Pitchers of Pitchers
McDonald's Artwork
Summer 2012. Inside a McDonald's in rural Kentucky with a handful of friends. We just ordered a breakfast to-go before we start our kayaking trip. We lurk around the counter awaiting our Sausage McMuffins, Bacon/Egg/Cheese Biscuits, and Hashbrowns. Off to the side a woman and her daughter finish their breakfasts and collect their sandwich wrappers to throw away. My attention returns back to the counter and kitchen area. I peer over the McFlurry Machine, Fry-o-lator and large styrofoam cups to see if the cooks have put the finishing touches on my morning spike of glucose and sodium.
Then I hear a click, followed by a winding noise. I glance back in the direction of the mother and daughter. The young girl now brandishes a disposable camera. She is capturing photos of the generic, outdated, mass-produced posters hung on the walls throughout the McDonald's. It's as if she was an early '90s patron of an art museum. The daughter takes another photo with the flash on. The mother quickly turns around and scorns her daughter, "Honey, quit takin' pitchers of pitchers."