Welcome to McDonald’s. May I take your New World Order?
YOU CAN’T ESCAPE. Maybe you thought that going to Egypt, Israel, China or Malaysia would spare you the sight of the golden arches. Maybe you thought you could see the iconic structures of Rome, cover every inch of the Louvre, or sightsee in historic Vienna without being jarred by the realization that McDonald’s is a world leader in globalization. But you certainly saw quickly that you were wrong.
Billions and billions served, it’s true. Sometimes the biggest fast food chain in the world makes an attempt to blend, but when they can get away with it, that yellow M towers over the scenery, a beacon of fake cheese and pressed meats, omnipresent, infinitely adaptable, and painfully conspicuous, no matter how thoroughly entrenched in centuries old architecture the branch may be.
The Economist claims that its Big Mac Index (which compares prices of the sandwich by nation) “is arguably the world’s most accurate financial indicator to be based on a fast-food item.” McDonald’s, it seems is everywhere, and not going away.
Luxor Temple of ancient Thebes, constructed 1400 BC, court of Amenhotep III, and a prime view of the nearby McDonald's. Photo: k9nine.
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Rome, Italy
We can't be sure. Is McDonald's directing us to the Pantheon or to itself? Both? Photos: saragoldsmith.
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Yangshou, China
Ahhh. A beautiful day in a beautiful place by the side of a beautiful river with karsts, trees, birdsong, and a McDonald's. Photo: ToGa Wanderings.
Intermission
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Negev Desert, Israel
Rich with history, inhabited for at least 4,000 years, once the Kingdom of Solomon then Kingdom of Judah and now home to a McDonald's. Photo: SpecialKRB
Piazza della Repubblica where Naiads frolic, or maybe they're running to grab a McRoyale. Photo: timatymusic
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Beijing, China
Beijing, China: McDonald's towering over Beijing pedway. Photo: kenner116
Intermission
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Bavarian style McDonald's in Leavenworth, WA, USA
In 1962, a project was undertaken to transform the economically bereft Leavenworth into a Bavarian village to boost tourism. Witness perhaps the only Bavarian style McDonald's in existence, but I bet they're still serving Quarter Pounders instead of the Hamburger Royal TS. Photo: internets_diary
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Selangor, Malaysia
Scenic roadside view from the Klang Valley in Selangor, Malaysia. With a McDonald's. Photo:: uduokkamah
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Vienna, Austria
Palais Wertheim is the home to the first ever McDonald's in Austria. Photo: S1
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Valparaiso, Chile
ValparaÃso,Chile: Valpo camouflaged, but pink in the wrong part of town. Photo: Anna Maj Michelson
Intermission
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Tempere, Finland
The Commerce Building is noteworthy architecturally and mentioned on several tourist sites for Tempere. It also houses a McDonald's. Photo: M62
My friend, trilingual translator extraordinaire Valeria Otero says of this Micky D's, "Martinstor is one of the gates to the Altstadt (the old city), Freiburg's old city center is very well preserved and they have very strict rules regarding building's facades: supposedly, they must remain untouched. That makes the McDonald's sign stand out even more!" Photo: Flominator
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Guantanamo, Cuba
McDonald's Guantanamo, making an ugly situation just a little uglier. Photo: Author unknown
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McDonald's that was once a bank; Kristiansand, Norway
A former bank, this is the most imposing McDonald's yet. Photo: Tomasz Sienicki
