back to article Woman sues McDonald's for $14 after cheeseburger ad did exactly what it's designed to

Advertisements are so prevalent that many of us have developed internal ad blockers and probably don't rush out for a cheeseburger just because we saw one on the telly or a poster. But that's exactly what happened to Ksenia Ovichinnikova when she clocked a banner depicting succulent signature dishes by McDonald's, specifically …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Worst part is

    She'll just bribe the judge with fries and win.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Angel

      Re: Worst part is

      I would have thought that extended feeling of bloating, nausea, and stomach ache that follows eating a fatty, sugar and sodium loaded cheeseburger, especially when she was not used to it, would have been ample self-flagellation to compensate for her sin.

      If she feels she needs more suffering to atone for her moral failings, perhaps McDonalds could be persuaded to provide her with another cheeseburger.

      1. TRT Silver badge

        Re: Worst part is

        Should have ordered the Unhappy Meal, which comes with a free cilice.

        1. J. Cook Silver badge
          Go

          Re: Worst part is

          oof.

          (TBH, I had to google that one on a non-work computer, because Reasons. But yeah. rough.)

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Worst part is ( Macs come with a dictionary ).

          I have a mac and that comes with a built in dictionary for hairy words.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Devil

      Re: Worst part is

      She should have just gone for a Shake. No dairy involved.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Worst part is

        Maybe someone should give her a shake.

  2. lglethal Silver badge
    Devil

    Well since this was a McDonalds burger, then she doesnt need to worry about having eaten Meat. Well at least anything I'd recognise as such...

    Not sure about there cheese's either. They always looks so... artificial?

    1. b0llchit Silver badge
      Trollface

      So, the argument is that she did not break the fast because the supposed "meal" was neither food nor edible. Therefore, the case must be dismissed.

      1. Drew Scriver

        Somehow I doubt the McDonald's will be presenting this argument in court.

        On the other hand, didn't a pizza chain run a campaign "You were right - our pizza did taste like cardboard. We are proud to introduce our new recipe!"

        Or, with a tech twist, take this letter from a vendor my company received after POODLE (or BASH) had the world in a mad panic about SSL. In the letter the vendor explained that we had nothing to fear from these CVEs. The reason? They only used good ol' plain HTTP for their SAAS. No SSL vulnerabilities to worry about.

        1. tekHedd

          "Look it's better now!"

          I seem to recall that Dominos ran about a year of advertising that more or less said "Yeah, it was bad. Try it now, we made it better." And, to be fair, they did make it a lot better. But, also to be fair, before the improvements it was more or less inedible.

      2. Kane
        Coat

        "So, the argument is that she did not break the fast because the supposed "meal" was neither food nor edible."

        The end result was a foodstuff almost indistinguishable from any other except for two things. Firstly, the price, which was slightly higher, and secondly the nutritional content, which was roughly equivalent to that of a Sony Walkman.

        - Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch. Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman.

        Coat icon, because there isn't one of a hat.

        GNU, Sir Pterry

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Perhaps....

          So, the argument is that she did not break the fast because the supposed "meal" was neither food nor edible.

          Wasn't it demonstrated some time ago that the wrapper had more nutritional value than the "food"?

      3. NXM Silver badge

        I love Pot Noodles for the same reason - since they're not food, they can't contain any calories.

      4. Radio Wales
        Happy

        I would hesitate to recommend that McD use that entirely reasonable argument.

        It would be cheaper to pay her $1 million and keep the illusion intact.

        Probably offering two thousand rubles attached to a NDA would be best all round for both of them.

  3. Simon Harris

    For those who believe in such things...

    As I understand it, the period of Lent is supposed to represent the 40 days when Jesus is said to have gone into the desert to fast and resist temptation.

    Surely therefore McDonald’s is actually providing a service, enhancing the experience by providing a temptation that the lady failed to resist, and she should be paying them for the service rather than suing them.

    1. Chris G

      Re: For those who believe in such things...

      IIRC from Sunday school some decades back, while jesus was in the desert he was tempted by the devil, so I assume you are saying MacDonalds is evil.

      Ever since they stopped doing the crispy volcanic fruit filled pies, I have not been tempted to even go into a MacD's.

      1. Francis Boyle Silver badge

        Re: For those who believe in such things...

        In the Jewish tradition (see the book of Job) the Devil is more like a secret shopper employed by Yahweh to keep people on their toes. Which, in my book, makes the comparison unfair to the Devil.

      2. TRT Silver badge

        Re: For those who believe in such things...

        Well... the resemblance between Ronald McDonald and Pennywise The Evil Clown is not purely coincidence, surely?!

        1. Doctor Tarr

          Re: For those who believe in such things...

          My son used to be frightened by Pennywise. Until I told him that Ronald's killed way more people.

      3. Spoonsinger
        Windows

        Re: They've stopped doing the crispy volcanic fruit filled pies???

        Good god, you'll be telling me next that Kentucky Fried Chicken establishments have stopped doing sweet and sour spare ribs.

      4. Rattlerjake

        Re: For those who believe in such things...

        I don't eat at McDonald's, because I'm not into dumpster-diving!

    2. Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse

      Re: For those who believe in such things...

      But surely this just brings the nonsense all back home. The message I take from that is that Jeebus only lasted 40 days in the desert before he gave into the physiological limits of thirst and hunger. The fact he came back at all only presses home the fact that he never really had the conviction to die for his purported beliefs and should be roundly ignored.

      Thank heavens for those Romans who really did the initial experimentation of money vs mouth.

      1. Man inna barrel

        Re: For those who believe in such things...

        >The fact he came back at all only presses home the fact that he never really had the conviction to die for his purported beliefs and should be roundly ignored.

        So you only believe people are sincere if they die for their cause? If you ask me, martyrdom is vastly over-rated as a criterion for veracity. Take witch burning for example. First, the ducking stool. If she drowns, she was telling the truth, and is not a witch. If she floats, she is a witch, and so burn her. Things were so much simpler in those days.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Re: For those who believe in such things...

      ...when Jesus is said to have gone into the desert to fast and resist temptation.

      Going somewhere where you can't get stuff isn't exactly resisting temptation is it?

      It's a bit like taking a submarine to the bottom of the ocean to "resist the temptation" of popping out for a nice evening walk.

    4. Man inna barrel

      Re: For those who believe in such things...

      >As I understand it, the period of Lent is supposed to represent the 40 days when Jesus is said to have gone into the desert to fast and resist temptation.

      I suppose it is cheating to have a feeding tube up your nose, like I had in hospital. If you are going to fast, then don't starve yourself to death.

  4. Wally Dug
    Coat

    Really?!?

    "Ovichinnikova said she had successfully fasted through Lent for the past 16 years, but suffered a complete failure of willpower on seeing the ad"

    So, McDonald's has just arrived in Omsk? Or, at least, they didn't start advertising until 2019 - otherwise how does Ovichinnikova explain her lack of willpower for 2019 and not for previous years? At least she's being "sensible" and suiing for $14; just imagine how many millions a US-based plaintiff would sue for.

    Icon because, well, it's a big mac, innit?

    1. Adrian 4

      Re: Really?!?

      Upvote for the icon

  5. ThatOne Silver badge
    Devil

    Just $14?

    Shows it didn't happen in the USA: In the USA that woman would had added the word "millions" to those $14.

    That been said, wouldn't it be nice to be able to make money simply from living a life of indulgence: "Hey, I did take a third helping, besides I started smoking again, and had one too many yesterday evening, that will be $180 please." I could get used to it, and I guess most other people too...

  6. Ozumo

    Cheap advertising

    Ronald should pay up - $14 for the amount of publicity they've received seems like a bargain.

    Wouldn't be totally surprised to find the whole thing is a put-up job by their marketing people TBH.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  7. lglethal Silver badge
    Devil

    Can I make a suggestion?

    McDonalds should offer the lady a 1000 Rubles voucher for use in any of their stores. But only applicable during the period of Lent...

    1. Paul Herber Silver badge

      Re: Can I make a suggestion?

      Give her a voucher, for use in Burger King.

    2. Radio Wales
      FAIL

      Re: Can I make a suggestion?

      You have a sadistic mindset. I'm disappointed - that I didn't think of it first.

  8. tiggity Silver badge

    If you find a McD cheeseburger irresistible

    Maybe get a CT scan in case you have a brain tumour ... need something awry in your brain to convert heavily processed McD "junk food" (being polite) into something I would find irresistible (or in my case, even edible - did have a McD once, a friend worked there & gave me a freebie from their allowance, it was one of the vilest things I have ever eaten)

    1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: If you find a McD cheeseburger irresistible

      And yet...millions of people around the world do find McD irresistible. I guess that says more about humanity than McDs. Remember the queues when they reopened after lockdown? Clearly very few people tried making their own burgers or were so crap at it, they went straight back to McDs at the first opportunity. (Or maybe they bought cheap, even shittier burgers from the local freezer shop.)

      1. Terry 6 Silver badge

        Re: If you find a McD cheeseburger irresistible

        This kind of food is cheap and tasty (read addictive). For families on a small budget, or with small kids (or both) it's an affordable and easy way to eat out.

        It's fine us sneering - I'd prefer to eat only Michelin recommended grub if I could, but for many folks a Maccy D is a treat. Eating Out. No cooking, no washing up afterwards, in a bright cheerful place, rather than a small, crowded flat near the top of an inner city tower block.

    2. Stork Silver badge

      Re: If you find a McD cheeseburger irresistible

      Their fries are not too bad and at least here in Portugal their coffee is as good as most places'. Also about the only things they sell without corn syrup.

  9. Wyrdness

    The Sin of Gluttony

    She was supposed to be fasting for Lent, and instead committed the sin of gluttony by eating McDonalds. If she'd been smarter, she'd have eaten some pie instead, since the sin of pi is always zero.

    1. slimshady76
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: The Sin of Gluttony

      Slow clap for you Sir! Not so much because of the amazingly nerdy quality of your answer, but because of me having to clean the peanut butter off my mechanical keyboard.

    2. Paul Herber Silver badge

      Re: The Sin of Gluttony

      'cos the sin of pi is always zero.

      FTFY

      1. Snowy Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: The Sin of Gluttony

        Not quite fixed as the 'cos the sin of pi is -1, (cosine pi) in which case she should have turned around and walked away.

        1. ben kendim

          Re: The Sin of Gluttony

          Why are you being so negative?

          cos the sin of pi is 1.

    3. Trollslayer
      Devil

      Re: The Sin of Gluttony

      Thank you and kindly leave the planet!

      1. TRT Silver badge

        Re: The Sin of Gluttony

        Talk about going off on a tangent...

        1. Stumpy

          Re: The Sin of Gluttony

          To be fair, the angle he's taken has struck a chord.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: The Sin of Gluttony

            This could quickly become a circular argument ...

    4. gandalfcn Silver badge

      Re: The Sin of Gluttony

      If she'd been smarter she wouldn't believe ads, or the bible for that matter. Both designed to fool the gullible.

    5. Brad16800

      Re: The Sin of Gluttony

      Nice Wyrdness, you win the best comment in thread award.

  10. Mike 137 Silver badge

    "a long time to be haunted by a cheeseburger"

    Their adverse after-effects been known previously to persist for quite some time, but two years is probably a record so far.

  11. TRT Silver badge

    When ever I hear the word Cheeseburger...

    I now hear it in this voice... from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (one of the greatest films of all time, IMHO).

    1. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge

      Re: When ever I hear the word Cheeseburger...

      Strange. I hear The Clash - Magnificent Seven

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj1Nf850Lys

      1. Danny 2

        Re: When ever I hear the word Cheeseburger...

        Stranger thing, to me. I don't want to go all "Yesterday" the movie, but there was a quarter decent song song that started with 30 seconds of, "Cheese burger, please" over and over. It was funny in the eighties because I didn't eat cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers were the enemy, initially.

        I always assumed it was 'Love and Money' from their song Cheeseburger, but the internet does not validate me. I hate not being validated by my best friend the internet, it brings out my inner psycho.

        What do you call a one hit wonder who never actually had one hit?

        Love And Money - You're beautiful. I won't link or quote.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    First I though that she should have stayed with the nuggets, with birds now officially recognized as the descendants of dinosaurs, and lizard flesh being allowed.

    But unfortunately, I read that it's warm-blooded flesh that's no-no, so even dinosaurs and their offspring are off-limit.

    Pretty sure that whales and dolphins were classified as fish at some point for religious purposes, though.

    1. Victor Ludorum

      They were the religious porpoises.

      1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

        Barnacle geese were classified as fish...

        https://awingandaway.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/the-bird-that-was-a-fish/

        1. TRT Silver badge

          Penguins are classified as chocolate.

          1. Huw L-D

            "Penguins are an essential ingredient in making Guinness: you boil them up and the white stuff floats to the top." Al Murray

          2. Paul Herber Silver badge

            Please stay on-topic.

            1. Huw L-D

              Are you suggesting that a Topic is a fish?

              1. Paul Herber Silver badge

                We could reap the Bounty of the seas!

              2. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge

                Can't be. A Topic is made from squirrel shit.

                As the advert put it:

                What has a hazlenut in every bite?

                Squirrel shit.

                1. Khaptain Silver badge

                  Judging by the comments there's quite a few Regtards pushing on in their years ....

                  1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

                    I thought Toby passed away years ago. Is he still around?

                  2. jake Silver badge

                    "quite a few Regtards pushing on in their years ...."

                    Careful, Sonny. Around these here parts folks are saying 60 is the new 30 ...

                    Now get orf me lawn!

    2. MrBanana
      Trollface

      Dippy

      No such thing as dinosaurs. Don't you know that Earth is only 6,000 years old? The bones were buried by the Intelligent Designer to test us. If you were able to check the dinosaur bones in the Natural History Museum (now replaced by a blue whale) you would have found that they were cast in plaster.

      1. the spectacularly refined chap

        Re: Dippy

        Plaster? Slartibartfast did not do cheap!

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Dippy

        Nonsense. If the Earth was only 6000 years old, it would still have that new planet smell.

      3. el_oscuro

        Re: Dippy

        No, those dinosaur bones are quite real. God's contractors - the mice - need them to be installed as part of the original specification provided to the Magratheans.

      4. Snowy Silver badge
        Trollface

        Re: Dippy

        Buried! they where buried!, how old fashioned of you! The earth was 3d printed along with the rest of the cosmos!

        1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

          Re: The earth was 3d printed along with the rest of the cosmos!

          On the 7th day there was a Microsoft update.

      5. gandalfcn Silver badge

        Re: Dippy

        A Flat Earth, YEC cultist gem

        "all the "fossils" u see in museums are fake, but hold on the "real" fossils are in lock down and only freemason scientist can admire them. Here's another fun fact, did u know that in all of known written history the only ppl to find these majestic bones where the freemason that went out looking for them, meaning that in all of written history nobody nowhere has ever mistakenly found any "dino" bone ever."

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      one of the popes classified beaver as 'fish'... so, along with bears in the wood, popes are allowed to eat beaver on Fridays

      1. Paul Herber Silver badge

        Does this help them to talk in tongues?

        1. WolfFan Silver badge

          Many of the Italian Popes were cunning linguists. The recent German one wasn’t, that’s one reason why he was replaced by the current, Argentinian, one… who has Italian ancestry.

        2. The commentard formerly known as Mister_C Silver badge
          Facepalm

          "you are what you eat". Strange how saying this upsets cunning linguists...

          1. zuckzuckgo Silver badge

            Silly bunt!

      2. David 132 Silver badge
        Coat

        popes are allowed to eat beaver on Fridays

        But if they do, they’ll be dammed.

    4. Antron Argaiv Silver badge
      Linux

      Beavers are fish as well:

      https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtful-animal/once-upon-a-time-the-catholic-church-decided-that-beavers-were-fish/

    5. jake Silver badge

      "with birds now officially recognized as the descendants of dinosaurs, and lizard flesh being allowed."

      It was all the way back in 2010 that the Archbishop of New Orleans decided that alligator is considered to be in the fish family.

      Seems to me that muskrat is also considered to be a fish in some quarters.

      1. Chris G

        "It was all the way back in 2010 that the Archbishop of New Orleans decided that alligator is considered to be in the fish family.

        One should never allow science to get in the way of a religious loophole.

  13. Danny 2

    Wisdom of Solomon

    The court should have found in her favour and ordered McDonalds to deliver her a cheeseburger every year for the rest of her life. In the middle of Russian lent.

  14. Drew Scriver

    I sense a market opportunity...

    How about a paid service to block all ads during Lent?

  15. disgruntled yank

    McDonald's

    There's an evil clown meme in there somewhere.

  16. scrubber
    Trollface

    "Meat and dairy are prohibited entirely"

    What does she think Eucharist is made of?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Meat and dairy are prohibited entirely"

      Don't go there. I have a friend who has coeliac disease (gluten intolerance). She can't eat the standard eucharist, it makes her ill, but asking why transubstantiation hasn't safely converted it into meat (body of Christ) doesn't go down well.

      1. Jim Mitchell

        Re: "Meat and dairy are prohibited entirely"

        Transubstantiation freaks me out. Yes, your ritual cannibalism is really real cannibalism!

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: "Meat and dairy are prohibited entirely"

        Don't try to confuse a religious wingnut with facts. Life's too short.

  17. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Iceland livestreams 10-year-old McDonald's cheeseburger

    There was this a few years back - purchased in 2009, from just before McDonalds closed down in Iceland

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-50262547

    https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/10/theres-a-live-stream-of-the-last-mcdonalds-burger-in-iceland-and-it-goes-on-day-trips-5557328/

    Had Ovichinnikova taken a moment to think before she bit into the burger, she could have stored it to be consumed after Lent

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Iceland livestreams 10-year-old McDonald's cheeseburger

      I had to search, not a simple case

      Too expensive and they now have BK

      I suppose also their eating of very strange fish dishes.

  18. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
    Trollface

    Devoutly religious person is suggestible

    ...film at 11...

    1. Cybersaber

      Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

      I get the humor in which your post was made, but I'd remove 'devoutly.'

      I mean whether you (the reader of this comment) believe in the teachings in the Bible or not, *she* claims to yet the whole basis of her case is anathema to what the book actually teaches, so I'd argue she can hardly be devout.

      One would expect a *devout* believer of *any* religion to have at least cracked their primary religious text and read a few pages. You'd he hard pressed (outside of a few long genealogies) to find a single page which doesn't say that you alone are responsible for your own thoughts and actions.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

        "One would expect a *devout* believer of *any* religion to have at least cracked their primary religious text and read a few pages."

        You'd think that, wouldn't you? Sadly, however, after many years of observation I would expect quite the opposite.

        I have met very, very few people who claim to be "devout" who can actually discuss the prime volume of their favo(u)red mythology in any great detail. In fact, most seem quite content to allow somebody else to tell them what they are supposed to believe about it, usually in return for money. Often lots and lots of money.

        Sad, isn't it?

        1. gandalfcn Silver badge

          Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

          I love it when they tell me to read the bible. I respond by asking them relevant questions. The funny thing is most run away. Those that do respond run away shortly afterwards.

          A learned C of E Vicar told me the bible specifically stated the Earth is a sphere and when I proved he didn't have a clue he tried playing infantile word games, so I then shut that down so he blocked me.

          i.e. the religious are the wke cancel culture and always have been.

      2. gandalfcn Silver badge

        Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

        A devoutly religious person has already proved they are gullible. And believing ads simply confirms that.

        1. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
          Paris Hilton

          Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

          Coming up on next week's episode of "Joke Explainer"...

      3. Man inna barrel

        Re: Devoutly religious person is suggestible

        >One would expect a *devout* believer of *any* religion to have at least cracked their primary religious text and read a few pages.

        Cripes! We can't have that sort of thing! Only your priest/vicar/pastor/imam knows what the holy words mean. They have the education, and proper holiness training. Goodness knows what chaos would ensue if people started thinking and making up their own minds about stuff.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Seeing is Believing

    In the multi-billion dollar world of advertising, which makes everything we buy more expensive than it needs to be, seeing is believing. The cheeseburger ad for example, and just the sight of a pack of cigarettes is enough to make kids take up smoking; so the smokes must be locked and shuttered out of sight. And still we're told that seeing violent images on TV, the movies, and in video games has absolutely no effect whatsoever. Funny, that.

  20. Cybersaber

    They should award the fourteen dollars...

    ...to her conservator, since she is inherently arguing that she is unable to exercise restraint and good judgement over her life and finances.

    And maybe actually, y'know, actually go read the book that lays out beliefs you claim as the basis for your whole suit. It's (almost) entirely about responsibility for your own actions (and God's response to that.)

    1. gandalfcn Silver badge

      Re: They should award the fourteen dollars...

      No, its all about thous shalt not and thou shalt.

  21. NicX

    I see

    two problems here:

    1. An absolute lack of personal responsibility on Ovichinnikova's part

    2. The silliness of following religion, in that it dictates what you can and can't eat for 40 day periods. Lol no thanks Jesus, I'm gonna eat.

    1. Cybersaber

      Re: I see

      Lent is a Catholic *tradition* not a tenet of Christianity.

      Neither the Torah and Tanakh (the basis of Judiasm - which is far more legalistic) nor the more liberal teachings of the New Testament (the basis of Christianity) teach Lent.

      It's more like you may have two separate football (American or otherwise) teams with separate traditions. They're hugely important to their teams, but they're not actually a part of the rules of the game.

      Jesus (specifically) would respond to someone following Lent as 'Hey, you do you, but don't confuse this with something that me or my students ever told you to do or not do.'

      1. Arthur the cat Silver badge

        Re: I see

        Judaism wouldn't say anything about Lent as it's a specifically Christian thing. That's a bit like expecting the Romans to have set rules for the Chinese Communist Party's five year plans.

        1. Cybersaber

          Re: I see

          There's nothing about the idea of Lent that would seem odd or strange to a historic Jewish person.

          They'd completely understand the overall idea. After all, one of their textually commanded fasts, The Feast of Unleavened Bread is quite similar in nature.

          They'd just tear their robes and stone you as a heretic for whom it was you were fasting and reflecting on, rather than the quite sensible idea (to them) that you should fast and reflect on religious matters. ;)

          1. Man inna barrel

            Re: I see

            >There's nothing about the idea of Lent that would seem odd or strange to a historic Jewish person.

            Fasting and renouncing worldly things is pretty universal across all religions. From a secular/humanist point of view, it has beneficial effects on physical and mental health. Fasting proves that you won't die if you do without food for a little while, though your greedy tummy tells you otherwise. That is actually spiritually liberating, because you are less bound to your animal appetites, and can concentrate on more important things, whatever those may be. And of course, you won't be tempted by junk food if there is something better to be had.

            So, mega fail for our burger-loving orthodox Christian. If you were going to break your fast, couldn't you go for better quality food?

      2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: I see

        "It's more like you may have two separate football (American or otherwise) teams with separate traditions. They're hugely important to their teams, but they're not actually a part of the rules of the game."

        Hence the origins of Rugby Football. And the Holy Schism that is League and Union. (I'm not even going to get into the heretical "American" Football.

        1. gandalfcn Silver badge

          Re: I see

          Aussie Rules is OK though.

      3. gandalfcn Silver badge

        Re: I see

        Given there is no contemporaneous evidence whatsoever of the existence of the biblical Jesus you are projecting your own beliefs.

  22. NicX

    Second comment to say I think it's funny how people jump on the "Eww yuck Mcdonald's!" bandwagon.

    1. Cybersaber

      Nah. As an honorary driver and platinum-level sponsor of the "Eww yuck Mcdonald's!" Bandwagon Foundation, I believe I speak for the Foundation when we advocate for diversity in tastebuds, but complete intolerance for all things McDonalds.

      Like every high-profile sponsor of anything though, I'm a flawed hypocrite. Despite thinking almost nothing coming from their locations qualifies as 'food,' I secretly love their french fries. Don't tell anyone. ;)

      Kidding aside, it takes all tastes, and when you're talking about any given restaurant, you're going to have those who don't like the food, and some who violently dislike it.

      Given the ENORMOUS size of McD's, when you scale those percentages to the BILLIONS of customers, It should be more funny to consider that there isn't ACTUALLY an "Eww yuck Mcdonald's!" Bandwagon Foundation 501-c with a corporate HQ and fundraisers and everything. :D

    2. heyrick Silver badge
      Happy

      Hey, a Burger King opened in the nearby town that used to only have a McDonald's. So long warm Big Mac with meat that doesn't taste of anything and half empty box of barely warm chips... hello Double Whopper!

      1. jake Silver badge

        Blech.

        Make your own burgers. It'll put you off the fast so-called "food" version for life.

    3. jake Silver badge

      To be fair, fast so-called "food" burgers are fucking awful, so it's not like they are wrong or anything.

  23. BPontius

    The devil made me do it! Take no responsibility for your actions, blame McDonalds, advertising, anyone or anything else. Money will not buy what you need.

  24. boblongii

    Well, there's her problem

    "Ovichinnikova said she had successfully fasted through Lent for the past 16 years"

    You're only supposed to do 40 days, not 16 bloody years. No wonder she gave in. She deserves a medal from the, er, Patriarch, I think it is.

  25. mfarmilo

    Last time I checked, believers observing something like Lent were entirely responsible for, you know, actually observing it.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Believing has nothing to do with lent.[0]

      Lent is all about the head of the church exercising control over his flock.

      [0] Show me where Lent is mentioned in the Bible and I might change my mind.

      1. Man inna barrel

        >Lent is all about the head of the church exercising control over his flock.

        Most of Christianity is about the power of the churches, and not about what Jesus said, as recorded by his disciples. There was no Christian church during the life of Jesus. He was not the Pope. The church stuff took off when the bloody Romans decided to be Christian. Something of a dangerous combination: a revolutionary ideal, and an empire supported by widespread bureaucracy and military force.

        1. boblongii

          Apocalypse, not revolution

          Putting aside the issue that Jesus is a mythical figure, the character portrayed in the gospels is not revolutionary so much as apocalyptic. The two go hand in hand as clearly there's no point in obeying power structures if the world is going to end soon.

          But the emphasis is much more on sorting *yourself* out in time than it is on bothering to overthrow authorities who will be dead soon anyway. Sure: render onto Caesar, if it keeps the poor fool happy, why not? Doesn't matter, does it? Drink up...

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Paradox..

    Interesting paradox... McDonalds will have to claim that advertisements aren't effective.... but then equally explain why they spend billions on it each year if it doesn't work...

  27. Arthur the cat Silver badge

    The anagram generator says

    Ksenia Ovichinnikova = A Knavish Invoice Oink

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: The anagram generator says

      Wrong language. Must try harder. D

      I'll bump it up to a C- for the humo(u)r value, though.

  28. Cybersaber

    The funny thing about the article is that the woman missed the point of Lent entirely.

    I don't follow that tradition, but I understand its theoretical basis in the related religious teachings. Those who don't follow Christianity may not realize the full scope of the silliness of this lawsuit.

    Rather than make them feel like I'm preaching, I'll relate a non-religious example to help them understand the full scope of how badly the woman missed the point of Lent.

    Imagine a family member who shaved their head to commiserate and relate to the experience a loved one was going through during chemotherapy, in order to bring them closer together and help them feel better about the crap they're going through.

    Say that person saw an ad for a wig that they couldn't resist and went out and bought it, got embarrassed at being caught breaking their commitment, and then sued the ad company for their lack of character.

    They're missing the point. The point wasn't about having no hair or not having hair. After all, the hope is that the loved one will recover and regrow their hair eventually. It was about making a personal sacrifice to show empathy, and setting aside some time especially to bond with that person and help brighten their day.

    The wig-wearer's sin wasn't that she bought and wore a wig, it was that she wasn't focusing on her loved one that was the whole point of getting her head shaved in the first place. You were supposed to be there for the loved one, not off in court complaining about how you have no self control and how bad the optics are for you being seen with hair etc etc.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Slight irony here too

    Usually, what they do to the food to make it look good in marketing tends to make it even less edible than it is by default.

    Fun stuff like motor oil (grade unknown) may not go, er, down well..

  30. heyrick Silver badge

    News at ten

    Religious person succumbed to temptation, blames anyone except herself.

  31. spold Silver badge

    I don't believe it....

    I think she is telling a whopper.

  32. Terry 6 Silver badge

    The catch here....

    Either Maccy D have to accept the complaint, because their advertising works, or defend it because their advertising doesn't work.

    Interesting quandary.

  33. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

    Traceability

    If I'm not mistaken , when the horse meat scandal unfolded in the UK, McDonalds were one of the very few places of their type who were "in the clear" as they had long established processes to trace food right back to the farm

    1. Adrian 4

      Re: Traceability

      I never heard of a farm that grew wet cardboard

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: Traceability

        World Wide Cardboard Supporters on line one ... They are talking defamation, from what I can understand.

      2. Man inna barrel

        Re: Traceability

        >I never heard of a farm that grew wet cardboard

        Food and agriculture scientists have been working on this for years. First, let's tackle the beef. Cows normally roam around fields eating grass. This is not very efficient. They don't put on weight fast enough. So you stuff the cows with high nutrition foods, such as corn and soya. And forget the roaming around fields bit. Stuff 'em in sheds to eat their high protein food, and fatten 'em fast as possible to go to slaughter.

        The beef produced in this way tends to be a bit lacking in flavour and texture, so what you do next is convince people that this is how meat is supposed to taste. The advertisers come into effect here. And before you know it, only gastronomic extremists will want to eat beef from a cow that roamed around the fields, on account of its meat is not so tender as the regular beef that we are used to.

    2. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge

      Re: long established processes to trace food right back to the farm

      With a moo-moo here

      And a moo-moo there

      Here a moo, there a moo

      Everywhere a moo-moo

      With an oink-oink here

      An oink-oink there

      Here an oink, there an oink

      Everywhere an oink-oink

      With a cluck-cluck here

      A cluck-cluck there

      Here a cluck, there a cluck

      Everywhere a cluck-cluck

      With a quack-quack here

      A quack-quack there

      Here a quack, there a quack

      Everywhere a quack-quack

      This is NOT what I would call "traceability".

  34. sanmigueelbeer
    Happy

    1,000 rubles? You want fries with that?

    Just pay her and enjoy the free advertisement.

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: 1,000 rubles? You want fries with that?

      That was my first thought, too. Maybe even give her $28 if she agrees to do it again next year, but this time post it on youtube :-)

  35. Winkypop Silver badge
    Windows

    “succulent signature dishes by McDonald's”

    Pay her in kind.

    1 cheeseburger if she settles out of court

    2 cheeseburgers if she takes it to the Magistrate

    3 cheeseburgers if she wins and asks for costs

    1. sanmigueelbeer
      Happy

      Re: “succulent signature dishes by McDonald's”

      Improved offer:

      1 x Cheeseburger if she settles out of court.

      1 x Double Cheeseburger Meal if she comes back next year (Apple Pie if she brings a placard)

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    She should have went to Subway for a tuna sub. According to tests, the tuna contains no real tuna and there is so much sugar in the bread that it cannot be called bread. Too bad they took the shoe rubber out of it too. Then it would be fake tuna on a sweetened rubber shoe sole.

  37. Trigun

    If she was tempted and failed and she has a problem with that then she really should be judging herself (if she really wants to judge anyone). It seems like she's trying to make McDonalds pay for her weakness. Don't get me wrong: She probably has about 1000% more willpower than me, but the point is that the blame is not with McDonalds.

  38. Efer Brick

    Fast food...

    Clue is in the name

  39. Not previously required
    Devil

    Obvious solution

    On the few occasions when I am forced (grandchildren etc) to eat a Mac, I struggle to tell when I have finished the anaemic bun and chips and started eating the pale polystyrene box.

    Maybe Our Lady of Omsk could have deliberately eaten the box and thrown away the burger. She would still get the smell. Would that count as Lenten observance? A religious scholar ... actually I don't want to know.

    Icon because I don't believe in him either.

  40. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sue the church!

    The church or your paster wasn't good enough to convince you of your religious conviction or devotion, the church has failed you as they didn't instill the require observance. Sure you're only human and prone to err but the church has failed you. Maccy Ds has simply tempted you and you failed the test, therefore you failed religion and it failed you. Maccy Ds is nothing more than a tool.

    Quite frankly all religion is absolute bollocks to my mind, except the buddhists maybe ( Buddhism : "Live a good life and it might work out or it may not, who knows?!" ) most other judeo-chrisitan religions are basiclaly "stop doing that fun stuff you enojoy it's disgusting! you are scum! only God is pure, you're a piece of dogshit he's scrapped of his shoe!".

  41. Nocroman

    Frivolous lawsuits like this one should not even be allowed to be filed. She chose of her own free will to eat a McDonalds hamburger. McDonalds is Not responsible for her bad judgement or choices in life. The verdict is in favor for the defendant and the plaintive must pay all court cost and attorney fee's for the defendant plus a $ 10,000.00 fine for filing a frivolous lawsuit against the defendant to be paid to the defendant. Next case.

  42. Doctor Tarr
    Pint

    Micro Suing

    I quite like the idea of micro suing.

    If I've had a few too many beers i'll sue the pub for the cost of the last couple (I'd take vouchers). The fact that i can't remember buying the last beers would be the evidence that I was unduly influenced.

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