McDonald’s, a classic American mainstay, has always been a fun place to go when traveling in other countries or even in other parts of America. I had a cone-cup at the McDonald’s in Poland, McFalafel in Israel (don’t try it), and even McCrab Cakes in Maryland. But McDonald’s in Argentina is a sight to behold—it might have started out as an American restaurant, but here, the chain has several distinct Argentine twists. I knew coming in that some things would be different, like having to ask for ice and not having bucket-sized Diet Coke (oh how I miss the $1 giant drinks), but I wasn’t prepared for all the ways the McDonalds would reflect local culture too.
The counter of McCafe inside of an Argentine McDonald's. It's a cross between Starbucks and the usual McDonald's coffee offerings.
First, Argentines love their coffee and pastries, particularly eaten in the late afternoon. The “meal,” called merienda, is to tide you over until dinner around 9 to 11 p.m. McCafe, which is just its own panel on the menu in the states, is its own separate mini-restaurant within the larger McDonald’s. On its website, which has uncomfortable theme music, you can see the various offerings—lots of pastries, various specialty coffees in real glass cups, newspapers and magazines at your disposal, so high-class you might forget you're in the world’s largest fast food chain. Related in the layout of the stores is the window facing out that sells the ice cream products; you don’t even have to go inside to grab a 70 cent cone or other cold snack.
On the linguistic side, going to McDonald’s can be quite the challenge for an English speaker. The majority of the foods have the same name, but if you go and ask for a McFlurry or Big Mac in an American accent, you will be served with a confused look. The trick is to say the English word in an Argentina accent. Big Mac becomes “Beeg Mah-k,” McFlurry “Mik Flurrrrrrri.” I try to avoid ordering the McFlurry because I still can’t do the double r- sound and opt for the basic cone to avoid embarrassment.
Argentine economic policy even comes into play. It is actually cheaper to buy a Big Mac than a plain quarter-pounder here—that doesn’t make much sense? When you go into the store, a Big Mac isn’t advertised, or at least, its price isn’t. It is much easier to see the values of a quarter-pounder (yes, they still use that term even though Argentines have no idea how much a pound is) or any other food item. When I was at McDonald’s last week, a Big Mac combo was ARS 40, and my quarter pounder (I didn’t even bother to ask for it plain, the equivalent of asking the workers to serve the burger on a gold plate here) combo was ARS 60. What gives?
The Economist magazine has something called The Big Mac Index – the logic is that a Big Mac is roughly the same around the world, and you can compare the price of Big Macs to see larger economic trends about the value of currencies around the world. Many debate the usefulness of this tool, but we can be sure that the Argentine government takes it seriously enough to manipulate the price of a burger. It’s a well-known fact that government officials have meddled in the McDonald’s pricing scheme. (You can read more about the Big Mac Index and its influence in Argentina in an article in Slate from a few years ago.)
There are more little differences I can point out. The uniform for the workers is a jean or denim outfit (“j-outfit”), including McDonald’s-specific jeans with the signature “M” on the back pockets, efficiency in moving the line along is not as important, and condiments are kept behind the counter. I try not to go too often, but sometimes McDonald’s can be just the thing to keep me from missing home.
And, just for fun, my favorite song about McDonald’s. Hope you enjoy!