While growing up my mom would do ravivar, which translates into Sunday in Gujarati. This was a tradition passed down to her from her mother, and basically every Sunday m
y mom would only eat once during the day. When I was a kid, it sucked for Sunday lunch because it meant eating a full-on Gujarati feast, when all I really want to eat was a grilled cheese and some bugles. Things looked up for dinner though, when my sister and I were allowed to choose our poisons. This often led to a visit to Burger King for a Veggie Whopper and onion rings. The Veggie Whopper, for those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of having it is different than the BK Veggie which was only recently added to the menu, and is essentially Burger King’s signature Whopper without the meat patty. As ridiculous as it may sound, it was one of my favorite foods order. I know that for most vegetarians, a fast food burger joint doesn’t quite fit the bill as an ideal place to grab a bite, but my sister and I loved Burger King. And that Burger King presented some semblance of a vegetarian option set it apart from its competition. While I was always on the fence about allying myself strictly to Burger King or McDonalds – you never know when you will crave a McFlurry – when the news came out a few year’s back that McDonalds had been deceiving its vegetarian customers by incorporating that unnecessary beef tallow ingredient into its french fries, I moved completely into the Burger King camp.
So I was glad when I saw the news that fast food eaters in India would soon be getting a choice in where they can hang out and munch on American style burgers and fries. From this story in the Economic Times, it seems Burger King will soon be joining the burger wars in India as it begins to scout out locations and business partners with which to start its joint burger venture in India. And with its opening,
Burger King is likely to shake McDonald’s monopoly in India by launching its own brand of burger restaurants. The company, best known for its price war with Big Mac in the US, has mandated Kotak Mahindra to scout for a partner in what is a growth market for global fast food companies. Industry sources feel that even though McDonald’s is firmly established in metros like Delhi and Mumbai, Burger King’s entry is likely to start a burger war of sorts. Innovation in product offerings and location of outlets would play a crucial role in drawing customers in the long run. In the short term, McDonald’s would lose some customers to Burger King out of the sheer curiosity factor. However, this would happen only if both are located in the same catchment area,” said an industry source.
Now while I refuse to eat at McDonalds in the States, one of my favorite ways to check out local color when I travel is to visit McDonalds and similar style fast food joints to see what they sell often unique to each individual country. I actually like the food items at the McDonalds in India since they offer vegetarian items are usually pretty good. When I was in Delhi in September, I became somewhat addicted to the Veg McCurry Pan, which at that time consisted of a pretty tasty shahi paneer dish on a pan-pizza like crust, which apparently has been replaced by a broccoli and mushroom dish (you can see the McDonalds India menu here). I am really curious to see what Burger King will come up with in India to comptete with that. In addition to a chili version of the Veggie Whopper (maybe with a splash of Haldi?), I would love to see a six pack of paneer tikka nuggets with various chutney dipping sauces on the menu.
Sajit, I think you forgot to close the block quote tag, the front page is looking weird now.
Amreeki veg burger = Ptui. As Moz said, “Gluten is murder”. Brit Version of veg burger rocks. When McD opened in India, veggie burger was the fattest one on the menu. Any healthy change yet?
I doubt it! (I am totally pulling that out of my ass, though)
Sajit, thank you for detailing the joys of the meatless “Veggie” Whopper. This is what I would eat with my naniji anytime we went out together when she lived in Ohio. That and the “Veggie” Wendy’s single 🙂
DN: Thanks, I think it is fixed now.
Shodan: I have to agree with you on the BK Veggie variety of veggie burgers–they are not so good. On the flip side though, there are some really good veggie burgers available here in the states. For example in DC, there is this this college bar, Lindy’s Red Lion over by GW University, that will substitute a veggie burger for the many burger varieties on their menu, and their burgers are really good.
Camille: The veggie whopper brings back great memories, doesn’t it? I have a friend who grew up outside Chicago and she told me that the Burger King near the Jain temple they attended actually listed it on their menu as the Jain Burger.
Although I swore never to eat McDonald’s OR BK (or any fast food chain) again after seeing the film “Supersize Me”, I do relax that rule when I travel abroad. Especially in India, I do go to McDonalds pretty often. The Maharaja Mac is good. What fascinates me is the different niche the restaurant fills in India vs. America. In India, there’s a doorman, the furniture is high-grade granite and wood, the floors are marble, and it’s the upper to upper middle classes who go there. Here in the US, it’s plastic furniture, cheap decor, and pretty much associated with a lower socio-economic demographic (although the reality is that almost everyone goes there once in a while). I like how a lot of the chains indianise their menus in India…Subway, Pizza Hut, and TGIF come to mind.
Amitabh, actually the scenario with regards to McDonald’s has changed to reflect similar conusumer sets in India as in America. The upper & upper middle class in India quickly outgrew the novelty it held in a year or two after its launch. Many of them having lived or traveled abroad in any case did not consider it much of a novelty. Over the past 2 – 3 yrs McDee’s (as it is called in India) has come up with a Rs. 20 menu targeted at the end of the market. They have an ice-cream (softie) which is for Rs. 6. Their advertising also carries the theme ‘purane zamane ke daam’ (or something to that effect – meaning old world pricing) showing people like chowkidars (night watchmen) mouthing ‘I’m loving it!’ Most of the upper class and working professional crowd only goes there once in a while. It is also a favorite with students with limited pocket money. What they still don’t have in the Indian market though is a breakfast menu….:(. The veggie burger in desh is sort of an upgraded version of vada pav of Mumbai…a potato patty (tikki) inside a breakfast buns and of course mint chutney….still beats the yuck veg burger options here though!
The best thing about McDonald’s is the reliable, guaranteed availability of a public toilet, anywhere in the world. In Italy, it was the only place I could go to pee out all those capuccinos. I’ve used it without fail to find a loo in several different countries.
Purrane zammane ka daam. Rajesh Khanna The ad: http://sloganmurugan.multiply.com/video/item/2
Sanjeev Kumar: http://sloganmurugan.multiply.com/video/item/1
McD and BK… When I first came to Europe eight years ago, I was astonished how my Indian friends and colleagues love these places, particularly McD, even the vegetarian ones, because honestly I find their food utterly tasteless. I have since learnt to put my foot down and say no or steer the conversation towards other options when there’s some one of these is raised as an option. Like desishiksa, I too enter these for their toilets, and often that is the only reason I enter them. But I guess a lot of people do that, and now the McDs in Paris and Rome have a number you’ve to key in to enter their toilets, and this number comes with the bill. Fortunately not all cities towns have this system, but most places have a McD very conveniently located.
In Britain we have the Spicy Beanburger in BurgerKing which consists of a deep-fried, breaded bean-based burger patty, with ketchup, tomato, and American cheese on a 7 inch (20 cm) long sesame seed bun.
It is sooooo good! You guys need to try it, it kicks the ass of the vegi-whopper which tastes like cardboard!
I think thats what the tourists around Empire State Building in NYC usually go there for. My rents have a store right on fifth and they jus tell people who ask for a bathroom to use mickyD’s.
This may be weird but though I never eat stuff like Pizza Hut or McD’s here in DC, I LOVE that stuff when I’m in Madras visiting family. I don’t know if it’s because it reminds me of home or because they have yummy things like paneer or masala on pizza!
Yes! I think my favorite memory is taking a cross-country trip w/ my grandparents and trying to explain the “veggie whopper” to a bunch of beef-loving employees in Montana. Too funny that it was listed as the “Jain burger”; they called it the “Indian burger” (not on the menu, though) where my grandparents lived just outside of Columbus.
“food for those with disposable income” could be considered the niche chains like McD’s and Pizza Hut are trying to fill there. my grandparents LOVE pizza hut and use our visits as an excuse to order it. interestingly, i never eat chain food in the states (as others have said) unless absolutely forced to, which usually means i am in an airport and starving. i’d rather MAKE my dinner than order it.
interesting the way things swing: in the US, home cooking is the coming into vogue while in India, it’s dining out, ostensibly at “Western” places.
Another American behemoth, Starbucks, is making plans to launch in India, but they might have a tough time competing against Barrista and Coffee Day. These Indian chains are every bit as good as Starbucks and have the early mover advantage of numerous established locations and consumer loyalty. Thanks to them, it is possible to enjoy a roast vegetables and focaccia bread sandwich in Delhi in case one gets homesick for American style vegetarian.
Interestingly, the world’s biggest hamburger chain does not sell a red meat burger in India. They are probably not worried about India’s vegetarianism because vegetarians do eat in places that sell meat, goat in this case. They might be concerned about false accusations that the red meat is beef. That would be the end of McDonald’s business in India.
More on desified global brands here.
Shodan: Thanks for the link.
True, it’s a tasty option. However, it is not strictly vegetarian as the bean patty is fried in the same Vegetable Shortening as the Chicken Nuggets and the Chicken Royale. Also, the French Fries go into the same Shortening as well. In my knowledge, the Veggie Whopper is the only Burger King option that they market as “suitable for Vegetarians”. I think I’ll have a Bean Burger for lunch now:) Peace
Barista and Cafe Coffee Day as good as Starbucks? Please. Barista offers Illy coffee, and Costa Rican and Italian roasts on its menu, but never seem to have them in stock. Cafe Coffee Day should be renamed Cafe Day Old Coffee day. A more interesting question is what customer service will be like at Starbucks.
Hm, I am going to try out the veggie options at McDonalds and BKing now. I do agree with the person who has pointed out the fact that Pizza Hut (an abomination in the US) actually has tasty pizzas in India. The difference of course being the spicy toppings.
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