Sojin Park

I like McDonald’s breakfast so much that I eat it about once a week. I haven’t set it as a routine, but I end up having it once during some weekday morning. Whether it’s at the McDonald’s near my house, near my office, or near where I work out. Since it’s accessible and offers a similar experience anywhere, that’s part of why I keep coming back to it.

I like that it sticks to the basics without any major flaws. A warm, well-toasted muffin and patty, crispy hash browns, coffee that’s perfectly fine for everyday drinking. None of it is at an extremely delicious level, but it’s solid on the basics. Eating it in the morning makes me feel comfortable and settled. Given how expensive things are these days, the price of around 6,000 won still feels even more satisfying and fulfilling.

Maybe it’s because it aligns well with my personal aesthetic of valuing the absence of flaws. No matter how excellent something is, it’s problematic if it falls short on the basics. I dislike a café with a great view and interior but bad coffee. I tend to avoid restaurants where the food is delicious but it’s noisy and the seats are crammed together. Even in a flat area with great amenities, if there’s no cozy regular spot or café I can drop by comfortably, I don’t feel attached to it. Whether it’s food or the neighborhood I live in, or anything else, it seems there’s a minimum baseline of experience I basically expect.

In that sense, McDonald’s breakfast is the perfect morning meal that precisely matches the minimum standard I expect. The experience of taking a bite of freshly fried, crispy hash browns and a sip of coffee at a quiet McDonald’s around 7 a.m. with no one else around. Knowing how hard it is these days to find an experience that so precisely meets expectations without any unpleasantness, I feel grateful every time I eat McDonald’s breakfast.