A hilarious take on American culture, McDonald’s Japan released a range of New York-inspired burgers, calling it the “Come on Baby!” menu.
McDonald’s Japan is well known for its ever-changing menu featuring seasonal items and limited edition delicacies. As the iconic Moon Festival menu comes to an end, things have got exciting again with the release of an all-new menu!
The “Come on Baby!” New York menu offers a series of new burgers inspired by burger designs from the Big Apple themselves. Featuring square-shaped buns, buffalo chicken patties, and smoky-flavored sauces, McDonald’s Japan has captured a snippet of American culture with its delicious new menu and hilarious marketing campaigns!
Iconic Comic Book Design
It’s not so much the New York theme that makes this menu so hilarious, but rather Japan’s take on American society that shows an extreme dichotomy between the two cultures.
The burger wrappings are designed with comic book-style imagery that is reminiscent of a panel from the Archie Comics.
The characters can be seen yelling “Come on Baby!” in Japanese while holding their New York burgers, perhaps shining a light on the outgoing nature of the American people.
My personal take is that America is the ultimate contrast to Japan, a rather introverted society compared to the far more outspoken New Yorkers, and as such the two nations are often infatuated with each other’s cultures, which I think is fantastic!
Delicious N.Y-Style Burgers!
Onto more important business, the New York burgers from the “Come on Baby!” menu are absolutely delightful, featuring a range of ingredients unique to the standard McDonald’s recipes.
For instance, this New York Buffalo Chicken Burger features a smoky crispy chicken patty with chunky slices of crunchy pickles, lettuce, and sweet mayonnaise.
The sesame buns are made in the classic N.Y-style square shape, supposedly designed to make customers feel like they have taken a trip to New York and picked up a burger from a local joint.
Personally, I’ve never been to New York and my research suggests that square-shaped buns aren’t exactly a “New York thing,” so I’m not sure where McDonald’s Japan dug up this sentiment from.
Either way, I quite like the design and found it to be quite a clean, non-messy eat!
Interesting Sides & Condiments
In addition to burgers, the “Come on Baby” New York menu also features delicious crispy chicken strips seasoned with garlic pepper!
To accompany these delicious sides, the new menu also features sauces including smoky barbecue sauce and sweet mayonnaise, both of which complement the garlic pepper chicken exceptionally!
As for the design of the packaging, I’m not too sure what it’s trying to insinuate, but it seems reminiscent of a WWII-era poster featuring some kind of Japanese propaganda (given the big red circle and white background).
Then again, the Western-style hat and clothing is likely a call-out to American influence on Japan post-WWII, further reinforced by the fried chicken in hand.
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