MCDONALD'S TO OPEN NEXT TO THE LOUVRE AT THE CARROUSEL DE LOUVRE

FRENCH CULTURE AND AMERICAN CONVENIENCE WILL COME TOGETHER IN DECEMBER, THANKS TO PLANS BY MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT CHAIN TO OPEN IN THE SHADOW OF THE LOUVRE. MCDONALD'S IS DELIGHTED AT THE PROSPECT OF FEEDING THE MASS OF HUNGRY CULTURE VULTURES. BUT NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY ABOUT THE MIXING OF HIGH ART AND FAST FOOD. THE MCDONALD'S WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE FOOD COURT OF THE UNDERGROUND MALL ADJOINING THE MUSEUM, KNOWN AS THE CARROUSEL DE LOUVRE, AS THE FAST FOOD CHAIN FETES ITS 30th ANNIVERSARY IN FRANCE, MCDONALD'S FRANCE SAID IN A RECENT PRESS RELEASE. THE PAIRING COULD SERVE THE INTERESTS OF BOTH. THE LOUVRE IS THE WORLD'S MOST VISITED MUSEUM; FRANCE IS MCDONALD'S TOP MARKET OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. THE LOUVRE REFUSED COMMENT ON THE EXPECTED ARRIVAL OF ITS NEW NEIGHBOR. SPOKESWOMAN AGGY LEROLLE SAID ONLY THAT IT IS NOT UP TO THE MUSEUM VETO TO MCDONALD'S ARRIVAL SINCE THE CAROUSEL IS RUN BY A PRIVATE COMPANY RATHER THAN A STATE-RUN MUSEUM. HOWEVER, SOME FRENCH ARE INDIGENT ABOUT MIXING FRENCH FRIES AND ART TREASURES IN THE BACKYARD OF THE FORMER PALACE OF THE SUN KING, LOUIS XIV. THE WEBSITE louvrepourtous.fr, WHICH IS AIMED AT KEEPING MUSEUM VISITORS INFORMED, IS AMONG THOSE WHOSE HACKLES HAVE BEEN RAISED AT THE COMING OF MCDONALD'S, EVEN IN A FOOD COURT WHERE A VARIETY OF RESTAURANTS OFFERING CUISINES OF THE WORLD ARE PRESENT. "RENDEZVOUS IN DECEMBER FOR A MONA LISA EXTRA VALUE MENU", IT WROTE, CONTENDING THAT THE LOUVRE COULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE, PUT ITS FOOT DOWN AT THE PROSPECT OF MCDONALD'S MOVING SO CLOSE. SOME SAW MCDONALD'S TASTE FOR ART COMING LONG AGO. IN JANUARY 2007, THE CULTURE WING OF THE LARGE CFDT UNION DECRIED WHAT IT SAID WAS THE "DISNEYLANDIZATION" OF FRENCH CULTURE, CLAIMING THE STATE IS LOOKING TO TURN MUSEUMS INTO MONEY MAKING THEME PARKS. IT CITED PLAN FOR THE SO-CALLED DESERT LOUVRE, TO OPEN IN 2013 IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, AND THE ARRIVAL OF A STARBUCKS COFFEE HOUSE NEAR THE LOUVRE. MCDONALD'S SAYS THAT THERE IS NO SPECIFIC DATE SET FOR ITS OPENING AT THE CARROUSEL DU LOUVRE.