McDonald's New Pink Soft Serve Isn't What You Think

McDonald's is always expanding its menu stateside, but the fast-food chain is certainly giving its fans a reason to stamp their passports. From photo-ready beverages in Japan (both melon- and cherry blossom-flavored) to mac 'n' cheese sandwiches in Hong Kong, foreign locations are where it's at.

Continuing that trend, PopSugar reports that McDonald's locations in both Singapore and Malaysia are serving up pink soft serve. But just because American diners may be used to pink desserts being strawberry doesn't mean that's what dessert lovers are getting overseas: These pink cones are actually lychee-flavored.

For anyone unfamiliar with lychees, they're a fruit that has roots in China, but the lychee's popularity has spread throughout all of Asia. It's a rough, red fruit that contains a translucent flesh and a big, shiny black seed. The actual edible part is a pretty unique combo of tart and sweet, but even the real thing is definitely subtle. Here's hoping that McDonald's managed to amp up the flavor a little for this pink delicacy, just like they pumped up the color from the OG vanilla.

According to PopSugar, the lychee flavor isn't exactly new, but thanks to a little thing called Instagram, the photogenic food is getting a new life online. Available for the past two summers, its pretty color and picture-perfect swirls are making the lychee soft serve a superstar when it comes to food photography.

If the pink color isn't enough to do it for you, McD's is also swirling it with its standby vanilla flavor, creating a duet of shades that's enough to melt the hearts of even the most staunch anti-food porn IG users.

Is it time to plan a dessert-centric tour of Asia yet? McDonald's is certainly giving foodies plenty of reasons to book their tickets ASAP.