On all of our trips, we make at least one stop at a McDonalds, to see just how different the food is from one country to the next. What is different on the menu, for example McLamb in Scotland and a veggie patty in Egypt.  Are the fries the same? Do they serve beer? We once had a Quarter Pounder that was, literally, 6″ across. We weren’t quite sure what the meat was, but it wasn’t 100% beef, I can tell you that! We often used the “quarter pounder meal exchange rate” to figure out just how cheap or expensive a particular country was. At home, it runs about 12 bucks for two burgers + fries + large soda. In Norway, it was the equivalent of forty-four bucks. In Egypt, it was perhaps five. It’s an interesting way to see just how the standard-generic-fast-food meal of America has been exported.

Alas, there has been no McDonalds in Iceland since 2009.  During the economic crisis, they closed their doors. But, since local burger joints have thrived, I have to believe it’s just that Icelanders preferred their burgers local, fresh, and with lots of sauce!

Plus, food is expensive in Iceland. Going out to eat is not something you do with only a few Kroner in your pocket. Even “cheap” food isn’t, if you compare it to what you’re used to at home, since nearly everything has to be imported. So I imagine that if you are going to spend a pretty penny having a meal out, it had better be something very good. So, good old predictable, consistent-but-meh McDs didn’t make it.