McDonald's leaves Bolivia for good

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Thousands of Bolivians crammed into McDonald's Saturday to order their final Big Macs before the fast food restaurant closed up shop for good.

McDonald's served its last hamburgers in Bolivia Saturday at midnight, after announcing a global restructuring plan in which it would close its doors in seven countries with poor profit margins.

Most Bolivians said they were sad to see McDonald's go, after they had finally become accustomed to the fast-food culture so radically different from their traditional Bolivian cuisine.

"It was very hard to get used to McDonald's, it's like another planet," said Miriam Torres, a kindergarten teacher who saved up for one week to take her two sons to celebrate one final birthday with Ronald McDonald.

Torres, like many other Bolivians, said she felt somewhat betrayed that McDonald's would give up on Bolivia after being here for such a short period of time. McDonald's brought fast-food culture to Bolivia seven years ago.

"McDonald's threw us out like a Third World country in search of greener pastures," said Angelica Carrasco, a primary school teacher who stood next to a smiling Ronald McDonald, waving a red-gloved hand to the crowd. "I don't think McDonald's was ever that serious about us anyway."

Others lamented that Bolivia, the poorest South American nation, could not have provided a healthier economy to keep the American company from leaving.