Finally got to a McDonalds on Friday. There are five in Navi Mumbai which has a population of over 1 million. Since there are five in my hometown of 200,000, it is safe to assume this is not a destination of choice. A 'burger' does not mean a hamburger or a beef burger, it means something inside a bun which is definitely not beef. I never expected to find beef and never even intended to look for it out of respect for the local traditions. It is not illegal to eat beef but it is illegal to slaughter cattle in most states so it is more of a case of supply than demand. It is stated that the cow is sacred but this is not strictly correct. In strict Hinduism, all life is revered thus a strict Hindu is a vegetarian. The cow had a slightly higher status as the result of the value it provided, either as a work beast or as a source of fertilizer or as the provider of dairy products of which there are many dishes, especially sweets, which include dairy. So the cow represented wealth and it wasn't until much later that it attained sacred status. So when I was offered a burger, I was certainly confused and even when offered a burger you still need to say what kind, so it is just another American tradition that is misconstrued.
So McDonalds looks like McDonalds should look on the outside and the inside but the menu is very different. For lunch and dinner you will only find three comparable items, McChicken, Filet-o-Fish and French Fries. There are many local add ons, Chicken Maharaja (almost a big mac but spicier and of course with chicken) and a Vege burger which is mostly potato. I have had a McChicken and a Filet-o-Fish, they are very plain, maybe even more plain than in NA which may explain why McDonald's is not a popular choice. The breakfast menu is more familiar, Sausage McMuffin with or without Egg, Hash Brown and Pancakes are still available. I have had the Sausage McMuffin which does not compare well to its NA counterpart but the pancakes are quite good and the Hash Brown is exactly the same. No Apple pies but they do have McFlurries and a spectacular treat called a McFloat 26rp (.43cdn) which is a soda drink with ice cream on top. I used to be able to get these when I was a kid but they fell out of popularity for no good reason.
Prices probably keep people out of McDonalds. A large sized McChicken Value meal (medium in NA) is about 200rp (3.34Cdn). The same meal in Canada is in the 6 to 7 dollar range and less in the US. I know you are thinking "really, why don't they go all the time but 200rp is about 2 hours pay for an office worker whereas even the lowest paid person in Canada could buy a 6 dollar meal with less than one hours pay.
One big change here and this goes for everywhere you go, large is medium, medium is small, small is baby sized and there is no extra large. Probably helps them to not have the obesity issues there are in NA. Same thing with pizza, large 500rp (8.36cdn) is medium, medium 350rp (5.83cdn) is small and regular (small) 200rp (3.33cdn) is like a personal size pizza at Pizza Hut.
Coffee comes with a lot of cream and sugar, as does tea (Chai). If you ask for black coffee, you still get sugar so you need to ask for 'Black no Sugar' if that is what you really want. Chai, by the way, does not mean spiced tea and also, it is hard to find Diet Soda outside a larger grocery store while smaller stores and restaurants do not carry it.
Ok, I am finished my drink, Where is the recycle bin?
So McDonalds looks like McDonalds should look on the outside and the inside but the menu is very different. For lunch and dinner you will only find three comparable items, McChicken, Filet-o-Fish and French Fries. There are many local add ons, Chicken Maharaja (almost a big mac but spicier and of course with chicken) and a Vege burger which is mostly potato. I have had a McChicken and a Filet-o-Fish, they are very plain, maybe even more plain than in NA which may explain why McDonald's is not a popular choice. The breakfast menu is more familiar, Sausage McMuffin with or without Egg, Hash Brown and Pancakes are still available. I have had the Sausage McMuffin which does not compare well to its NA counterpart but the pancakes are quite good and the Hash Brown is exactly the same. No Apple pies but they do have McFlurries and a spectacular treat called a McFloat 26rp (.43cdn) which is a soda drink with ice cream on top. I used to be able to get these when I was a kid but they fell out of popularity for no good reason.Prices probably keep people out of McDonalds. A large sized McChicken Value meal (medium in NA) is about 200rp (3.34Cdn). The same meal in Canada is in the 6 to 7 dollar range and less in the US. I know you are thinking "really, why don't they go all the time but 200rp is about 2 hours pay for an office worker whereas even the lowest paid person in Canada could buy a 6 dollar meal with less than one hours pay.
One big change here and this goes for everywhere you go, large is medium, medium is small, small is baby sized and there is no extra large. Probably helps them to not have the obesity issues there are in NA. Same thing with pizza, large 500rp (8.36cdn) is medium, medium 350rp (5.83cdn) is small and regular (small) 200rp (3.33cdn) is like a personal size pizza at Pizza Hut.
Coffee comes with a lot of cream and sugar, as does tea (Chai). If you ask for black coffee, you still get sugar so you need to ask for 'Black no Sugar' if that is what you really want. Chai, by the way, does not mean spiced tea and also, it is hard to find Diet Soda outside a larger grocery store while smaller stores and restaurants do not carry it.
Ok, I am finished my drink, Where is the recycle bin?
No comments:
Post a Comment