McBroke Survival Diet

A story about how Nick and his brother survived on an extremely tight budget while building their business in China.

"We were living on less than a dollar a day in China. McDonald's was actually a treat for us - we'd only go there for Christmas. A combo was probably $2.50 at that time, which shows how frugal we were.

I'd always play a trick to get extra fries. I'd eat half of them, then take them up to the counter and say 'Hey, you only filled my fries half full,' and they'd give me another one for free.

We were so frugal that when we'd go on the train, we'd use a children's pass and hope we wouldn't get caught because it was half the price. Looking back, the fee would only be 12 RMB or a couple dollars, and we'd be saving just a dollar by getting a concessionary fare. We did that for years.

My brother didn't come back to New Zealand for eight years. He lived in a tiny little room in a factory for ten years. I was so skinny at this time - but we'd celebrate Christmas at McDonald's, saying 'Merry Christmas bro' and finally eat some good food."