US tourist baffled by Australia’s abbreviation of McDonald’s

When you’ve travelled the world, visited almost every country and dined on Big Macs and fries at around 75 of them — you know a good McDonald’s restaurant from a bad one.

Travel blogger Drew ‘Binsky’ Goldberg has eaten McDonald’s meals in most places that house the golden arches around the world, but says there is a clear country where the fast food offering rules the roost.

Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Goldberg said McDonald’s in Singapore, Hong Kong and in Malaysia were the best places to get yourself a good Macca’s fix — but said Venezuela had a lot of work to do to get to the top spot.

RELATED: Best Australian city to live in revealed

RELATED: US expat lists things she wishes she knew before moving to Australia

“I have eaten McDonald’s in 75 countries now and I did it at the beginning as like a cultural experience,” he explained.

“I don’t always just go and shove my face with this food because it’s not healthy. But sometimes [McDonald’s] is a good taste of home if I’m travelling for like six months at a time.

“But every country it’s always different with a different menu item and it’s just fun to kind of see what McDonald’s is like in different countries.

RELATED: US expat claims KFC and Macca’s tastes ‘more fresh’ in Australia

“The worst McDonald’s I have had is definitely in Venezuela. They don’t really import the fries and they don’t import the ketchup so it’s all made locally.

“Usually, McDonald’s has this standard where it’s supposed to taste the same wherever you go and it’s usually true, but in Venezuela the sauce is different and the meat is different and just really not good.

“On the flip side I have had some really good McDonald’s in Singapore and in Hong Kong and in Malaysia which even do delivery.

“I thought McDonald’s in Australia was great and it definitely held up to the standard. But to be honest, I thought all the food in Australia was fantastic.”

Mr Goldberg, who has 667k followers on Instagram and 2.65 million subscribers on YouTube, said not only was his food experience in Venezuela terrible, but it was incredibly expensive. The meal cost 17.5 million bolivars

But he said that Australian McDonald’s offerings are in no way “cheap”.

“All of the meats in Australia are so good,” he explained.

“We have good meat in the US too, and you can find good meat elsewhere in the world, but in Australia it was just fantastic and I loved it.

“But what I did not love is the prices in Australia. It is so outrageously expensive compared to what I’m used to spending.

“Aside from Norway and Switzerland and maybe Iceland and Sweden … Australia would have to be in the top 10 most expensive in the world. For a tourist anyway, because going out to eat or getting a taxi … it’s just so expensive.”

Mr Goldberg, who has just three countries left to visit around the world, visited Australia once in 2014 and a second time in 2017.

While he is currently working on visiting Saudi Arabia, Palau, and Jamaica – the last three countries on his list — Mr Goldberg said there was one key Aussie trait that left him scratching his head during each visit.

“You [Australians] abbreviate everything,” he laughed.

“I guess every American would say that. But your abbreviation of McDonald’s … being ‘Macca’s’ … it took me ages to figure out what you were all trying to refer to.”