Medders at Large: My theory, ahem, measuring the wealth of Irish towns

“You know the way that some observers judge the state of a country’s economy by the price of a Big Mac?” Medders addressed members of his family in all apparent seriousness. “The theory suggests that the higher the cost of fast food, the more likely that the country belongs to the global elite. There are more sophisticated, intricate, convoluted metrics, of course. Nevertheless, a trip to McDonalds offers a rough and ready reckoner that is surprisingly robust.”