Learning to appreciate each city and country on its own terms is always a highlight of travelling, seeing how the tangles of histories have created a sense of place and culture. But the best part? Seeing how McDonald’s attempts to co-opt that identity with its country-specific menu items – sometimes successfully, sometimes not.
“See, in France we have croquettes on our menu and in America you have no culture. Meet me in Maccas in nine years.”
Immerse yourself in the world’s cultures with our handy guide of where to travel to next if you really, really love fast food.
McSpaghetti, The Phillipines
Hard pass. (Photo: Foodeverywhere.wordpress.com)
When McSpaghetti was launched in Italy in the early 2000s, it flopped more than Rita Ora’s short stint as host on America’s Next Top Model. But, just as Rita was recently awarded Most Influential International Artist in China, the McSpaghetti has found a surprising fan base in The Phillipines. It’s most popular in a combo with a piece of fried chicken, because obviously.
Apparently Italy also had McGazpacho for a little bit, though seems like someone’s tried very hard to eradicate all traces online.
McWings/Fried chicken, pretty much everywhere but English speaking countries
Purple is a big marketing colour overseas, I guess.
Big chicken has found a nest under the golden arches in plenty of countries, raising serious, serious questions about when it’ll be Australia’s turn. In Sri Lanka, you’ll naw on a McSpicy, while in Hong Kong or Arabic countries, you might eat more McWings than you thought possible. KFC, to put it lightly, is shook.
McSpicy Paneer Burger, India
Cheesy. (Photo: McDonald’s India)
Fun fact: India is the only country without a Big Mac on its Maccas menu. With 2014 estimates placing India’s vegetarian population around 70 per cent, Big M’s menu reads much more vego friendly. The highlight might be the McSpicy Paneer, a buffalo cheese and tandoori burger introduced in 2011 as a take on India’s classic cheese snack.
Business Today dive real deep into the paneer burger in this feature. Apparently paneer is very, very hard to make on a mass level – who knew?
McGreek/McArabia/McAfrica, Greece, the Middle East and Norway
Hmmm.
Veering into more controversial territory, these wraps read a little too close to when the Pokémon creative team give up and just changed a couple of pixels here and there.
Guys, you could’ve literally created anything.
McGreek is half gyro, half Big Mac – swap out the buns for pita and the classic sauce with tzatziki and you’re pretty much there. To quote Burgerlad, “it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be”, which means it’s the perfect meal for your next existential crisis.
The McArabia was released in Arabic countries in 2003 as a way to quell profit losses in wake anti-American dissent re; the Iraq war. That’s a big burden for one wrap. Not sure if it smoothed over international tensions, but this garlicky chicken wrap is still on the menu.
The McAfrica didn’t fare so well: it came out in Norway in 2002 as a tie-in to the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, which makes very little sense. Beyond the general blergness of exoticism as a marketing tool, many African nations were also experiencing a devastating famine at the time, so this wrap was derided as insensitive at best and cruel at worst. It was bought back in 2008 for some reason, which also didn’t go well.
McLobster, Canada and USA
Into this. (Photo: McDonalds.wikia.org)
Are we noticing a trend here with the names? The McLobster first came out in 1993, and now it rolls out each summer in New England and Atlantic Canada when seafood’s aplenty. In Canada, pair it with McD’s take on poutine.
McPizza, two places in America
McPizza may have officially died in the 1990s, but two spots in the USA still make their own version. In an attempt to cut a crust of Pizza Hut’s growing base, Micky D’s started offering to-order pizzas in the US in 1989, promising they’d take five minutes to make. Which they didn’t.
They were slowly phased out by the mid 1990s, but as Canada.com notes, two locations are still making their own versions – one in Pomeroy, Ohio, and one in Spencer, West Virginia. Let’s time a road trip for when the McRib makes its inevitable return.
Don’t Do What Johnny Don’t Does. (Image: Giphy.com)
Other quick mentions? Thailand’s Hot Corn Pie deserves a shout out, as does all of Japanese McDonald’s menu, which isn’t weird so much as just really high quality. Do you think Netflix would be into a Gaycation-style show, except we just fly around and eat McDonald’s?
Photo: Thrillst.com/Flikr
