Mangaluru: Other day I took few of my friends who were visiting us from USA and Canada to the local newly opened McDonald’s at a mall in the city- and it was a terrible experience dining there. First of all the taste of the food items was not the same like those sandwiches that you find in US or other European countries. All that my friends liked was the “McDonald’s world Famous French Fries”, other than that most of the items that they tried were left half eaten, because of the spicy and peculiar taste. Also me being in States for nearly 22 years, McDonald’s had been my favorite joint for hamburgers/BigMac/Sausage Biscuit/McDonald’s Signature Coffee- but I found that the taste of the food items served here locally at McDonald’s is different and not satisfactory- and anyone who has tried McDonald’s products in Western Countries will say the same! Plus the taxes they are charging customers is also ridiculous-that’s what I feel.
Okay, now who doesn’t know McDonald’s? That unmistakable red logo with its golden-yellow arches of the ‘M’ is a familiar sign to the world of fast food eaters in a lot of countries around the world and India is no stranger to it. And now that couple fast food joints of McDonald’s have opened in Mangaluru, locals are rushing to these joints to get the taste of sandwiches and other items. But for most Westerners or Indian Americans, to whom McDonald’s may signify the familiar taste of the Big Mac or the Double Cheese Beef Burger, the McDonald’s Menu here may come as a bit of a surprise. Among other differences, the first thing an outsider will notice is that the signature snack and probably the most recognizable symbol of this Fast Food Giant is nowhere to be found in an Indian McDonald’s….I’m talking about the Hamburger! You heard me right- No Hamburgers. That’s not to say the Indian McDonald outlets don’t sell patties on buns…it’s just that…there’s No Beef or Pork in Any McDonald’s in India
Sources reveal that while India is one of the biggest markets in the World, it is also the only Country in the World, where McDonald’s doesn’t serve any beef or pork in any form, in ANY of their 125 outlets (and counting) across the country! Instead of ground beef and pork patties, the McDonald’s Menu in India features Indian burgers that are 100 percent vegetarian – burger look-a-likes of potatoes, peas, and carrots, with a little Indian spice thrown in. So what most Indian kids grow up to know as a hamburger, isn’t really a hamburger.
Diets in India have been impacted by the many different religions in India for centuries now. Hindus don’t eat beef. Hindu believers consider the cow sacred and holy, so harming a cow…let alone eating its meat is considered a grave sin. Since a majority of the population are followers of Hinduism, there is no beef on the McDonalds’ menu in India. And then we have Muslims (also a prominent religion in India) who don’t eat pork, so the McDonald’s Corporation in India is quick to point out on their website that not only is there no beef, there is no pork or pork byproducts in any McDonald’s restaurant in India.
That’s not to say that McDonald’s doesn’t serve any non-vegetarian products in their Indian restaurants. They do serve chicken burgers and still have the one Fish Burger…but if you’re a meat eater..then you’ll be outnumbered with their vegetarian options. The only problem with the food items served by Indian McDonald’s is that there they are too much spiced, and you get that peculiar spices aroma which kills the original taste of all original McDonald’s items. I guess there is nothing much you can do – either you stay away from them or eat what you are served.
Tax components have become a part of our restaurant bills to the extent that we rarely notice what all we are paying for over the food cost. Most of us hardly understand the various taxes applicable on eating out. Since this McDonald’s is located inside a AC mall, I guess we have to pay the service tax, according to Govt of India rules where service charges should be included on the bill when a food serving business is Air Conditioned. Plus other taxes. But what I feel is that what we pay for taxes on “Happy Meal” consumed at McDonald’s which is just a fast food restaurant is something not a “Happy Deal”. I’m Not Lovin’ It!
