We don’t go to McDonald’s often — actually we rarely go to McDonald’s. Living overseas years ago, lots of people that I was stationed with would say one of the first things they were going to do when they got back home, was go to McDonald’s. I never missed there not being a McDonald’s around — and back then, if you weren’t in the United States, there wasn’t a McDonald’s.
Of course that’s all changed today and some of the food served in McDona;d’s in other countries seems like I’d be more likely to eat there….
If you happen to be in Malaysia you can get a Mango McFlurry, made with mango and chocolatey Oreo bits, swirled in vanilla ice cream. And you can also order a Thai Green Curry Chicken Burger — chicken topped with Thai green curry sauce. It’s served on an oblong bun. The unofficial national dish in Malaysia is nasa lemak. You can get it at just about any eatery, including McDonald’s. It’s rice cooked in coconut milk, served with fried anchovies, fresh cucumber, and fried, or boiled egg. It comes with sambal (made with chillies, shallots and garlic) and a side of fried chicken.
If you like cheeseburgers and are in India, order the McSpicy Paneer — it’s a crispy patty made with paneer, a popular cheese used in Indian cooking. The sandwich comes with creamy tandoori sauce and lettuce. A staple of south Indian cuisine, dosa is a thin fermented rice and lentil pancake with a spicy potato filling. McDonald’s in India serves a burger with a turmeric-spiced mashed potato and pea patty and chutney inside a bun. And you can have breakfast at McDonald’s in India — they serve scramble eggs with herbs and spices on a toasted bun. Interestingly, their breakfast menu also contains plain scrambled eggs, hash browns and hot cakes.
McDonald’s in Hong Kong specializes in seafood burgers. The Ebi Burgers contain crisp, juicy shrimp patties. They also serve a breaded fish fillet that often has a pineapple ring on top.
If you’re in Bangkok, or probably anywhere in Thailand, they’ve taken McDonald’s signature apple pie shell and stuffed it with a sweet, salty and creamy corn filling — it’s called a Corn Pie. Also on the menu is the Kaprao Crispy Chicken dish. It’s fried Chicken in a sweet and spicy sauce, served with rice. And — they also offer the Samurai Pork Burger, a pork patty covered in teriyaki sauce, topped with lettuce and mayo, served on a bun.
McDonald’s in the Philippines serves a cheese Omlet sandwich — the Cheesy Eggdesal breakfast sandwich. It consists of a fluffy, folded egg, with melted cheese in the middle, in a soft, toasted bun. One menu item the Filipinos consider a classic is Chicken McDo with McSpaghetti. The dish consist of one piece of crispy chicken served with spaghetti in a minced beef and tomato sauce, topped with cheese.
South Korea’s McDonald’s feature a pork burger named the Bulgogi Burger — a pork patty covered in sweet, sticky bulgogi sauce, served on a bun with lettuce and mayo.
The McChicken Sandwich served Saudi Arabian style consists of two haial grilled chicken patties with lettuce, tomato, onion and garlic sauce, served in a flatbread.
In Australia breakfast at McDonald’s features the Big Brekkie Burger — a beef patty, hash browns, egg, bacon, melted cheese and barbecue sauce on a toasted sesame bun.
And when you get back home to the U.S., head to McDonald’s in Hawaii and have breakfast. The Local Deluxe Breakfast is a plate of rice, scrambled eggs, Spam and Portuguese sausage.
If some of these items make it to Shepherdstown, I might add to my recommended places to eat — now if we could just get a glass of wine to go along with these items….
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