Iceland's last McDonald's burger still intact
Iceland's last McDonalds, six years later. The only notable difference from a new burger is that the meat patty is a little lighter in colour. mbl.is/Kristinn
In 2009, McDonald's closed in Iceland and on October 31st that year, Hjörtur Smárason bought the last McDonald's hamburger in the country. Smárason kept the burger, accompanied by fries, in a plastic bag for three years during which it remained unchanged. The hamburger, which still shows no signs of decomposition is now exhibited at Bus Hostel in Skógarhlíð.
"I had heard something about McDonald's never decaying so I just wanted to find out for myself whether this was true or not," explains Smárason who in 2012 gave the hamburger to the National Museum of Iceland. After some years at the museum, a Danish specialist told the museum that they couldn't preserve a hamburger. "I think he was wrong because this hamburger preserves itself." According to museum staff, some of the fries had been eaten by museum guests.
Staff at the National Museum asked Smárason whether they should throw it out, but he said no as he considered the item of great historic value. He took it to friends who run the Bus Hostel in Skógarhlíð in Reykjavík who now have it on display at the bar.
The burger and remaining fries are still in good shape even though it's been six years since their sell-by date.
