Iceland says "Bless" to McDonald's

McDonald's Gone from Iceland
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/27/mcdonalds-iceland-reykjavik-franchise

In the Field: A Wake in Reykjavik for McDonald's
http://inthefield.blogs.cnn.com/2009/10/30/a-wake-in-reykjavik/

McDonald's Successor in Iceland Off to a Good Start
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/?cat_id=29314&ew_0_a_id=351378

Introduction to Icelandic Cooking and Recipes
http://www.simnet.is/gullis/jo/index.htm

Icelandic Online
http://icelandic.hi.is/?ret=default&cat=pl⟨=en

Roadside America: McDonald's Museum and Store No. 1
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11370

Iceland is known for many things, including its sophisticated multilayered pop tunes and geothermal energy. The island nation is not particularly well-known for having many outposts of the Golden Arches, so some might be surprised to learn that the last McDonald's closed there this Saturday. Some commentators attributed this closure to the fact that Iceland has been caught in a horrible economic collapse over the past year, while others pointed out that it's always been expensive to operate a chain restaurant in Iceland. In fact, Iceland's McDonald's would have had to start charging $6.36 for a Big Mac in order to remain open. In an interview with a local teen in Reykjavik, CNN producer Neil Curry noted that the teen commented, "I don't really care. Never touched the stuff. Good riddance as far as I'm concerned." The former McDonald's are not going to waste, however, as all three locations are now full up with branches of Metro, an Icelandic fast food chain. [KMG]

The first link leads to a commentary piece on the departure of McDonald's, written by Alda Sigmundsdóttir. The second link will whisk users away to a piece by CNN producer Neil Curry about his conversations with locals about the departure of the Golden Arches, and their ambassador-of-fun, Ronald McDonald. Moving along, the third link leads to a short piece from this Tuesday's Iceland Review about the new fast-food chain, Metro. The fourth link leads to a fine collection of Icelandic recipes, compiled by a native of Hafnarfjörður. For those planning a visit to Iceland, the fifth link will be quite a find. Created by the University of Wisconsin and the University of Iceland, the site offers an introductory course in Icelandic (available after creating a login). The final link leads to a profile of the first McDonald's, located in the quiet environs of Des Plaines, Illinois.