they are as noisy as ever, one has a can of beer in his hand and all he does throughout the entire movie is kick my seat again and again, cough all the way through, always go outside for a smoke and argue with his girlfriend, yeah that is where my £12 has gone but apart from that, it was a very good movie.

When we left the cinema, the heavens had opened and it poured with rain. We then decided to go to KFC and get a meal, I know what you’re thinking, didn’t they already go to McDonald’s today? Yes we did but we were so disappointed and not full that we thought we have something else, it was a one off. I had the big daddy box meal and Emma had the mega box meal which was a lot more filling then any McDonald’s meal. 

   

   

Meal gets an 8/10

So overall it was a great day out we had fun, saw a great movie and had some good food. I like Leeds, it’s a nice city to go and spend the day at.

Until next time