McDonald's Pulls Out Of Iceland

I learned from Matthew Yglesias that McDonalds is pulling out of Iceland, victims of that nation's currency collapse. The BBC has more:

McDonald's is to close its business in Iceland because the country's financial crisis has made it too expensive to operate its franchise.

The fast food giant said its three outlets in the country would shut - and that it had no plans to return.

Besides the economy, McDonald's blamed the "unique operational complexity" of doing business in an isolated nation with a population of just 300,000.

It should be pointed out, however, that while Iceland will have to do without packaged, low-grade meat products infused with artificial aromas to make them stomachable to the human palate, it does not necessarily mean Iceland is doomed. While Thomas Friedman observed, in The Lexus And The Olive Tree, that "no two countries that both had McDonald's had fought a war against each other since each got its McDonald's," his Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention was disproven when Russia rolled into South Ossetia last year. [Or rather, disproven again, as there was a McDonalds in Serbia at the time of NATO's bombing in 1999.] So, Iceland needn't necessarily fear that they will soon find themselves in the midst of armed conflict. Besides, I think that there are faeries that protect them, or something. Anyway, good luck, Iceland!

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Comments

[okila]

Lucky them.

[Crass Innuendo]

Where's that drama prairie dog YouTube video when you need it?

[anthonytaurus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHjFxJVeCQs LOL

[sadini]

Why do people always have to blame McDonald's? I've been eating there for ages and never had any problems, AND I'm still thin because guess what, I don't have a car and actually MOVE around a little bit.

[tlgeiger62]

As part of healthcare reform ... McDonalds should be banned. Would go a long way to improving the overall health of our citizens.

Love your turn of phrase describing this "food" - "packaged, low-grade meat products infused with artificial aromas to make them stomachable to the human palate"

EXACTLY what it is.

[tlgeiger62]

I should add ... if we as Americans had the self-control necessary to simply avoid the stuff, McDonalds would go out of business in a matter of weeks.

Unfortunately, Americans have no such self-control. It's what separates us, it seems, from the restof the world.

Lack of self-control that is.

[ChelseaC]

Close the rest of your restaurants too or stop making the slop and convert over to very healthy fast food instead.

Iceland is lucky to be without those scummy golden arches!

McDonald's Sucks!

[hippie4ever]

Next year we'll read that the health of Icelanders has dramatically improved; less obesity, less diabetes, less hypertension.

[hippie4ever]

Poor Iceland! They'll have to eat fresh fish, and cabbage and potato, instead of whatever makes a Big Mac, not to mention the lard fries, the tortured chicken, the abortion-t­urned-brea­kfast, but I'll say this in fairness:

no more hot McDonald's coffee.

[ChelseaC]

hippie4ever,
LOL!

[MikhailMamedov]

just returned from iceland. my icelander-friend gave me a tour of reykjavik and its surroundings. he shared with me... and i observed myself that iceland indeed has the overweight problem. i say - the less mcd's the better anyway, but iceland, being a self-sufficient country in the produce/food department (no mangos/pineapples of course :) ) has all sorts of natural(ly grown) products that still contributes to the weight problem. the main kind of meat there is their famous lamb - the sheep is out in the wild eating the "unchemicized" grass/moss - i saw it, i took pictures of it. the meat is juicy (yummy...loved those lamb hotdogs, which they like to garnish with fried onion and mustard). they also have their own cows... and stuff that make very very fat-rich products... natural, but fat rich!
That being said, it's good to see McCaca go.

[sheaintsayin]

Interesting. I surely have no love for mcdonald's, and hate that they are anywhere, but in terms of their 'weight problem,' I'd imagine the Icelanders are heavier due to the climate, as in necessity, and the burgers impact their weight only marginally.

[Rebe]

There is an upside to economic collapse! Inhabitants of Iceland have a better chance of escaping obesity, diabetes and heart disease now that McCrackhouse has pulled out of there. We should be so lucky.

[biglimes]

Good. The less McDonalds the better.