American fast food franchises have had a rough go of it in Iceland. The saga (no pun intended) of Domino’s Pizza in Iceland is an ongoing one. It’s also been ten years since the last McDonald’s closed its doors here. (I can confirm from experience that Subway and Quiznos are both going strong, however.) The lack of a McDonald’s retail location does not mean that there are no McDonald’s cheeseburgers to be found in Iceland. Quite the reverse, in fact.
At The Washington Post, Rick Noack has the story of a webcam which has, since 2009, documented a cheeseburger and fries purchased from McDonald’s before the chain left Iceland. It can be found on the website of Snotra House, a “self catering accommodation” located in southern Iceland.
The disturbing thing about this webcam? The fast food in question still looks much the same as it did when it was first purchased. The Post’s report includes a statement from McDonald’s suggesting that the climate and temperature of Iceland may be responsible for its staying power. As Noack phrases it, though, the burger’s staying power has taken on a symbolic significance:
The company may have debunked the myths surrounding the burger’s fresh look, but 10 years on, the political symbolism of the corporation’s withdrawal from Iceland and the last remnant of its past there appear more relevant than ever.
It also begs the question: what would it be like to taste a burger that’s been sitting there for that long? The cult comedy Review aired an episode that addressed this very question; the results were not pretty.
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