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Is There Really a McDonald's in Iraq?

Even though we've located this McDonald's imposter in Dohuk, Iraq, we have yet to find a true Golden Arches in the country, one with Quarter pounders and McFlurrys and all that fast food that so bad for you and yet tastes so good.

Yet, after we posted the story on the Iraq knock-off restaurant, we heard from a Jaunted reader serving in the Middle East, who assures us that "there are a few at Forward operating bases all over the country of Iraq. For one instance is the one at Camp Speicher Iraq." So we did some more digging, and although we found mentions of a Subway, Burger King and Pizza Hut at Camp Speicher near Tikrit, any McDonald's locations remained top secret.

But before entering what might be a completely McDs-free land, soldiers homesick with hamburgers usually roll up to the open-24-hours McDonald's at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where many flights leave to or arrive from Baghdad. We managed to find a picture of it above, and it's probably similar to whatever Golden Arches might be found closer to the front lines.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· What Is A McDonalds Doing in Iraq? [Jaunted]
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in the World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmm' [Jaunted]

[Photo: Bee's Blog]

Most Shocking McDonalds / Most-Shocking-McDonalds-Locations / McDonalds / Fast Food Travel / Iraq Travel / → All Tags

What Is A McDonalds Doing In Iraq?

From Oman straight into the heart of Iraq, we continue to explore the world of fast food; namely McDonald's, that controversial culture-bridger. Only this time, we're not talking about a real McDonald's, but a fake! We'll let the Jaunted reader who sent us the photo explain:

This is not really a McDonalds location, but a knockoff restaurant located in Dohuk, Iraq. I visited the city with some Kurdish colleagues and was told that it was the best location in town for a hamburger. Needless to say, Iraqi versions of hamburgers are very different than what we are used to.

They have the golden arches and the right colors, but they don't have the name "McDonald's," and we did a little internet digging and couldn't come find a single true McDonald's listed in Iraq, although some military bases boast Pizza Hut, Burger King and Subway. Well, we guess the soldiers with a hankering for a Quarter Pounder with cheese will just have to make their way to the Majorca Restaurant in Dohuk.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations In The World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmmm' [Jaunted]
· Fast Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: P. Ammar]

Most Shocking McDonalds / Most-Shocking-McDonalds-Locations / McDonalds / Fast Food Travel / Oman Travel / → All Tags

Order Up A McArabia At The McDonalds In Muscat, Oman

It's a new year and you know what that means? Time to continue discovering the world'smost shocking McDonalds locations, and with the help of a Jaunted reader, we're heading back into the Middle East.

Last time we hit up a shocking golden arches, it was in the middle of Israel's Negev Desert, and this time it's in Muscat, Oman. Accompanying this photo, the reader shared her shock:

I snapped this picture while touring through Muscat, Oman in the Middle East. Strange sight indeed!

We just hope she opted to try the McArabia sandwich! Apparently this McDonalds was the third McDs to open in the Middle East, way back in 1994 after Ronald stepped into Riyadh and Jeddah first.

Got another shocking McDonald's location we should know about? This is going to be a running series, so email us your suggestions!

Related Stories:
· The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations In The World [Jaunted]
· More McDonalds Locations That Make You Go 'Hmmm' [Jaunted]
· Fast Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: L. Loverro]

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Eat Your McShawarma In the Middle of the Negev Desert

A "shocked" tipster sent in this shot of a shocking McDonald's location yesterday saying:

While driving from Tel Aviv to the Israel’s resort city Eilat, on the Red Sea, we stumbled upon a random McDonalds in the Negev Desert…the middle of nowhere!!

We actually had quite a tough time trying to find the address of this place, namely because we can't read Hebrew. But we think we've got the right location on our map, thanks to a translator. (If it's not, let us know.)

And like our tipster, you will probably roll through the The Negev Desert as you make you way to the south of Israel to the resort towns. So perhaps sensing a need for a fast food stop for all these resort trekkers, someone opened up McDonald's (with a McCafe!) along this route.

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Most-Shocking-McDonalds-Locations / Most Shocking McDonalds / McDonalds / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

More McDonald's Locations That Make You Go 'Hmmm....'

Yesterday we put forth five "shocking" McDonald's locations, places that make us question why some overeager McDonald's franchiser chose to disrupt the serenity/beauty/awesomeness of an ancient site with the "can't miss 'em" yellow Golden Arches and the overpowering smell of salty, oil-drenched fries.

While we can't answer that question--other than to say "money, money, money"--we do have a few more shocking McDonald's locations to add to our map, courtesy of some wonderful tipsters.

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Most Shocking McDonalds / Most-Shocking-McDonalds-Locations / McDonalds / Fast Food Travel / → All Tags

The Most Shocking McDonald's Locations in The World

You often hear people say that when Armageddon comes, the only survivors left will be cockroaches and Cher. Well, you might want to add McDonald's to the survivors list too.

There are over 31,000 McDonald's locations world-wide and the catchphrase, "I'm loving it" has been translated to at least 16 different languages. And even though the menus may vary from country to country, the Golden Arches remain.

Of course, we expect to find McDonald's in bustling city centers, airports, and suburban spots frequented by moms in minivans, but nothing can quite prepare us for the shock we feel when stepping out of an ancient palace, museum, or monument and the Golden Arches are beckoning us to come inside and order a Big Mac (or if you're in Norway, a McLak salmon sandwich.)

Below are five shocking McDonald's locations that we've found. We know that there are more out there, so go on and send us your most shocking McDonald's location moment. Don't be shy -- send us photos, stories, you know the drill and we will get the golden arches up on our Most Shocking McDonald's in the World Map.

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