nightlydvdreviewMcDonalds to Name Burger after the ‘Apostle of Germany’s’ niece.
February 24th 2008 23:14
‘Gute Fahrt und guten Happetit!’ (The McDonald’s poster promoting the Walburga) which has outraged Christian groups.
McDonalds regularly hold ‘Name the Burger’ competitions in various parts of the world. The joint winners of the latest competition in Dortmund Germany are two British subjects, Helen Steel and David Morris, who suggested the Walburga (after St Walburga, the niece of St Boniface (the Apostle of Germany).
Already, Autoschalters (German ‘Can I take your order?’ girls) are flat out at the der McDrives, and hardly have time to say, ‘Gute Fahrt und guten Happetit!’ Towards the end of the first day’s trading, the family restaurant reportedly ran out of plastic Walburga nuns.
Helen and David (famous for the McLibel case of 1990 and beyond), both huge St Walburga fans, said they were still trying anyway they could to inject some morality and ethics into McDonalds, regardless of the futility of the cause, but would only speak of St Walburga when interviewed.
‘She was a forerunner of today’s environmental protestor,’ Helen said. ‘And English. St Boniface was an English monk who brought the Gospel to Germany in the mid 700s. ‘One of his earliest aims was to import English nuns into Germany, not unhealthy food. He believed that, although cloistered, the nuns would set a great example to recent German converts, by eating local food, and an even better example to global abusers of natural resources by not eating much of it. Plus, they demonstrated that voluntary poverty was more rewarding than applying to work for a global franchise exploiting its employees on child, slave wages.’
‘One of these nuns who came to Germany was St Boniface’s niece, Sister Walburga. She was the daughter of St Richard, one of the under-kings of the West Saxons of Britain. Two of her brothers were St Willibald and St Winebald. She was educated at Wimborne in England, and became a nun at the Wimborne monastery.’
She wrote a life of her brother St Winebald in Latin, and another book on St Willebald’s travels to the Holy Land. She is styled the first female Catholic author of Britain and Germany.
‘In 748AD, St Tetta sent Walburga and other nuns to Germany by boat. While crossing the English Channel, a storm threatened to capsize the vessel. Walburga knelt on the deck and prayed to God. The tempest ceased immediately. The crew considered it a miracle, and St Walburga is considered a patron saint of sailors.’
‘Walburga docked at Mainz. Her uncle, ST Boniface and her brother St Willibald were there to meet her. She spent her first four years in the monastery of Bischofsheim. In 752AD, her brothers founded a double monastery at Heidenheim. Winebald was abbot of one and Walburga Abbess of the other. Eventually she would become head of both monasteries.’
St Walburga died on the 25 th of February 779AD. Her remains were transferred to St Walburga’s church in Eichstaett. From 893 onwards, a liquid to which many miraculous cure were attributed, flowed out of her tomb. Subsequently devotion to St Walburga spread rapidly.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s Germany has denied reports the mayonnaise which flows from the Walburga has miraculous curing powers. “McDonalds does not sanction the eating of Walburga mayo to cure terminal cancer or leprosy,” she said.
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Comment by jon
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Jon.
Comment by Ann 1
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It sounds great. I found the email from Charles. I've added him to my address book. I'll go through the inactive blog list, choose something from there, and email him.
Ann
Comment by DuskDevi
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I believe that's why they have the Quarter Pounder (or do they?...don't know...).
Very amusing. Very amusing. The post also.
Nice to read you Ann.
DuskDevi
Comment by Ann 1
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From one amusing female to another. Oh dear, I can't add anything to that. And it started out as such a coherent thought. Oh well, that's what the onset of dotage does to a woman. Be thankful you're only in your 30s.
I do enjoy your sense of humour. If I can ever tear myself away from Pumpkin Island, I'll visit you one day in that awful metropolis of Sydney. We could share a McLaugh or two about how you like pretending you're so naive about McDonalds yet somehow seem to know what they name their burgers. Oh, dearie dearie me. You young women. What are we going to do with you?
I'm pretty certain the legal team at McDonalds were responsible for the quarter-pounder coming into existence. It started off as a boardroom joke (not unlike how Buffalo Bill, that hump-skinner got his name).
The accountants and lawyers were laughing about the term 'a pound of flesh'. One particular McDonalds' lawyer said something like, 'The great thing about our burgers is we give the plebs a quarter of a pound of flesh and reap 75% profits.'
Nice of you to visit.
Ann.