McDonald’s sigh on I-44

Submitted by Zealousideal_Ad2686 t3_z6m80u in springfieldMO

Traveling on I-44 for the holiday, my partner and I noticed a McDonalds sign in what we believe is Arabic. Not in Springfield, but right past Lebanon going back towards it, so I figured it’s more than likely someone on this sub would’ve seen it while traveling this weekend.

Does anyone know why it’s there? Is there a large population of Arabic speakers in the Lebanon area? This part of Missouri is not very diverse, so this seems unlikely to me. No problem with the sign at all, I’m just incredibly curious as to how it ended up in Lebanon, Missouri, of all places. I honestly thought I was having a fever dream when I first saw it.

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veryorangely t1_iy26l5r wrote

A growing number of truckers are from the Middle East and India. The One9/Sinclair fuel station in Strafford has Indian food, it's also right next door to a McDonalds. One9 and McDonald's share a road sign in Strafford, and they also have several billboards approaching Strafford on I-44.

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Zealousideal_Ad2686 OP t1_iy2ec1b wrote

Thank you! We seem to only notice any billboards at night since we can’t see anything else. Then we get so caught up in trying to figure out the sign that we didn’t realize it was for multiple places 😂

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jgj570s t1_iy28lim wrote

It was an Indian language I think.

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Zealousideal_Ad2686 OP t1_iy2dxwm wrote

Yes, we aren’t super educated on other languages and it’s hard to pinpoint when driving by. We also figured out it’s for multiple establishments which makes much more sense.

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andheinz t1_iy3f0p8 wrote

If you’re out on the road and see one of these truck stops go! The Indian food is out of this world.

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110518072105120514 t1_iy2coqq wrote

https://i.imgur.com/jpmW6Mi.png

Is this the sign?

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Zealousideal_Ad2686 OP t1_iy2ds7f wrote

Yes! Thank you for the photo. I realize now that it’s a sign for multiple establishments, we just couldn’t tell driving by at night at 70mph and thought the whole board was for McDonald’s.

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DarkPangolin t1_iy2mr4n wrote

If the writing looks like cursive, but isn't, it's Arabic.

There's a guide out there to tell what the language is by its appearance, even if you can't read it, and I'll see if I can find it.

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robzilla71173 t1_iy3rx9t wrote

It's Hindi. There are a lot of Indian truck drivers on I-44 so the truck stops frequently have small Indian restaurants or food counters for travelers, (called Dhabas). There's a place in Joplin that has zero chicken samosas. Ever. There's just an empty bin and a nice lady who says 'I'm all out, would you like vegetarian?' Every single damn time. I'm starting to question the existence of the chicken ones at all.

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KTfl1 t1_iy3vehu wrote

Veg are better anyways. Safer from a food prep standpoint.

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robzilla71173 t1_iy3xc60 wrote

Yeah, and probably healthier overall. And they're a decent snack. Still, I wonder what the chicken ones would taste like... if they exist.

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KTfl1 t1_iy3xos1 wrote

Probably like the veg ones but with a little chicken :) samosas are strong flavors when done correctly. The chicken in my opinion doesn't change the flavor much

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robzilla71173 t1_iy4ekkz wrote

Depends. I've had some that definitely were very chicken tasting. Wal Mart actually sells a frozen variety that I like with that most western of flavors, tikka masala. The vegetable samosas at that place are okay, but just okay. Nothing like what you'd find in a sit down restaurant, but on par with what you'd expect at a convenience store. More just convenience food. I like them but they definitely require a sauce on the side. Too much potato and not enough of anything else.

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KTfl1 t1_iy3kt64 wrote

Indian. For the Indian truck drivers to go to the Indian restaurant.

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Arc-ansas t1_iy3xkec wrote

Not the same exit, but exit 13 near Joplin has increíble Indian food. It has a sign in Hindi too. Normally you wouldnt think food from a gas station could be good. It's called Rasoi and at the Big Apple Travel Center.

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lokisilvertongue t1_iy3r66q wrote

I saw a similar sign. It’s an Indian language. If I recall correctly the one I saw was for an Indian food buffet at a gas station. I saw similar ones on a road trip from Memphis to Amarillo this summer. Lots of Indian truckers in the US.

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elaborate_hoxha t1_iy4fk4j wrote

Many Sikhs are on the trucking biz so that makes sense.

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hdhuntertx t1_iy6j6gj wrote

It’s 100% Hindi! Growing number of truckers are being brought from India on visas to meet the shortage in the US. Interstate stops and restaurants are catering to bring business. The truck stop outside Joplin (Big Apple I think) does some kickass thalis.

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MotherofaPickle t1_iy41muk wrote

Saw that this weekend! Definitely going to stop there next time I’m on the road and need a snack.

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springfieldbuckeye t1_iy91qbw wrote

Although the sign isn’t in Arabic, there are a growing # of Arabic speaking families in the Ozarks. There are estimated over 3000 families from the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) in the Springfield area alone.

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vainamo- t1_iy25uwp wrote

I've never seen the sign, but maybe the Chamber of Commerce is leaning into the "Lebanon" name or something?

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