McGriddles Not Key to Happiness

By Hanna Aronovich in Food on Jul 13, 2006 3:01PM

Decisions are hard. When its 11 a.m., Chicagoist doesn’t know whether its time to order an Egg McMuffin or a Big Mac. Fortunately, a new billboard at the corner of Clark and Addison is there to help us figure it out.

The billboard, which went up last Friday, shows several McDonald’s menu options. From morning until noon, the signature arches’ shadow moves across the billboard indicating what item its time for. The sundial billboard was created by Leo Burnett with the help of Chicago-based electrical engineer and technical advisor Christian Huff. The campaign is intended to keep McDonald’s in the lead in the face of breakfast competition (ahem, Starbucks).

While we think the billboard design is innovative, the real drive behind the campaign is that consumers are too dim-witted to know what to order (although, in fairness, some people need all the help they can get).

However, don’t let marketing sucker you into that second apple pie. A new study reveals jolly St. Nick is a myth in more ways than one. According to the July issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, obesity is linked with depression and other mood disorders. Whether obesity leads to depression or is the result of it is not determined (chicken, egg - you know).

Chicagoist thinks any food in moderation (even McDonald’s) fits into a healthy diet. And a little cardio can do us all some good. It also can’t hurt that McDonald’s is pulling its new spicy chicken sandwich off the menu in favor of snack-size chicken wraps to debut later this month. Because, really, it’s all about portion control.