Exceptional sense of humor, gross error in judgment, or really well-executed Internet hoax? That’s what went through our minds upon catching what appears to be a legitimate McCann Erikson spot touting the new McShwarma sandwich at McDonald’s in Israel.

The commercial riffs on the famous fast-food conversation between Vincent and Jules in Pulp Fiction. The guy playing John Travolta’s character says, “Guess what they call the pita bread with turkey meat in it?” Emphasizing each letter, he answers himself: “Mc-Shwarrrrr-ma.” The Samuel L. Jackson look-alike laughs and says, “So a guy just walks into McDonald’s and says, ‘I’ll have a McShwarma, please?’ ” “Yeah,” says Vincent. “But they don’t say ‘please’ in Israel.” Then comes the kicker: Vincent and Jules open the trunk of the car to show a rope-bound McDonalds’ employee, curled up and confused. In Hebrew, he asks, “Why am I tied up?”

A little kidnapping humor in the Middle East. If nothing else, that’s bold.

—Posted by Randi Schmelzer