In Amsterdam last summer my husband and I stayed at a local hotel on the little side street next to the Marriott. Every morning he insisted on hoofing it over to the McDonald's several blocks away for his morning caffeine fix. I would stand outside feeling disgusted and looking utterly bored. Guess I would rather die than go inside a Golden Arches Country Club overseas. However, I have to admit that I did allow him to bring me a Diet Coke a couple of times, but I refused to go in there myself and I drank it down as fast as possible and got rid of the evidence (er, cup) FAST... http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Even in Chicago, the home of the original McDonald's (the 'burbs anyway), they were not allowed to put the Golden Arches up on Michigan Ave. several years ago - just a very discreet little sign. Dianne47, your comments made me think about how one gets a Diet Coke fix in foreign countries. I just might to a post on that!

hey

mcdonalds in finland serves a rye burger..instead of the normal bun there is dark rye bread. And salads...4 different ones.

as mcrt said about the rock-n-roll mcdonalds , we have one too in helsinki. We also have a Space mc donalds, which apparently is space themed and to top it off a formula1 mcdonalds...with the car racing theme..

ive noticed that in southern europe and well other parts of europe too smoking is allowed (which i like) in a smoking section, with little aluminum ash trays on the tables! should be like that everywhere!

the mcdonalds here has also introduced a mcItaly, Mc Mexico and every time a new disney movie comes out a Mc Hercules or whatever...

cheers jetboy

I am not a huge McD fan, but in Indonesia, it was a place to get a soda where the ice wasn't suspect.

I saw that Indonesia has already been covered but I thought I would mention that McDonalds on Bali is the only one in Indo that serves pork. There is no sausage or bacon available at the McD's in the rest of the country.

Lots of Indonesians eat Chicken and Rice at Mcdonalds. I was surprised to learn that some of them eat at McD's regularly and had never even tried a cheeseburger.

Needless to say, I was a missionary and converted some folks to the cheeseburger faith! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

best regards,
-levi aka eastwest

I've been to that BK and I agree wholeheartedly - it really is a tourist attraction in its own right.

It is well situated in Christchurch too. I recall my first trip to Christchurch on my honeymoon in 1994. At that time we visited a Beatles 60s themed restaurant there that was very good. It was called the Sergeant Peppers Steak House and it is adorned with Beatles posters , records - it is really like stepping back into the 60s.

I found the following article about it. If it is still standing go visit it next time you are in Christchurch.
http://www.wallofsound.go.com/archiv...les030999.html

I also recommend visiting the day of the Santa Parade in Christchurch.

cheers Peter

ps Yes they do have McDonalds in Christchurch also.

Here's a photo
http://www.whatson.org/dining/sergeantpeppers.htm

cheers Peter

Recall, regarding pork in Indonesia, that Bali is a Hindi enclave and not Muslim like the rest of the archipalago nation! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Yet I was once in Bali during Ramadan and was initially somewhat shocked at the number of folks fasting! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Wrong sandwich. The one you describe was a McDLT. The Arch Deluxe was an "adult" sandwich with a peppery sauce and a soft bakery style bun. McDLT was the best idea for a hamburger if you like your lettuce and tomato cold!

Remember all of those styrofoam containers and the "real" fried apple pies? Check out Istanbul because that's where Mickey D's sent them. Every last one of them!

McDonald's in Rio de Janeiro is basically laid out like those that are found in Canada or the US.

The only different food choice that I have seen there is a "McCheddar" which is this delicious 1/4lb'er with melted cheddar cheese and enough cut up onions to smother the entire thing on a whole wheat bun. I've never seen it anywhere else except Brasil.

All these posts and no one has answered Peter's question. A pasta bar is the same thing as a salad bar, except with pasta instead of salad... They are very common in cafeterias in Europe and US

For Scottish fare in Japan we have:

1) Green tea sprinkles for the fries
2) Melon flavored shakes
3) Salmon Sandwiches
4) A variety of special sandwiches which invariably include lots of black pepper and a spicy mayonnaise.
5) Corn soup
6) A smile for Zero Yen (its on the menu)
7) And horror of horrors - Hot Dogs

In Singapore, you find:
1) fried chicken
2) Chili sauce available along with the standard ketchup

Mike

The first time that I ever went to a McDonalds was in Macau.

According to local lore in Barbados, their McDonald's is the only one that ever went out of business. Seems residents prefer their plentiful fresh fish.

According to local lore in Barbados, their McDonald's is the only one that ever went out of business. Seems residents prefer their plentiful fresh fish.

Currently, Alitalia has an MD-83 flying with the "McPlane" scheme.

Also, I believe right outside of Beijing there is a McDonald's with 155 cashiers!

The McDonalds in Bangkok opens at 6:00am but does not serve breakfast. They close at 3:00am, so its burgers & fries 21 hours a day. They also deliver. That was a weird experience but one can only eat so much Pad Thai before a Big Mac at 2am starts sounding good.

Also, they have the original apple pies like when we were kids. Deep fried in that good old Crisco. They also have something that sounded so disgusting, I wouldn't dare try it. Corn pie. Just like the deep fried apple pie, but filled with canned corn. Apparently, its a hot item all over the country. They also do one with pineapple. Ugh.

I ate a chicken sandwhich & fries at one in Casablanca. Tasted the same as here. When the kitchen manager found out I was an American, he came out to ask me how the food was, then made a big announcement that I said it was exactly the same in America. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I just had breakfast this morning at my favorite "McDonalds", in San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, before leaving for the three hour drive south to Puerto Vallarta to catch the America West flight home.

No relation to the golden arches, just an ordinary local restuarant started by a Mexican woman and her Gringo husband named McDonald 50 years ago.

Surprised there is no law suit pending, OG! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif


On Monday, a cracker called "Fluffy Bunny" took advantage of a well-publicized hole in BIND, the software that translates word-based Web addresses into a numerical form understandable to computers– and managed to transform McDonalds' website in the Great Britain into "McDicks" for several hours.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology...,42047,00.html

Helen, Georgia (an Alpine-theme town in Northeast GA) also wouldn't let McDonald's in, although the issue there was the under-roof fluorescent beams.

McDonald's checks in as hotel operator

http://www.usatoday.com/money/genera...nalds-side.htm

I learned on vacation that Montpelier, Vermont, is the only U.S. state capital without a McDonald's.

I know that one or two are open late in the Silom-Suriwongse area, but most in town, such as along Sukumvit and Ploencit seem to uniformly close at 10pm.

Not as exotic as some of the other responses but...I just had a McBrautwurst at the Mickey D's at the Cleveland Zoo. Only in the Midwest !!!!!!!!
P.S. Certainly not health food but it tasted pretty good.

I've seen McDonalds with shrimp salads, sub sandwiches, beer, burritos, patty melts, spicy hamburgers, curry sauce for the fires, espresso, fried chicken, steamed danishes, yogurt parfaits, and sausages.

I've seen McDonalds that didn't sell hamburgers at all, and McDonalds that only had little burgers -- no 1/4 pounders. At the MSP airport is a McDonalds kiosk that only sells drinks and desserts.

I did one of the ones in Moscow (near or on the Arbut?) several years ago. We didn't really plan to go, but our regular plans fell through.

I was there in January, at a time few tourists are in town, and the amount available of fresh food is limited. It was actually kind of nice to get a taste of home (and decent restrooms)! I did a milkshake, fries, and bacon double cheeseburger. The bacon turned out to be what they call "canadian bacon" here and put on the Egg McMuffins, really a round piece of ham.

Incidentally--the McDonalds in Sedona, Arizona, just north of here is the only one in the world with teal arches. Zoning wins a small victory!

When I was in Malta, McDonald’s was serving such odd items as the McToast for breakfast and the McMexico sandwich.

Apparently because of a dress code, many of the employees at a Malta McDonald’s were a blue shirt. Men wear dark ties and pants; women wear dark skirts and shoes — in many cases, high-heeled shoes.

---------------------

Whether it is Australia, Italy, Japan, Malta or New Zealand, has anyone ever noticed that McDonald’s is consistently overall far better (in terms of service, freshness of food, cleanliness, etc.) around the world than in the United States?

Some more McDonalds facts:

1) McDonalds used to have a plane that flew and served McDonalds however they couldnt serve fries as the hot oil was a health and safety hazard.

2) The McDonalds that I worked at for some time in the summer of 2000 made the same amount of profit in a month as Terminal 4 airside does in an hour!

3) The McDonalds I went to in Wall Street, NYC had a live piano player who had to climb up a ladder to get to his position

------------------
'There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror'
Orson Welles (1915–1985)

There is a fascinating book, "Golden Arches East," that is an academic discussion of the affect of McDonald's appearances in South-east Asian Countries. As I recall there was discussion about Japan, Hong Kong, and China, to begin with -- but its been several years since I've read it.

The exact title is "Golden arches east : McDonald's in East Asia" and it was edited by James L. Watson )Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press) 1997.

Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

i'm glad the ones in california does not serve a McDoobie

McD's memories:

Japan: Fanta Apple soda (1977).
Singapore: McPepperBurger (black pepper sauce like what's on a pepper crab) (1996).

McRib is back - had one at O'Hare last week. Didn't live up to my memory of it.

McDonald's in India has eliminated their Lamb products (Beef or Pork were never served to begin with) leaving only Chicken, Fish and Vegetarian options on the menu.

I can honestly state that the crap served by McD in India is some of the most vile sh*t I have ever tasted (and I am a huge McD's fan otherwise).

Some of the viler concoctions served are :

McAloo Tikki Burger : Fried Potato Sandwich
McSalad Burger : Lettuce and Tomato in a bun with Thousand Island dressing
Vegetable McNuggets with McImli sauce : Tamarind dipping sauce for what looks like hashbrowns containing green peas
Brocolli McCurry Puff : A pizza with curry sauce and Brocolli toppings

Excuse me for cutting this short, but it makes me nauseous to just write about it.

I disagree. Downey, CA. may be the oldest operating MickeyD, but the first on was opened in Des Plaines, IL. Today the original building serves as the official MickeyD museum.


[This message has been edited by andrzej (edited 06-27-2003).]

When in Europe, there's nothing better than the fried apple pies - McD's used to have them here, but switched over those nasty baked apple pies. man i love those things, 2 for 1 euro...great stuff! why did they ever get rid of them???

I just read the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser... Therefore, I withhold all comments.

Fried in boiling grease... sued when one burned somebody, just like their coffee. Or so the rumour goes. Probably a victim of the anti-fried food mania that swept through the business (baked = healthier - yeah, right).

The second franchised McDonalds (after Des Plaines) was located near the corner of Blackstone and Shields avenue in Fresno, about a mile from my family home (many memories of 15-cent hamburgers) .....

The building has been razed and rebuilt twice, once in the '70s, and again in the '90s in the "retro" style

http://www.media.mcdonalds.com/secur...tory/timeline/

Well it wasn't a fried apple pie that I had in Thailand. It was green and yummy. Possibly Taro?

Other recent foreign McDonalds finds:
McGreek in Madrid 6 months ago and a vanilla Malt in Mexico last month. Both were yummy!

After eating local foods for 4-5 days straight you sometimes need a cheeseburger & Coke to get your stomach back in line.

Keba

OH so true, after 15 days in China and Hong Kong being hosted at many multi-course dinners feasting on sharkfin soup, lobster sashimi and barbecued eel I was DYING for a quarter-pounder and large fries. I felt like such a heathen but ahhhh such yummy grease. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif

I'm surprised I never noticed this thread before...

I've seen the teal arches in Sedona... though it matches the town, they should have stuck w/ their brand color!! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

Moscow McD's-- they really do have great fries.

Just went to one in Mijas, Spain (Andalucia).. and had a McRib sandwich... I don't think I have had one of those in 20 years (in southern CA)!

I don't think Belize has one yet (at least it didn't when I was there).

I often crave McD's the most in an airport in a foreign country. Would love a simple burger and small fries, and not one of those mayo-filled long bagette sandwiches.