The hamburger became a worldwide force partly associated with McDonald's obviously and but through a whole set of other forces. The American presidency has had a terrible time deciding what to do with diplomatic dinners from the get-go. Thanksgiving is not a fancy French dinner for diplomats but a dinner that essentially all Americans can afford and can cook of American ingredients. I think only if we understand how McDonald's taps into all these competing traditions that go back so deep in our culture can we understand why it became such a kind of fire point for and against about modern American food.