Fries with your McBaguette? For some travellers, McDonald’s is a destination
When in Morocco, one might visit the El Badi Palace, walk the grounds of the Koutoubia Mosque or enjoy a meal of dates and chebakia at… McDonald’s?
For some, dining at McDonald’s has become part of the fun of travelling abroad. With distinctive locations – a “ski-through” restaurant in Sweden, a decommissioned Douglas DC-3 aircraft in New Zealand – and vastly different menus, the fast-food chain has adapted to a host of cultures, drawing locals and tourists alike.
Across TikTok, YouTube and Reddit, travellers have marvelled at the options: poutine in Canada, jamon Iberico sandwiches in Spain, fried chicken in Malaysia, macarons in France and McSpaghetti in the Philippines, to name a few.
Though some seasoned travellers may look down on dining at McDonald’s in Paris or Bangkok, the brand’s fans say it is worth seeing how the chain adapts to local cultures. It has become an entry point into an unfamiliar cuisine or a way to mix the comforts of home with something new.
That is how Gary He, a photographer based in New York City, sees it. He recently released McAtlas: A Global Guide To The Golden Arches, a 420-page self-published book of photos documenting the global McDonald’s experience.
He, whose project was not authorised by McDonald’s, said it showed the vast difference between McDonald’s locations in the United States and those abroad.
“McDonald’s is known for its consistency, but as you go around the world, you realise that really isn’t the case,” he said. “It goes against everything you believe or know or assume about the brand when you’re in the US.”
The book features photos he took at McDonald’s restaurants in 50 countries, showcasing local menu offerings, distinctive architecture and stunning settings.
The images speak to an experience that has increasingly piqued interest among travellers.
Mr Christopher Sze, 35, and Ms Stephanie Round, 36, recently sampled five kinds of vegetarian burgers at a McDonald’s in Mumbai, including the McSpicy Paneer and McAloo Tikki Burger, for their food and travel blog, Hungry Two Travel.
“It is very interesting just to see how McDonald’s adapts to these cultures,” Ms Round said. “If it didn’t, people just wouldn’t go there. You can tell they do their research.”
An image provided by Gary He of a McDonald’s outlet in Shenzhen, China.PHOTO: GARY HE/MCATLAS/NYTIMES
For the chain, which has nearly 42,000 restaurants in about 100 countries, it is an important part of its business abroad.
In a statement, McDonald’s said it was “passionate about our connection to and understanding of our communities”. While it is possible to grab a Big Mac or french fries at any location, roughly a third of the menu items in each country are customised, incorporating local ingredients, flavours, customs and traditional dishes, the company said.
Photographer He, 40, said he ate “tonnes of McDonald’s” as a child growing up with “immigrant parents who were just getting by”. He cherished the chain’s cheeseburgers and Happy Meals, and continued to eat there as he travelled as a working photographer.
About six years ago, while on a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco, during Ramadan, he sampled the McDonald’s spin on an iftar meal, which is eaten to break the fast after sunset.
“I said, ‘This is just so different than what I would ever expect’,” he recalled, adding that it made him wonder: “What else is out there?”
An image provided by Gary He of a McDonald’s outlet in Kuwait City.PHOTO: GARY HE/MCATLAS/NYTIMES
After Covid-19 pandemic travel restrictions lifted, he began documenting the global spread of McDonald’s and photographing its more idiosyncratic locations and menu offerings.
He visited the “McSki” at the Lindvallen ski resort in Salen, Sweden, which provides a ski-through window at the base of a slope. He travelled to a location in a Japanese-style community garden in Singapore complete with ponds and footbridges. And in Taupo, New Zealand, he ate inside a decommissioned Douglas DC-3 plane.
A McDonald’s outlet in a Japanese-style community garden in Singapore in 2023 in this image provided by Gary He.PHOTO: GARY HE/MCATLAS/NYTIMES
He said he hoped his photographs “open up people’s eyes” and show that, with McDonald’s, “it is not just globalisation, there is a lot of localisation going on”.
He is hardly alone in his fanaticism.
An image of the “McSki” at the Lindvallen ski resort in Salen, Sweden, in 2022 by photographer Gary He.PHOTO: GARY HE/MCATLAS/NYTIMES
Ms Jaya Saxena, 38, a correspondent at Eater.com, frequented the McDonald’s below her apartment when she was studying in Rome in 2007.
It was a budget-friendly option for a college student, and she said she was amazed by the pastries and beer and wine offerings. She particularly loved the Baci McFlurry, featuring a popular Italian hazelnut chocolate.
She has since visited McDonald’s locations across the globe – the ones in India are among her favourites – and always makes sure to check out what local delicacies appear in the McFlurries, like Cadbury chocolate in Ireland.
“I’m getting something that they absolutely would not have in the US,” Ms Saxena said. “And that just sort of lights something up in your brain.”
An image by Gary He of a McDonald’s advertisement in New Delhi in 2023.PHOTO: GARY HE/MCATLAS/NYTIMES
Not even decorated chefs are immune. Chef Johnny Spero at Reverie, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington, stops at McDonald’s when he travels abroad for work, as he did recently in Brussels, Belgium, and Kyoto, Japan. The 39-year-old also proudly displays a copy of McAtlas at Reverie, where the tasting menu runs around US$300 (S$400) a person.
“It is not something I eat regularly here,” he said, “but for some reason, when you’re abroad, I just want to see how different it is.” NYTIMES
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