I feel he's just a lot more open to things than the American, so he can see how others would enjoy it even if he doesnt. Where as I can always tell that the American wont like something based on how he acts before he even tries it. Seems to have made up his mind before hand
@@meowlsable Don't think you are correct there. It's just a cultural difference in the way southern English people express themselves. In England, particularly the south (where this guy is from), people tend to be much more reserved and apologetic about opinions. He doesn't come across as particularly open to new experiences...he just comes across as apologetically southern English, and a little posh. A Scouser or a Manc wouldn't be this nice about it. Also, assuming you aren't British, you should know the American guy is 100% correct about all of those McDonalds items. All McDonalds chicken products in the UK are exceptionally bland. They taste like bread with a hint of salt. The flavour of the chicken in the chicken mayo is overpowered by the mayo...it's THAT bland. And the fries are great, genuinely some of the best, if you get them straight out the fryer...leave them for 2 minutes and it's like eating salty cardboard. Everyone in the UK knows you eat the fries first as fast as you can, and there's no way he ate them within that window if they had to set up for filming. My only real criticism of him is that he assumes McDonalds BBQ sauce is what we think BBQ sauce is. It's like eating American McDonalds sweet chilli sauce and assuming that's what American's think Thai food tastes like.
@@ringosis I am british and I could tell the American wouldn't like the product based on how he acts before he even took a bite. It seems to me his views were set in stone, which is evident by the fact he outright refused to try some items, such as the UK apple pie. The English guy seemed a lot more open to trying the food and came away with positives and items he have again. Even though I can attest that the American McDonalds is far sweeter. I know a lot of Americans having lived and worked there, and in the video the chants of 'USA USA USA' from the American in the video, although in jest, do suggest some inherent belief that his country is superior or the leading standard -- Which is also why, as you mention, he just assumes our BBQ sauce is an attempt at trying to replicate American BBQ sauce
@@ringosisyou do know if you make up your mind before trying the food then you are more likely to hate it because you haven’t even given it a try? Basic psychology. Also they aren’t bland, you just like putting everything and anything on food. Thats on you, not us. Everyone has different tastes.
Joe not eating the UK apple pie is a travesty. I *think* they used to fry the apple pies in American and eventually changed it to the baked ones. The UK still has the classic fried pie that American's reminisce about.
Very few places in the Us still fries em. Hawaii being one of them and is more well known for it. Other places are less known unless your a local or deeply research it.
The only 2 McDonald's that I know that still fry their apple pies in the US are it's locations in Hawaii & their oldest operating location all the way in Downey
As a European, I didn't even know the US didn't do the fried pie anymore until I heard about Americans getting excited by the McDonald's in the countries they visited still having them. I'm personally not *that* of a big fan of the apple pie, but other versions Mickey D's has done like sour cherry, strawberry & cream, chocolate & caramel were absolutely delicious. On a personal note, I find it funny how my mom doesn't really like McDonald's but she would *never* refuse a fried sour cherry pie.
Yes 🙌🏼 Harry ❤ and Joe back together! LETS GO! This is a good idea switched food I REALLY want to get their takes cause I’ve honestly agreed with all their assessments.
14:30 the reason we don't get many grape flavours in the UK is because the US had a ban on blackcurrant production running through to the mid 60's because it harboured a fungus that was killing pine trees., so a replacement "purple" was formulated, The grape flavour is also not really a familiar grape flavour to the euro market because it is based on a US cultivar of Grape that didn't really prove popular in europe where grapes had appeared in people diets for millenia anyway.
As a person who moved from the USA to the UK, i did taste the differences. At first the UK one was very weird but it also tasted more...real? When i went back to visit the USA, i found everything was so DAMN SWEET 😂. Honestly, they both have their goods and bads. UK mcdonalds fries are kinda bland and boring (especially if delivered) and the bacon aint good. While the usa enhances the flavour alot along with the size in some cases but i cant say that its always a GOOD thing. Sure theres more flavour but it isnt always good flavour and sometimes you can really just taste the chemicals on certain things. So yeah, personally i think alot of your opinion comes from what you grew up with because thats your 'norm' or what it 'should be'. Americans will think theres less flavour in the UK because of the less amount of chemicals and more natural ingredients. While the UK may find the american Mcdonalds overpowering, too much and 'too sweet' at times BECAUSE of the chemicals.
Basically our UK mcD's is the "healthier" but blander version of the USA. I'll be honest, you do not go to mcD's for a health kick so I'd choose the USA menu overall. However i'm glad i can enjoy food that is not caked with hidden sugar. Eg UK style tea vs US sweet tea and our ketchup tastes of tomato rather than sugar.
The other thing I can't help but feel changes this is that all of this food must be cold or kept warm. Fries or nuggets straight out of the fryer are great, but no McDonalds food in the UK lasts well. Half an hour later it is well passed its best.
@@craighawley3920yeah I kinda wished they just took over a store and tried everything fresh, it makes a big difference. Especially when trying cold stale fries.
When I had went I notice the fires weren’t really slated or flavor ? But everyone in the house thought they were fine so I jus think us Americans might just be used to a lot here 😂 I think out of every fast food place in the uk that’s a US chain I think McDonald’s actually had the most blandest, Burger King was mid like it is everywhere, kfc was good but didn’t have that southern taste, Taco Bell just needs more options with their menu being so damn small so they got basic items. Same for Wendys
Fun fact, for many of us who grew up in the 80's and 90's, Hi-C orange drink was a staple at School events like field day, elementary and middle school sporting events, little league, etc. Local McDonald's always donated a large yellow or orange barrel shaped cooler.
Great content. I love how Harry finds his answer to American biscuit VS scone. Imagine if US and Japan could swap hosts and try each other's 7-eleven items, that would be a bliss.
@@RPGMel710 What would the Japanese host even get to eat at a US 7-11? A hot dog that's been sitting out for hours? At least Joe would have plenty of choices of good food at a Japanese 7-11.
Joe says nuggets and fries are bland, but it's probably just the too much additives in the US McDonald's that he can't shake the feeling of the taste being natural and calling it bland 😂
@@thisguy7976You also don't want them to add chemicals in the food that are carcinogens or are just REALLY bad for you, which is why American restaurants or products have their ingredients change when they're moved over, UK fries are flavourful, so if Joe thinks they're bland, then that scares me with how many chemicals they put into American fries.
@@TheTwoFingeredBullDogit doesn’t 💀 I used to work there ( I quit 2 months ago ) and all we did was defrost the bacon and put in a box and put in food items. The breakfast bacon is different tho it’s also frozen but we then defrost it and cook it in a quick mini oven so it does taste much better
@JamieAdamDerry1991 McDonald's, burger King, KFC, popeyes, dunkin donuts, wing stop ect are trash you are correct. All US chains, now the US does have thousands of fantastic fast food places all better than the above, so does the UK. It makes me laugh when they compare the chains. I lived in the US for 8 years (Arizona) and travelled, and trust me, I've had my fair share of monstrosities in many restaurants and fast food outlets, but would I ever class them as the bog standard because they weren't.
I think the reason the McDouble exists is because it used to be on the dollar menu. The extra slice of cheese on the double cheeseburger made it so it wouldn’t be profitable to sell it for $1. Now the dollar menu no longer exists, but the McDouble is still cheaper than the double cheeseburger. So it’s a cheaper alternative to the double cheeseburger.
I worked at McDonald's (long ago) when it was still the $.99 value menu and every day multiple people would get furious because: "It's called a DOUBLE CHEESE burger but there's only one slice of cheese!". When the value menu was re-branded as the dollar menu the original double cheeseburger was renamed as the Mcdouble and a new double cheeseburger (with two pieces of cheese) was added at a higher price. Of course people would then get furious that they took the double cheeseburger off tbe value menu and that the Mcdouble only had one slice of cheese🤷
Same reason why the UK Mayo Chicken and Bacon Mayo Chicken exist. They're from the Saver Menu. The actual McChicken sandwich still exists, but is no longer the 'egg' shaped bun and pattie that it used to be. In the UK its getting supplanted by the Chicken Wraps in terms of sales.
So what I've learned is that whilst the uk includes salad toppings in burgers as a standard(apart from saver menu items) in America salad toppings are a deluxe option
2:42 probably because of the way they treat their syrup- transported in steel cans instead of plastic bags, and refrigerated before being put in the machine. Definitely very different to other restaurants or coke products.
When I go to other countries, getting a Mcdonalds was always a thing I did. Love to see how such a constant in the world actually differs. Poland was an eye opener!
@@MrCoolbanna they had this 'lumberjack' set of burgers that had some kind of spicy sauce in them and hashbrowns inside. They also had a sharing size fries, it was like two large fries cartons glued together for about £2. They also had selection boxes that came with chicken, fries and a drink. Bit like some of the cheaper chains selection boxes.
I went Japan and had to go to McDonald's and the buns were so different. They were a lot softer. I had to go try the different fast food places just because of this show. KFC was pretty good too.
@@justsomedangerbigfootwithweb It was a KCF marketing campaign that went way to well. In the 70's they tried to get Americans living in Japan to choose their chicken for Christmas since turkey was not a thing in Japan.
Germany recently changed the buns as well. They're softer and less sweet, overall they seem to hold better than the old ones. If you ever find yourself in Romania, you should try the KFC there. Every single item on the menu has a spicy version that is more popular than the non-spicy one. In fact, their crispy strips are the most popular item on the menu to the point where they've become a sort of term of comparison for other fast food places and smaller-scale restaurants. I didn't even know spicy crispy strips weren't the default in the USA.
Woah, clever idea, so did Joe do the UK menu when he visited London all those months ago for Food Tours? If so he must’ve been soooo full during that visit!
The UK doesn't use grape as much because we don't really grow alot of them, but we do have blackcurrant jams and drinks, in the US they don't have blackcurrant at all due to it being an invasive species there..
Biscuits are different from a scone. Biscuits are generally used as a vessel. That’s why they will seem dry to the unknowing. Southerners/Af Ams, add butter and or jelly, honey, syrup, even gravy. Especially to breakfast sandwiches (usually jelly).
Ah so that's where Joe was during the America vs. China BK episode. I am loving this twist on Food Wars. Hope to see more episodes with the other countries.
The McPlant, or as it’s sold here, McVegan, was first tested in FINLAND, not our dear loved/hated neighbour Sweden. And it was successful here, it’s still sold to this day.
I wonder if they use the same patty in Germany or if they've updated it. I had the McPlant I had last year was kinda sad and dry. I also had their McPlant nuggets recently and I wasn't a fan at all. And it's not like they can't do better, I had plant nuggets from Burger King and had I not known they were vegetarian, I wouldn't have guessed. They tasted exactly like the real deal to where I even thought the person behind the counter mixed them up.
Things we used to have in the US that you still have in the UK: 1) salads -- for a while we had them in clear cups and you could get three or four types, with different dressings; 2) fried apple pies, which they got rid of years ago in favour of baked versions.
Oh man. You still get the proper buns there. Over here in Finland they changed the buns to those glassy surface buns which are so much more harder and so damn dry and almost they feel like over baked in the verge of being burnt. I want the old matte surface lighter buns back.
21:57 I heartily agree with you, Harry. Purchasing milk from a McDonalds (especially in Wisconsin where I live) is a betrayal to independent dairy farmers everywhere. I know that's not the point you were trying to make, but it's the one I was.
The fun part about 'As american as apple pie' is that neither apples nort american pies are native to the americas - first known mention of Apple puie is in a 13th century british cookbook: the recipe was, of course, brought over by the colonials and claimed as theirs.
@@grim_56 idgaf. I don't wanna have a fkn stroke tryna understand what someone is saying. If English isn't their first language, they should fkn type it in their language. Like you said this ain't a test. So type it in your fkn language. We have translate for that shit.
I think it’s more of the fact that apple pie is loved far far more in America than it is in Britain and the Americans claim to be the best apple pie ever
UK and US McDonalds have different portion sizes. In the UK, the containers appear a lot smaller compared to those in the US. The food seems to be a lot full in number compared to the UK.
I miss the old US menu a decade or so ago. We had more fun things. But lol I love Joe and Harry together. Joe always roasting things and telling it as it is. 😂
As a southern u.s. girl, I've rarely had any kind of biscuit without some kind of jam or syrup so I was shocked he tried it without anything. Also, homemade biscuits are better than any fast food restaurant biscuit. Also, I'm glad Joe liked the McGriddles, they're my fav MCD items
I love McGriddles. I'm glad to be a part of the generation that saw the technology developed to put pellets of syrup in my breakfast sandwich. What a time to be alive lol. I do miss the bagel sandwiches though!!!!
well for the western part of the US, making biscuits at home is rarer. I like CFA ones with honey and before they were more common out here KFC was the go to. I hear popeyes make them dry.
Love this video series. When I worked at McDonalds in US we use the pressure griddles on the lowest height setting, so that is why the bacon tastes better. It's just a layer of frozen real bacon on wax paper that you put down. I also worked at Wendy's which does microwave bacon, and oddly enough seems to taste better than the UK slivers of pink shown here. 😁 Also the biscuits are just frozen and cooked in a convection oven and slathered in butter after cooking. I love sausage biscuits because of the ratio of dry flakey bread and meat 😊
We don’t all say “raaanch” Harry, those of us up north would say ranch closer to the Americans. And Joe we do have barbecue in the UK, you just have to look it up
I am American and have lived in the UK for 37 years. When I emigrated here there where NO McDonalds, and I can remember nearly fainting with joy when the first one opened up near me!(OK, I know it was just McDonald's but it was something!) My first and fore most thought was the breakfast sausage. If you have ever visited the UK pre say, 2000 and tasted the sausages that were available here, you know exactly what I am talking about!
I think what's wild to me is that here in Sweden, we just straight get ketchup in small little paper cup things, or just Heinz Ketchup packets in partnership with McDonalds. I've *never* seen ketchup come in like the dip plastic containers.
"So bland!" Bro... just because it doesn't have like 18 other additives, doesn't mean it's bland. It's just not delivering the same amount of diabetes fuel that you're used to.
- so, "deluxe" according to US McDonald's just means sauce and a limp salad, i.e. standard fast food burger - deluxe hot chocolate should have cream and marshmallows - you can't say something is salty and then call it bland: salty *is* a flavour - you can't judge British bacon on what's served in a fast food burger - ketchup shouldn't be sweet: it's a savoury dipping sauce - we have barbecues in the UK... - the main reason we don't have grape flavoured things in the UK is that grapes are fairly tasteless. The US only uses it because they can't use blackcurrants and wanted a purple flavour - apple pie isn't American at all (several versions existed long before what's now the USA was even colonised) - not all scones are sweet, e.g. cheese scones - we do have still and cloudy lemonade in the UK, it's just labelled as "still" and "cloudy", the default lemonade being clear and carbonated - I don't think you should take grilled chicken off the menu, I think you should just have better grilled chicken
Harry is right. The US apple pie doesn't taste as good as the fried version. McDonald's in the US changed a few years ago from the fried to baked, and I really want it to come back!!!
Out of curiosity I want to know how did you guys manage to get both McDonalds items together logistically? And didn't the one which travelled the farthest had a disadvantage because it would older, colder and lose its integrity even if you reheat it?
I believe it's two different shoots, one in America and one in the UK, probably filmed while they were doing their respective Food Tours series Edit: Also they most likely had the stuff sitting in the studio for a while prior to actually filming, so really, probably neither of them are eating it fresh
I like sweet iced tea, but a lot of southern sweet tea is WAY too sweet, so I usually have them mix sweet and non-sweet 50/50. As long as it’s not fountain iced tea or canned w/ lemon! And McD’s hotcake syrup is the sweetest substance known to exist. “Pancake syrup” is just maple-flavored and usually thicker than real 100% maple syrup. I actually prefer Log Cabin over real stuff.
Genuinely wondering -- how do they get BOTH country-exclusive sets of food at once when they are filming them at the same time, like they are here? Is there a way to order them online on the fast food black market LOL? Or are they like, buying the packaging and then trying to recreate a version of the meal?
Really?! Joe would have flew to the UK and filmed his segment there then the British guy would have flew to the States to film his segment. They would have edited the two in post production to make it look like they are filming at the same time. Lol I really hope you are a kid who doesn’t understand this stuff. Haha 😂
The UK Breakfast Rolls really are terrible. We used to have Bagels - in particular, the Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel. It was my absolute go-to and they killed it off. They also had a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Wrap with a Hash Brown inside. And you had a choice of Brown Sauce or Ketchup. And they killed that off too. And replaced all of it with the awful, bland and dry Breakfast Rolls. McDonald's UK has really slipped since Covid and has never quite returned to their former glory.
i presume so yes, i know that when they were talking about doing stuff for food tours they were planning to do multiple projects and this is clearly one of them!
the US sausage biscuit has its time and place. As a hangover food, slap a little butter on there if you really need it, or even if youre a bit sick and cant handle a lot of flavor or "egg". It shines when you need it to.
I miss when the mcdouble was $1.25 and you could request it without ketchup and mustard and add lettuce and mac sauce instead. It was almost the same as a big mac for a third of the price.
Personally, I think with the biscuits you really need butter or gravy (usually when you're just eating a biscuit plain) or with the sandwiches, a jelly or jam. It helps make them less dry. I don't really care for biscuits as sandwiches that much honestly, but I do like them with butter. I recently found apple butter (kind of like a smoother, thicker apple sauce) goes really well with biscuits. Biscuits are typically eaten for breakfast as a sandwich or in place of toast or used a lot in the south with country cooking like fried chicken. McDonalds also doesn't have very good biscuits. Most fast food biscuits pale in comparison to homemade ones. The only ones I really like are Bojangles and Popeyes. Cracker Barrel has good ones with their apple butter. I haven't tried some of the further south chicken places like Raising Cains or Church's if they even have biscuits.
McDonald's could do with using a tablespoon of butter in their biscuit dough when mixing it up. Something to improve on the flavor and help make it less dry.
Regarding the McD's coke, I have read elsewhere that McDs has a special license with Coke to use a different syrup ratio, so their coke tastes differently from other places because it IS different.
the ice cream machines are not broken, they just say that because they are done for cleaning, which is a 4 hour cycle, my sister managed a mcdonald's for year, i mad so many people mad by asking them is it really broken or just being cleaned
Harry when he prefers the UK version: "I think we have it better in the UK, sorry guys." "Who am I to judge american culture?" Joe when he prefers the US version: "YOOO THIS SUUUCKS"
7:06 Honestly, I love this moment of seeing both Harry and Joe in the same room together, despite normally being in different parts of the world.
Yeah, but I'm a bit hurt Joe didn't try our Toffee Latte. I'm sure he'd have liked that 😢
Yes yes yes. This reminds me of the Nickelodeon collab episodes. Best childhood moments
@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist1 the f are you on about? Weirdo
@@lucyhardy-styles-shield2728since when did we have a toffee latte? 😯
@@JoJo-sd9rj since 2015 I think, I've been at my store since 2019 and it was on the menu then
I really love how polite the UK guy is even when he’s clearly not liking some of the items 😂
I feel he's just a lot more open to things than the American, so he can see how others would enjoy it even if he doesnt. Where as I can always tell that the American wont like something based on how he acts before he even tries it. Seems to have made up his mind before hand
@@meowlsable Don't think you are correct there. It's just a cultural difference in the way southern English people express themselves. In England, particularly the south (where this guy is from), people tend to be much more reserved and apologetic about opinions. He doesn't come across as particularly open to new experiences...he just comes across as apologetically southern English, and a little posh. A Scouser or a Manc wouldn't be this nice about it.
Also, assuming you aren't British, you should know the American guy is 100% correct about all of those McDonalds items. All McDonalds chicken products in the UK are exceptionally bland. They taste like bread with a hint of salt. The flavour of the chicken in the chicken mayo is overpowered by the mayo...it's THAT bland. And the fries are great, genuinely some of the best, if you get them straight out the fryer...leave them for 2 minutes and it's like eating salty cardboard. Everyone in the UK knows you eat the fries first as fast as you can, and there's no way he ate them within that window if they had to set up for filming.
My only real criticism of him is that he assumes McDonalds BBQ sauce is what we think BBQ sauce is. It's like eating American McDonalds sweet chilli sauce and assuming that's what American's think Thai food tastes like.
@@ringosis I am british and I could tell the American wouldn't like the product based on how he acts before he even took a bite. It seems to me his views were set in stone, which is evident by the fact he outright refused to try some items, such as the UK apple pie.
The English guy seemed a lot more open to trying the food and came away with positives and items he have again. Even though I can attest that the American McDonalds is far sweeter.
I know a lot of Americans having lived and worked there, and in the video the chants of 'USA USA USA' from the American in the video, although in jest, do suggest some inherent belief that his country is superior or the leading standard -- Which is also why, as you mention, he just assumes our BBQ sauce is an attempt at trying to replicate American BBQ sauce
@@ringosisyou do know if you make up your mind before trying the food then you are more likely to hate it because you haven’t even given it a try? Basic psychology. Also they aren’t bland, you just like putting everything and anything on food. Thats on you, not us. Everyone has different tastes.
I really don’t think he’s trying to be polite or people please. He’s clearly just a lot more open to new experiences than the other guy.
This is easily one of the best episodes of Food Wars! Its all good seeing each other's food on screen, but actually experiencing them is a new level!
I was not prepared to ever see Harry and Joe in the same room but I'm loving it
Joe not eating the UK apple pie is a travesty. I *think* they used to fry the apple pies in American and eventually changed it to the baked ones. The UK still has the classic fried pie that American's reminisce about.
Very few places in the Us still fries em. Hawaii being one of them and is more well known for it. Other places are less known unless your a local or deeply research it.
The only 2 McDonald's that I know that still fry their apple pies in the US are it's locations in Hawaii & their oldest operating location all the way in Downey
I remember the fried ones and when they changed them to baked. I like the baked ones, but the fried ones were far better.
As a European, I didn't even know the US didn't do the fried pie anymore until I heard about Americans getting excited by the McDonald's in the countries they visited still having them. I'm personally not *that* of a big fan of the apple pie, but other versions Mickey D's has done like sour cherry, strawberry & cream, chocolate & caramel were absolutely delicious. On a personal note, I find it funny how my mom doesn't really like McDonald's but she would *never* refuse a fried sour cherry pie.
Agreed
Harry is so polite when trashing our food. Joe was up there dumping hard on the fries and chicken 🤣
Yes 🙌🏼 Harry ❤ and Joe back together! LETS GO! This is a good idea switched food I REALLY want to get their takes cause I’ve honestly agreed with all their assessments.
They just opened up a lot of content with the availability for everyone to switch and still new countries this great show may never end
Plus the first several video’s content is severely lacking
14:30 the reason we don't get many grape flavours in the UK is because the US had a ban on blackcurrant production running through to the mid 60's because it harboured a fungus that was killing pine trees., so a replacement "purple" was formulated, The grape flavour is also not really a familiar grape flavour to the euro market because it is based on a US cultivar of Grape that didn't really prove popular in europe where grapes had appeared in people diets for millenia anyway.
Grape flavour is just weird. I tried grape Fanta and it's quite unpleasant. Nasty artificial taste.
A Food Wars where the hosts swap countries is awesome.
As a person who moved from the USA to the UK, i did taste the differences. At first the UK one was very weird but it also tasted more...real? When i went back to visit the USA, i found everything was so DAMN SWEET 😂. Honestly, they both have their goods and bads. UK mcdonalds fries are kinda bland and boring (especially if delivered) and the bacon aint good. While the usa enhances the flavour alot along with the size in some cases but i cant say that its always a GOOD thing. Sure theres more flavour but it isnt always good flavour and sometimes you can really just taste the chemicals on certain things.
So yeah, personally i think alot of your opinion comes from what you grew up with because thats your 'norm' or what it 'should be'. Americans will think theres less flavour in the UK because of the less amount of chemicals and more natural ingredients. While the UK may find the american Mcdonalds overpowering, too much and 'too sweet' at times BECAUSE of the chemicals.
Basically our UK mcD's is the "healthier" but blander version of the USA. I'll be honest, you do not go to mcD's for a health kick so I'd choose the USA menu overall. However i'm glad i can enjoy food that is not caked with hidden sugar. Eg UK style tea vs US sweet tea and our ketchup tastes of tomato rather than sugar.
The other thing I can't help but feel changes this is that all of this food must be cold or kept warm. Fries or nuggets straight out of the fryer are great, but no McDonalds food in the UK lasts well. Half an hour later it is well passed its best.
@@craighawley3920yeah I kinda wished they just took over a store and tried everything fresh, it makes a big difference. Especially when trying cold stale fries.
put salt on the mcdonalds chips
When I had went I notice the fires weren’t really slated or flavor ? But everyone in the house thought they were fine so I jus think us Americans might just be used to a lot here 😂 I think out of every fast food place in the uk that’s a US chain I think McDonald’s actually had the most blandest, Burger King was mid like it is everywhere, kfc was good but didn’t have that southern taste, Taco Bell just needs more options with their menu being so damn small so they got basic items. Same for Wendys
Nice seeing both of you on screen together again. Looking forward to even more of it.
Fun fact, for many of us who grew up in the 80's and 90's, Hi-C orange drink was a staple at School events like field day, elementary and middle school sporting events, little league, etc. Local McDonald's always donated a large yellow or orange barrel shaped cooler.
Great content. I love how Harry finds his answer to American biscuit VS scone.
Imagine if US and Japan could swap hosts and try each other's 7-eleven items, that would be a bliss.
oh my god, don't do that to the japanese host. that may be a war crime.
@@RPGMel710 Eh not really, its more down to cultural curiosity since every country does things differently.
That can happen now and many other ideas I really hope they bring George back
@@RPGMel710 What would the Japanese host even get to eat at a US 7-11? A hot dog that's been sitting out for hours? At least Joe would have plenty of choices of good food at a Japanese 7-11.
In the uk, we don’t use grape flavoured things very much, we normally use blackcurrant
And it's a shame
@@little_moth Agreed, as someone who doesn't really care for grape, blackcurrant is worse in every way and I'd take grape over it any day.
@@Damieboo I like blackcurrant but I love grape flavour
So excited about the next videos of Harry and Joe in the US! I loved the UK series ❤
Joe says nuggets and fries are bland, but it's probably just the too much additives in the US McDonald's that he can't shake the feeling of the taste being natural and calling it bland 😂
Bland is bland. Nobody goes to McDonald's to be healthy. May as well taste good.
@@thisguy7976You also don't want them to add chemicals in the food that are carcinogens or are just REALLY bad for you, which is why American restaurants or products have their ingredients change when they're moved over, UK fries are flavourful, so if Joe thinks they're bland, then that scares me with how many chemicals they put into American fries.
@@thisguy7976right!
@@overthemoon34UK fries probably are bland. I wouldn't eat them. US fast food is better and tastier!
@@Bluee95 Genuinely can't tell if you're trolling or not.
Can't believe the UK apple pie wasn't tried! It really lives up to the hype!
Ikr I love the Apple pie so much!
We used to fry the apple pies in the US, he probably knows what they're like
I agree the bacon in UK McDonald's is awful. It definitely needs to be cooked for longer so it can crisp up.
the bacon in UK McDs isn't even cooked. It comes in frozen and just get defrsoted. Its called RTE bacon
@bigmorzo well that makes sense, but it must get warmed up in a grill or oven though.
@@TheTwoFingeredBullDogit doesn’t 💀 I used to work there ( I quit 2 months ago ) and all we did was defrost the bacon and put in a box and put in food items. The breakfast bacon is different tho it’s also frozen but we then defrost it and cook it in a quick mini oven so it does taste much better
The bacon in basically all uk fast food is trash just like was mentioned
@JamieAdamDerry1991 McDonald's, burger King, KFC, popeyes, dunkin donuts, wing stop ect are trash you are correct. All US chains, now the US does have thousands of fantastic fast food places all better than the above, so does the UK. It makes me laugh when they compare the chains. I lived in the US for 8 years (Arizona) and travelled, and trust me, I've had my fair share of monstrosities in many restaurants and fast food outlets, but would I ever class them as the bog standard because they weren't.
I'm loving the host exchange! I hope this is a new series where they try a bunch more places.
Cool concept video! This is why Harry and Joe are the best food wars hosts.
I REALLY hope there’s more Foreign Exchange food war episodes to come
I LOVE seeing them together!!! Yes insider, more of this! MORE! We squealed!!
I think the reason the McDouble exists is because it used to be on the dollar menu. The extra slice of cheese on the double cheeseburger made it so it wouldn’t be profitable to sell it for $1. Now the dollar menu no longer exists, but the McDouble is still cheaper than the double cheeseburger. So it’s a cheaper alternative to the double cheeseburger.
I worked at McDonald's (long ago) when it was still the $.99 value menu and every day multiple people would get furious because: "It's called a DOUBLE CHEESE burger but there's only one slice of cheese!".
When the value menu was re-branded as the dollar menu the original double cheeseburger was renamed as the Mcdouble and a new double cheeseburger (with two pieces of cheese) was added at a higher price.
Of course people would then get furious that they took the double cheeseburger off tbe value menu and that the Mcdouble only had one slice of cheese🤷
Same reason why the UK Mayo Chicken and Bacon Mayo Chicken exist. They're from the Saver Menu. The actual McChicken sandwich still exists, but is no longer the 'egg' shaped bun and pattie that it used to be. In the UK its getting supplanted by the Chicken Wraps in terms of sales.
What I love about this is that they've clearly switched studios.
And flew continents to appear together???
@@aditisk99not watched the whole video yet, but I have only seen them together in one studio so far.
i miss the breakfast bagels here in UK... it was good when you wanted a larger more filling breakfast than just the mc muffins...
I miss the breakfast wrap 😭
@@RichardBarclay yeah that was also good
Inject all Food Wars content into me, I will never get tired of it... long live Food Wars!
So what I've learned is that whilst the uk includes salad toppings in burgers as a standard(apart from saver menu items) in America salad toppings are a deluxe option
08:30 that burger is supposed to have a slice of cheese between the two patties but when you’re Workin the line sometimes you just forget
2:42 probably because of the way they treat their syrup- transported in steel cans instead of plastic bags, and refrigerated before being put in the machine. Definitely very different to other restaurants or coke products.
When I go to other countries, getting a Mcdonalds was always a thing I did. Love to see how such a constant in the world actually differs. Poland was an eye opener!
What was Poland McDonald's like?
@@MrCoolbannaI’ve been to one, years ago. From memory it pretty similar to the UK McDonalds
@@MrCoolbanna they had this 'lumberjack' set of burgers that had some kind of spicy sauce in them and hashbrowns inside. They also had a sharing size fries, it was like two large fries cartons glued together for about £2. They also had selection boxes that came with chicken, fries and a drink. Bit like some of the cheaper chains selection boxes.
Same, I got a beer at McDonalds in Vienna. WTF!?
barcelona mcdonalds is life changing!!
6:54 my entire world just came crashing down this whole time I thought they were in their relative countries during filming
the crispy sweet chilli chicken wrap is honestly my favourite thing from McDonalds, it's so good
As a Scot, I’m outraged that Irn Bru has never popped up as an exclusive in any the McDonald’s videos - Harry/Joe get it sorted!!!
He try’s it on his own TH-cam channel I think
You can't get Irn Bru in any McDonalds in England (not sure about Wales and NI)
As a Scot the lack of irn bru doesn’t bother me
I loved this mashup! I can’t wait to see more in the series
so that's why UK food tours was seemingly cut short; they were filming 2 different series at the same time.
The American apple pie looks like a Greggs sausage roll 😂
I bet the pie doesn't taste anywhere near as good as the sausage roll. 🤤
Gonna be honest McDonald's in the UK is so much nicer when it is fresh, but after ten minutes it falls off a cliff
That's the same with any fast food
Ahem ahem, every country has this falling off a cliff mcdonalds phenomenon
This is amazing! Nice work on whoever brought up this idea
Really nice seeing Harry and Joe together, it was a fun video!!
I went Japan and had to go to McDonald's and the buns were so different. They were a lot softer.
I had to go try the different fast food places just because of this show. KFC was pretty good too.
They also use Aussie beef too. Not a fan of Aussie beef.
@@Megadebt The beef did have a distinct taste different from Canada.
For Some reason Kfc for Christmas is tradition in Japan so it would have to be good.
@@justsomedangerbigfootwithweb It was a KCF marketing campaign that went way to well. In the 70's they tried to get Americans living in Japan to choose their chicken for Christmas since turkey was not a thing in Japan.
Germany recently changed the buns as well. They're softer and less sweet, overall they seem to hold better than the old ones. If you ever find yourself in Romania, you should try the KFC there. Every single item on the menu has a spicy version that is more popular than the non-spicy one. In fact, their crispy strips are the most popular item on the menu to the point where they've become a sort of term of comparison for other fast food places and smaller-scale restaurants. I didn't even know spicy crispy strips weren't the default in the USA.
Woah, clever idea, so did Joe do the UK menu when he visited London all those months ago for Food Tours? If so he must’ve been soooo full during that visit!
PLEASE give Harry a real biscuit. McDonald's doesn't count.
The UK doesn't use grape as much because we don't really grow alot of them, but we do have blackcurrant jams and drinks, in the US they don't have blackcurrant at all due to it being an invasive species there..
What a fantastic idea! You two are genius i never would have thought of that
having both harry and joe on set at the same time is so blessed and cursed xD
I saw Joe in the grocery store by me a few months ago and I thought I was hallucinating lol
Biscuits are different from a scone. Biscuits are generally used as a vessel. That’s why they will seem dry to the unknowing. Southerners/Af Ams, add butter and or jelly, honey, syrup, even gravy. Especially to breakfast sandwiches (usually jelly).
Ah so that's where Joe was during the America vs. China BK episode. I am loving this twist on Food Wars. Hope to see more episodes with the other countries.
The McPlant, or as it’s sold here, McVegan, was first tested in FINLAND, not our dear loved/hated neighbour Sweden. And it was successful here, it’s still sold to this day.
I wonder if they use the same patty in Germany or if they've updated it. I had the McPlant I had last year was kinda sad and dry. I also had their McPlant nuggets recently and I wasn't a fan at all. And it's not like they can't do better, I had plant nuggets from Burger King and had I not known they were vegetarian, I wouldn't have guessed. They tasted exactly like the real deal to where I even thought the person behind the counter mixed them up.
Plus Joe and Harry in the studio at the same time. It's like the space-time continuum should collapse
Things we used to have in the US that you still have in the UK: 1) salads -- for a while we had them in clear cups and you could get three or four types, with different dressings; 2) fried apple pies, which they got rid of years ago in favour of baked versions.
Also the wraps. Which everyone wants back lol
Someone needs to make an international McDonald’s where it features different menus from different countries
It alteady exist in the USA
Oh man. You still get the proper buns there. Over here in Finland they changed the buns to those glassy surface buns which are so much more harder and so damn dry and almost they feel like over baked in the verge of being burnt. I want the old matte surface lighter buns back.
Honestly as a vegetarian, the McPlant was a blessing. I actually really like it, although I don’t eat the cheese.
though i absolutely love and always choose the spicy veggie wrap, was really hoping for it to be featured, (maybe another time!)
It’s a nice option to have ever since they ruined the veggie deluxe.
21:57 I heartily agree with you, Harry. Purchasing milk from a McDonalds (especially in Wisconsin where I live) is a betrayal to independent dairy farmers everywhere. I know that's not the point you were trying to make, but it's the one I was.
How dare Joe mocks tea. 😂😂😂
The fun part about 'As american as apple pie' is that neither apples nort american pies are native to the americas - first known mention of Apple puie is in a 13th century british cookbook: the recipe was, of course, brought over by the colonials and claimed as theirs.
Jeez, proof read next time before posting.
@@acapulcogoldpablo8096
It's not an exam
@@grim_56 idgaf. I don't wanna have a fkn stroke tryna understand what someone is saying. If English isn't their first language, they should fkn type it in their language. Like you said this ain't a test. So type it in your fkn language. We have translate for that shit.
I mean alot of the first ‘Americans’ were just british and other European immigrants. Nothing they claim to be theirs from history is theirs
I think it’s more of the fact that apple pie is loved far far more in America than it is in Britain and the Americans claim to be the best apple pie ever
UK and US McDonalds have different portion sizes. In the UK, the containers appear a lot smaller compared to those in the US. The food seems to be a lot full in number compared to the UK.
I.e more obesity
6:55 Joe just walking in on Harry’s set is so trippy
i'm glad that Harry liked the steak, egg and cheese bagel.. that's my favorite thing breakfast wise from McD's.
I miss the old US menu a decade or so ago. We had more fun things. But lol I love Joe and Harry together. Joe always roasting things and telling it as it is. 😂
As a southern u.s. girl, I've rarely had any kind of biscuit without some kind of jam or syrup so I was shocked he tried it without anything. Also, homemade biscuits are better than any fast food restaurant biscuit. Also, I'm glad Joe liked the McGriddles, they're my fav MCD items
I love McGriddles. I'm glad to be a part of the generation that saw the technology developed to put pellets of syrup in my breakfast sandwich. What a time to be alive lol. I do miss the bagel sandwiches though!!!!
well for the western part of the US, making biscuits at home is rarer. I like CFA ones with honey and before they were more common out here KFC was the go to. I hear popeyes make them dry.
We call them scones here
Love this video series. When I worked at McDonalds in US we use the pressure griddles on the lowest height setting, so that is why the bacon tastes better. It's just a layer of frozen real bacon on wax paper that you put down. I also worked at Wendy's which does microwave bacon, and oddly enough seems to taste better than the UK slivers of pink shown here. 😁 Also the biscuits are just frozen and cooked in a convection oven and slathered in butter after cooking. I love sausage biscuits because of the ratio of dry flakey bread and meat 😊
We don’t all say “raaanch” Harry, those of us up north would say ranch closer to the Americans.
And Joe we do have barbecue in the UK, you just have to look it up
he's from london calm down
@@Dog1818YT I’m aware, hence me saying not all of us
@@AdcrofromTikTok fair enough
i have never heard ranch said that way until he did 😭 i’m from the southwest
I am American and have lived in the UK for 37 years. When I emigrated here there where NO McDonalds, and I can remember nearly fainting with joy when the first one opened up near me!(OK, I know it was just McDonald's but it was something!) My first and fore most thought was the breakfast sausage. If you have ever visited the UK pre say, 2000 and tasted the sausages that were available here, you know exactly what I am talking about!
What a twist! Fun way to shake things up with a Joe and Harry video lol.
My first reaction was "Wow". Harry finally in the US 👍 and Joe in UK to try each other's food. Cool ❤ 🫶
Hehe😅
and then the streams cross @7:00 and we have Harry and Joe in the same video!
I think what's wild to me is that here in Sweden, we just straight get ketchup in small little paper cup things, or just Heinz Ketchup packets in partnership with McDonalds. I've *never* seen ketchup come in like the dip plastic containers.
Some McDonalds in the UK have the self-service dispensers and little paper cups like that, but it doesn't seem to be that common.
We have that here in the US too
Please make more of these UK vs USA 🇬🇧🇺🇸!!!
"So bland!"
Bro... just because it doesn't have like 18 other additives, doesn't mean it's bland. It's just not delivering the same amount of diabetes fuel that you're used to.
It's just a lack of seasoning bruh. The UK isn't much healthier than the US in terms of additives nor Obesity. Glass house.
Saying this as a Canadian
@@DanialDawoodit’s significantly better; 29.3% UK males, 39% US males. Source: NCBI
I like the uk crispy sweet chilli chicken wrap. The sweet chilli one is full of flavour.
- so, "deluxe" according to US McDonald's just means sauce and a limp salad, i.e. standard fast food burger
- deluxe hot chocolate should have cream and marshmallows
- you can't say something is salty and then call it bland: salty *is* a flavour
- you can't judge British bacon on what's served in a fast food burger
- ketchup shouldn't be sweet: it's a savoury dipping sauce
- we have barbecues in the UK...
- the main reason we don't have grape flavoured things in the UK is that grapes are fairly tasteless. The US only uses it because they can't use blackcurrants and wanted a purple flavour
- apple pie isn't American at all (several versions existed long before what's now the USA was even colonised)
- not all scones are sweet, e.g. cheese scones
- we do have still and cloudy lemonade in the UK, it's just labelled as "still" and "cloudy", the default lemonade being clear and carbonated
- I don't think you should take grilled chicken off the menu, I think you should just have better grilled chicken
What are the odds that both you guys' ice cream machines don't work? Should have used Mcbroken lol
We have milk on the menu in the UK. Perfect when you start work at 3am and need it for your cereal
Harry is right. The US apple pie doesn't taste as good as the fried version. McDonald's in the US changed a few years ago from the fried to baked, and I really want it to come back!!!
Hello
Out of curiosity I want to know how did you guys manage to get both McDonalds items together logistically? And didn't the one which travelled the farthest had a disadvantage because it would older, colder and lose its integrity even if you reheat it?
I believe it's two different shoots, one in America and one in the UK, probably filmed while they were doing their respective Food Tours series
Edit: Also they most likely had the stuff sitting in the studio for a while prior to actually filming, so really, probably neither of them are eating it fresh
I like sweet iced tea, but a lot of southern sweet tea is WAY too sweet, so I usually have them mix sweet and non-sweet 50/50. As long as it’s not fountain iced tea or canned w/ lemon! And McD’s hotcake syrup is the sweetest substance known to exist. “Pancake syrup” is just maple-flavored and usually thicker than real 100% maple syrup. I actually prefer Log Cabin over real stuff.
Ironically, the latest promo in the UK is the Deluxe McCrispy😂
The bacon Mc Donalds uses in the UK is sub-par and that is crazy to do in a bacon sandwich loving country that produces fantastic back bacon.
Genuinely wondering -- how do they get BOTH country-exclusive sets of food at once when they are filming them at the same time, like they are here? Is there a way to order them online on the fast food black market LOL? Or are they like, buying the packaging and then trying to recreate a version of the meal?
Really?! Joe would have flew to the UK and filmed his segment there then the British guy would have flew to the States to film his segment. They would have edited the two in post production to make it look like they are filming at the same time. Lol
I really hope you are a kid who doesn’t understand this stuff. Haha 😂
WAIT, you can't get a McFlurry M&M in the UK? It was basically the first thing I ever ate at mcdonalds in the Netherlands. It's so freaking good.
Nope, because there's Smarties McFlurry instead.
"I didn't fly across the planet to eat a salad" Joe is such a mood 😂
The UK Breakfast Rolls really are terrible. We used to have Bagels - in particular, the Sausage, Egg & Cheese Bagel. It was my absolute go-to and they killed it off. They also had a Sausage, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Wrap with a Hash Brown inside. And you had a choice of Brown Sauce or Ketchup. And they killed that off too. And replaced all of it with the awful, bland and dry Breakfast Rolls.
McDonald's UK has really slipped since Covid and has never quite returned to their former glory.
Wow! I wasn't expecting this video, loved it.
When was this filmed? Was it when Joe was in London, and then when Harry was in the US?
i presume so yes, i know that when they were talking about doing stuff for food tours they were planning to do multiple projects and this is clearly one of them!
the US sausage biscuit has its time and place. As a hangover food, slap a little butter on there if you really need it, or even if youre a bit sick and cant handle a lot of flavor or "egg". It shines when you need it to.
the personalities are spot on for a brit and an american
6:58
I was convinced you were filming on two separate sets since I first started watching
seeing you both in the same room is a mind fuc-...
I love how the American McDonald’s doesn’t have wraps or salad..
..Joe (an American) - hates wraps and salads 😂😂
McDonalds in the US, we had Salads and wraps, they were discontinued due to Covid 19.
I miss when the mcdouble was $1.25 and you could request it without ketchup and mustard and add lettuce and mac sauce instead. It was almost the same as a big mac for a third of the price.
when was this recorded? cause uk bacon in Maccies is so much better now
It feels funny seeing Joe just jumping into Harry’s video to add his 2-cents on some of the Mickey D’s food lol 😂
Personally, I think with the biscuits you really need butter or gravy (usually when you're just eating a biscuit plain) or with the sandwiches, a jelly or jam. It helps make them less dry. I don't really care for biscuits as sandwiches that much honestly, but I do like them with butter. I recently found apple butter (kind of like a smoother, thicker apple sauce) goes really well with biscuits. Biscuits are typically eaten for breakfast as a sandwich or in place of toast or used a lot in the south with country cooking like fried chicken. McDonalds also doesn't have very good biscuits. Most fast food biscuits pale in comparison to homemade ones. The only ones I really like are Bojangles and Popeyes. Cracker Barrel has good ones with their apple butter. I haven't tried some of the further south chicken places like Raising Cains or Church's if they even have biscuits.
McDonald's could do with using a tablespoon of butter in their biscuit dough when mixing it up. Something to improve on the flavor and help make it less dry.
Regarding the McD's coke, I have read elsewhere that McDs has a special license with Coke to use a different syrup ratio, so their coke tastes differently from other places because it IS different.
Can y'all explain how you shot this...? I'm confused to the core...!Like how's the US food in the UK and y'all in the same studio
Well it makes sense, obviously Harry flew to the US first then Joe to the UK after or vice versa.
For the UK exclusives you could have also included Irn Bru, but it's only available in Scotland though.
They are filming from England
I miss the Big Breakfasts as we used to have them in the early noughties before they were discontinued.
100% agree on the nuggets. When I first moved to the UK I instantly wondered why the nugests just tasted off nothing here compared to other countries
The ingredients in a US chicken nugget, White boneless chicken, water, salt, seasoning (yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring, safflower oil, lemon juice solids, dextrose, citric acid), sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, bleached wheat flour, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, dextrose, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil) with citric acid as a preservative.
UK chicken nugget, chicken breast 47%, water, flour, canola oil, potatoes starch, wheat gluten, salt, breadcrumb seasoning, sodium bicarbonate, spices, dextrose (sugar), sunflower seed oil, celery extract.
the ice cream machines are not broken, they just say that because they are done for cleaning, which is a 4 hour cycle, my sister managed a mcdonald's for year, i mad so many people mad by asking them is it really broken or just being cleaned
Harry when he prefers the UK version:
"I think we have it better in the UK, sorry guys."
"Who am I to judge american culture?"
Joe when he prefers the US version:
"YOOO THIS SUUUCKS"