They Said There Would Be a Buffet, But Only McDonald’s Was Served
Guests Outraged: “We Should Have Been Notified in Advance”
A story was reported in Taiwan about a man surnamed Lim who received cold fast food as a wedding banquet meal. The controversy has spread on social media after it was revealed that he gave a congratulatory gift of approximately 180,000 won.
On June 5 (local time), Hong Kong media outlets such as HK01 and Bastille Post reported that a guest had shared a disappointing experience on the social media platform Thread after attending a friend’s wedding.
The poster, referred to as Mr. A, claimed that although he gave a congratulatory gift of 3,600 New Taiwan dollars (about 180,000 won) at his friend’s wedding, the only food served was a set of cold McDonald’s hamburgers, pizza, and a few thin pancakes.
The venue where the event was held was also different from a typical wedding hall. Mr. A stated that the wedding took place at a facility in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where the interior resembled a gymnasium, furnished only with folding tables and chairs. On the tables, there were disposable utensils and McDonald’s drink cups.
A story about cold fast food being served at a wedding banquet in Taiwan has become a controversy. Thread
In particular, Mr. A said that although the emcee had invited guests to “fully enjoy the buffet carefully prepared by the bride and groom,” in reality, only cold fast food was provided.
Mr. A expressed, “I felt deceived, and it was so absurd that I almost wanted to ask for my congratulatory gift back.” He added, “This is not simply a matter of how much money I gave.”
He pointed out, “Originally, I expected at least a traditional wedding dish like sticky rice or a soup-based dish. If they had planned to serve fast food from the beginning, they should have at least notified us in advance when sending the invitations.”
As the post spread online, other guests who attended the same wedding also shared their accounts. One attendee said, “We received no prior explanation about the food at all. It was truly bewildering.” Another netizen wrote, “I happened to see this wedding while visiting the venue for an inspection, and I was surprised to see McDonald’s being served.” As the story spread, local online communities were filled with criticism, with some claiming, “This wasn’t a wedding, it was a business to collect congratulatory money.”
In Taiwan, it is customary for the bride and groom to serve banquet food that they have carefully prepared. Many weddings are held at hotel ballrooms or large banquet halls, offering multi-course Chinese meals. The amount of the congratulatory gift is also determined based on the quality of the meal and the scale of the wedding. In particular, since the banquet is considered an important event to express gratitude to family, relatives, and acquaintances, guests typically expect a formal meal that includes fish dishes, seafood, meat, and soup.
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Local media reported that the controversy arose not simply because of the type of food, but because the bride and groom served fast food without informing guests in advance, which heightened dissatisfaction among attendees. In fact, some guests responded, “We can understand if the food is simple, but there should have at least been prior notice.”
This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.
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