The last McDonalds hamburger in Iceland(bushostelreykjavik.com)
bushostelreykjavik.com
The last McDonalds hamburger in Iceland
http://bushostelreykjavik.com/last-mcdonalds-in-iceland
8 comments
J. Kenji López-Alt from Serious Eats did some experimentation and found that burgers in general don't really rot: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-r...
One of the things I found interesting about Iceland is that, at least when I was doing fieldwork there (~12 years ago), beef was outrageously expensive, but lamb and salmon were relatively cheap. We "had" to eat a lot of lamb and salmon to keep costs down.
For that reason, a lot of restaurants with burgers on the menu served ground lamb instead of ground beef. Lambburgers are tasty!
At the time, I worked at a McDonald's back home. I had no intention of eating at one abroad, but I was curious to see what an Icelandic McDonald's would look like. I went to one somewhere in/near Keflavik shortly after we arrived, and while the menu looked more or less the same, a regular cheesburger was the equivalent of ~$10. (Not the meal, or a quarter pounder, just a cheesburger.) At the time, I was completely flabbergasted.
I'd wager a significant portion of the reason that all McDonald's closed in Iceland is simply cost. Beef is more-or-less entirely imported, and is therefore very expensive. Lamb is cheaper and tastier. McDonald's uses all beef (and bad beef, at that), and just can't compete with local short-order restaurants.
Keep in mind that this was in 2002-2003, well before the recent economic troubles in Iceland. It was also the first time I'd ever been outside the US. Everything seemed outrageously expensive to me, partly just because I was living in one of the cheapest cities in the US (my share of the rent was $80/month) and was getting by on ~$300/month.
Also, Iceland has _incredible_ hot dogs, weirdly enough... Natural casing, better meat (lamb, maybe?), and they're nicely seasoned. They're just plain good. We used to cook them in an aluminum foil packet with onions over the fire, and then sear them a touch over the flames after the onions were cooked. I'll never look at hot dogs the same way again!
For that reason, a lot of restaurants with burgers on the menu served ground lamb instead of ground beef. Lambburgers are tasty!
At the time, I worked at a McDonald's back home. I had no intention of eating at one abroad, but I was curious to see what an Icelandic McDonald's would look like. I went to one somewhere in/near Keflavik shortly after we arrived, and while the menu looked more or less the same, a regular cheesburger was the equivalent of ~$10. (Not the meal, or a quarter pounder, just a cheesburger.) At the time, I was completely flabbergasted.
I'd wager a significant portion of the reason that all McDonald's closed in Iceland is simply cost. Beef is more-or-less entirely imported, and is therefore very expensive. Lamb is cheaper and tastier. McDonald's uses all beef (and bad beef, at that), and just can't compete with local short-order restaurants.
Keep in mind that this was in 2002-2003, well before the recent economic troubles in Iceland. It was also the first time I'd ever been outside the US. Everything seemed outrageously expensive to me, partly just because I was living in one of the cheapest cities in the US (my share of the rent was $80/month) and was getting by on ~$300/month.
Also, Iceland has _incredible_ hot dogs, weirdly enough... Natural casing, better meat (lamb, maybe?), and they're nicely seasoned. They're just plain good. We used to cook them in an aluminum foil packet with onions over the fire, and then sear them a touch over the flames after the onions were cooked. I'll never look at hot dogs the same way again!
Some of the food-price stories I've heard from Iceland are crazy.
I had a friend who went to Iceland regularly back in the early 2000's and he once paid 60 usd for a regular pizza.
I had a friend who went to Iceland regularly back in the early 2000's and he once paid 60 usd for a regular pizza.
I used to make TV commercials and in 1998 I absconded with the leftover "hero buns" from a Wendy's commercial shoot.
I still have them, in a box, sealed in their original food stylist primped and prepped state. They are in containers with clear tops so I can look at them without poisoning the air. A few of them have decomposed completely into green dust. Others are completely pristine.
Maybe when Wendy's closes their last store in the USA I will donate them to a museum!
I still have them, in a box, sealed in their original food stylist primped and prepped state. They are in containers with clear tops so I can look at them without poisoning the air. A few of them have decomposed completely into green dust. Others are completely pristine.
Maybe when Wendy's closes their last store in the USA I will donate them to a museum!
Reminds me of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Redi
Basically the theory of spontaneous generation (of maggots) was falsified by this guy, who tried it with open and closed jars.
Basically the theory of spontaneous generation (of maggots) was falsified by this guy, who tried it with open and closed jars.
Fruitcake and even honey will last for decades too people freak out over natural and man made preservatives, Facebook alarmist unscientific crap.
Honey lasts for hundreds, even thousands of years because some enzyme the bees produce. Apparently honey found in Egyptian tombs was found to still be good.
I wasn't sure so I played it safe with decades, my sporadic rants are not well-researched.
I think there is a famous fruitcake over a hundred years old.
I think there is a famous fruitcake over a hundred years old.
I'm guessing the bun is a closer relative to cake than bread, hence the shelf life.
Wow, this got downvoted?
For why?
Perverse pleasure aside, I really do not understand the criteria by which some apply their downvotes.
(Upvoted you in sympathy, don't believe in downvoting, etc.)
For why?
Perverse pleasure aside, I really do not understand the criteria by which some apply their downvotes.
(Upvoted you in sympathy, don't believe in downvoting, etc.)
The sad part is that even after seeing experiments like this, I still occasionally get cravings to eat a McDonald's cheeseburger.
Do you ever eat nuts? They don't rot either.
There are lots of reasons not to eat McDonalds. The hamburger not rotting is not one of them.
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-r...
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-r...
Nothing sad about that, they're freaking delicious.
Two questions:
1) Why is this on HN?
2) How in the world did it make it the the #2 spot (at the moment)?
EDIT: Knew I would get downvoted. I now have as little respect for HN as I do for Reddit. You wouldn't believe how little respect I have for Reddit.
1) Why is this on HN?
2) How in the world did it make it the the #2 spot (at the moment)?
EDIT: Knew I would get downvoted. I now have as little respect for HN as I do for Reddit. You wouldn't believe how little respect I have for Reddit.
In a community based on karma and ranking, your personal predilections have little value, only the consensus determines quality. As such, your complaints about quality also have little value.
Upvote what you want to see more of, downvote what you want to see less of, flag spam and abuse, and if you still don't like what bubbles up on HN, post more of the kind of content you would rather see.
Upvote what you want to see more of, downvote what you want to see less of, flag spam and abuse, and if you still don't like what bubbles up on HN, post more of the kind of content you would rather see.
Nope. My personal 'predilections' have nothing to do with it. I thought HN had a theme other than McDonald's restaurant closings and that would make it off topic. Obiously not and anything goes here without moderation. So I'm done.
It seems that users do most of the moderation. So, if you think this submission doesn't belong you can flag it.
Don't let the door hit you where the Lord split you.
That was needlessly rude, don't you think?
Sorry, English is not my first language so could you explain why that is rude? I guess it is means to not let the door hit you in the behind on the way out? Why is that rude?
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out" is equivalent to "good riddance" as an expression of disdain. It's rude because offending someone already on their way out is a cheap shot, like kicking someone who is already down in a fight. The added colorfulness of the "split" variant makes this particular instance more offensive.
Very rarely, when someone makes the point of announcing that they're leaving, do they actually do anything but stick around to watch the fireworks, or continue to troll through puppet accounts.
Many of icantthinkofone's comments are complaints about how Hacker News doesn't meet their standards, meanwhile they've made two submissions - very little positive effort to improve the community. If they were serious about leaving, they wouldn't stick around to gripe as much as they have.
I don't think flouncing deserves much civility, particularly as a response to a pronouncement that this place isn't worth someone's time.
Many of icantthinkofone's comments are complaints about how Hacker News doesn't meet their standards, meanwhile they've made two submissions - very little positive effort to improve the community. If they were serious about leaving, they wouldn't stick around to gripe as much as they have.
I don't think flouncing deserves much civility, particularly as a response to a pronouncement that this place isn't worth someone's time.
You could just ignore them; or downvote then ignore.
You say the user is trolling. You then responded to that user. In troll terms you lose they win.
I like meatball wiki's way of talking about this stuff: http://meatballwiki.org/wiki/UsAndThem
You say the user is trolling. You then responded to that user. In troll terms you lose they win.
I like meatball wiki's way of talking about this stuff: http://meatballwiki.org/wiki/UsAndThem
You're probably right.
I didn't think it was that rude. I'm fine with taking a karma hit for it though.
I don't know why this is down voted. It is pretty funny. I guess it could be seen as rude but its to funny to get mad at.
Just out of interest: Why do you think this submission is off-topic? What exactly about it makes it off-topic?
Maybe have another look at the guidelines for submissions.
> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
This story is mildly interesting, especially if you look past the "McDonald's never rot" meme and at the "Here's how one hotel advertises itself".
Also remember that HN is much less busy on weekends and so different things bubble up.
But, if you still think it shouldn't be here it's probably best to just flag it.
Maybe have another look at the guidelines for submissions.
> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
This story is mildly interesting, especially if you look past the "McDonald's never rot" meme and at the "Here's how one hotel advertises itself".
Also remember that HN is much less busy on weekends and so different things bubble up.
But, if you still think it shouldn't be here it's probably best to just flag it.
2 submissions in 3 months and you're the one to complain?
Submit what you'd like to see more of, if it gains traction then maybe you won't see what you don't want to see in slot 2. As an aside, you can simply ignore slot #2 and click on 'more' at the bottom and look at the first link on the next page. It's a workaround, but a surprisingly effective one.
Submit what you'd like to see more of, if it gains traction then maybe you won't see what you don't want to see in slot 2. As an aside, you can simply ignore slot #2 and click on 'more' at the bottom and look at the first link on the next page. It's a workaround, but a surprisingly effective one.
1) Because someone posted it.
2) Because enough people up voted it.Don't feel bad. I've begun taking a perverse pleasure in learning which of my posts/comments will get downvoted.
(Generally, anything criticizing HN darlings, e.g., Uber, will get downvoted. The echo chamber is strong.)
I suspect you got downvoted because of a petulant realization of the inherent contradiction that many of us realize: This article really does not fit the HN guidelines at all yet we find it so intriguing.
I believe the reasons we find it so intriguing are pretty obvious: We all of us, we hackers, love the exceptional, the one-of-its-kind, the historically significant if sufficiently curious, etc. We hack because the status quo isn't good enough.
Getting that into a guideline is a bit tougher.
I suspect I'll get downvoted because I just labelled the echo chamber as petulant. But that's a comfortable shoe, so so be it.
(Generally, anything criticizing HN darlings, e.g., Uber, will get downvoted. The echo chamber is strong.)
I suspect you got downvoted because of a petulant realization of the inherent contradiction that many of us realize: This article really does not fit the HN guidelines at all yet we find it so intriguing.
I believe the reasons we find it so intriguing are pretty obvious: We all of us, we hackers, love the exceptional, the one-of-its-kind, the historically significant if sufficiently curious, etc. We hack because the status quo isn't good enough.
Getting that into a guideline is a bit tougher.
I suspect I'll get downvoted because I just labelled the echo chamber as petulant. But that's a comfortable shoe, so so be it.
> This article really does not fit the HN guidelines at all yet we find it so intriguing.
See the guidelines. Basically, if many find it intriguing it probably is on-topic.
> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
See the guidelines. Basically, if many find it intriguing it probably is on-topic.
> On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting. That includes more than hacking and startups. If you had to reduce it to a sentence, the answer might be: anything that gratifies one's intellectual curiosity.
> Uber, will get downvoted
Do you have any examples of your posts that you think got downvoted because you criticised Uber?
I've made plenty of posts criticising Uber and got upvoes for most of those posts so I'm interested to see the difference.
Do you have any examples of your posts that you think got downvoted because you criticised Uber?
I've made plenty of posts criticising Uber and got upvoes for most of those posts so I'm interested to see the difference.
A recent article used "Uber" as a verb, and poorly at that, and my comment upon the linkbaitiness and poor organization of the article got several downvotes.
It wasn't about Uber directly, to be fair.
And, of course, my comment parent to yours is being downvoted as well.
(Which leads roundly to the question of the purpose of the downvote: To flag? Perhaps. To disagree? Hmm, perhaps actually writing a contrary or critical comment is more constructive. Other? Not sure. As I've stated often enough herein, I never downvote, I don't believe in it, I believe it serves no useful purpose (flag abuse, end of story), and believe that upvoting the good is sufficient to bury the bad. But I digress.)
It wasn't about Uber directly, to be fair.
And, of course, my comment parent to yours is being downvoted as well.
(Which leads roundly to the question of the purpose of the downvote: To flag? Perhaps. To disagree? Hmm, perhaps actually writing a contrary or critical comment is more constructive. Other? Not sure. As I've stated often enough herein, I never downvote, I don't believe in it, I believe it serves no useful purpose (flag abuse, end of story), and believe that upvoting the good is sufficient to bury the bad. But I digress.)
You Uber comment got downvoted because you posted a rant about an article which you hadn't bothered to read. It was a long tedious post to say "I don't like it when people use brandnames as verbs" - a reasonable point but made unreasonably. (Condescension and patronising tone will attract downvotes)
> (Which leads roundly to the question of the purpose of the downvote:
It's there for whatever purpose the downvoter wants. There are plenty of people who like you think downvoting is evil and must be avoided at all cost unless a post really deserves it. Those people will supply corrective upvotes if they see a post that has been unfairly downvoted. Don't forget that everyone has upvote privs and not everyone has downvote privs so if your post gets a downvote it hasn't just had a single person downvoting it, but the rest of the readership declining to upvote it.
> (Which leads roundly to the question of the purpose of the downvote:
It's there for whatever purpose the downvoter wants. There are plenty of people who like you think downvoting is evil and must be avoided at all cost unless a post really deserves it. Those people will supply corrective upvotes if they see a post that has been unfairly downvoted. Don't forget that everyone has upvote privs and not everyone has downvote privs so if your post gets a downvote it hasn't just had a single person downvoting it, but the rest of the readership declining to upvote it.
Seriously, Uber has to be the worst imaginable example. The general mood on Uber here is almost entirely critical at this point.
I'll tell you how.
First you got, For many that was symbolic for the way Icelanders shun the capitalistic powers in Iceland following the crisis.
That's red meat for the socialist, statist, anti-americans that infest HN now.
You're right. HN is more of a joke than Reddit is now. The hive mind is hysterical.
First you got, For many that was symbolic for the way Icelanders shun the capitalistic powers in Iceland following the crisis.
That's red meat for the socialist, statist, anti-americans that infest HN now.
You're right. HN is more of a joke than Reddit is now. The hive mind is hysterical.