海角大神

The International Day of Peace, September 21, might have been the date for a ceasefire of one of the greasiest wars in history 鈥� the 鈥渂urger war鈥� between Burger King and McDonald鈥檚.

Burger King extended an olive branch to McDonald's Wednesday, proposing a collaboration between the two chains complete with a new peacetime burger, the "McWhopper." The effort was pitched as a way to raise money to promote world peace.聽

With a flashy new , full-page ads on The New York Times and The Chicago Tribune, and, one would imagine, a large Whopper scepter, "Burger King,"聽detailed a joint, one-day venture on the streets of Atlanta. A pop-up restaurant serving a combination of the Whopper and Big Mac would be established. Burger King went as far as to create a possible recipe for the 鈥淢cWhopper" containing an even division of ingredients from both the Big Mac and Whopper. The final product would have a combination of patties and utilize the Big Mac鈥檚 secret sauce.

Burger King's聽efforts to display their willingness to compromise and sense of diplomacy聽went all the way down to the details. From the 鈥淢cWhopper鈥� recipe to the custom uniforms, nearly everything appears to be an even split. Even the location, Atlanta, was chosen as a half-way point between the two corporate headquarters. Proceeds would be donated to ,聽a nonprofit group that aims to make an 鈥渁nnual day of global unity.鈥�

聽has been working since 1999 to ensure the International Day of Peace is recognized across the globe. Jeremy Gilley spoke about the project on , saying 鈥淚t leads by example and demonstrates a genuine commitment to Peace Day鈥�.鈥�

McDonald鈥檚 CEO and arguably the most powerful man in the burger world, Steve Easterbrook, Wednesday morning. The response was vague, but a definite rejection of the McWhopper, with Mr. Easterbrook stating: 鈥淲e love the intention but think our two brands could do something bigger to make a difference.鈥� His note ended with the admonition that 鈥渁 simple phone call will do next time.鈥澛�

For many who grew up in America, McDonald鈥檚 response to Burger King is not surprising. The rivalry between the two companies has often been intense since both burger chains entered the national market in the mid-1900s. McDonald鈥檚 Corporation founder Ray Kroc once said of his competitors, 鈥淚f they were drowning to death, I鈥檇 put the hose in their mouth.鈥�

However, with the recent slip in sales for both companies 鈥� Burger King only recently regained its number two spot for burger sales from Wendy鈥檚 and McDonald鈥檚 just reported a 10 percent drop in quarterly sales 鈥� maybe things are changing.

The McWhopper campaign is in tatters, but it ended with the potential for peace. Easterbrook's post invited Burger King to join McDonald's in a "meaningful global effort," to raise awareness. If Burger King and McDonald鈥檚 can put aside their differences and reach across the grill for peace in a different way, there might still be hope for the rest of the world. Perhaps NATO and Russia, Israel and Hamas, and North Korea and the world will follow their example.