Bloomberg has a very interesting article about how McDonald's is making inroads into the Indian markets. The majority of the country is Hindu, so that means no beef. A substantial minority is Muslim, so that means no pork. So what exactly do you order at a McDonald's there? Why a McAloo Tikki, a McVeggie sandwich (pictured above) or a Pizza McPuff, of course. Burgers are strictly vegetarian, and are made from mashed potatoes, peas and spices. The cooking of vegetarian items is done in a separate kitchen, and no onions are garlic is used to satisfy one subgroup which eschews root vegetables. Cleanliness is also key to keeping the locals happy.
The chain famous for hamburgers tailors its menus to local tastes, which means no beef in India because the majority of its 1.22 billion people are Hindus and revere cows. It also doesn't serve pork items in deference to Muslims.
Instead, it offers vegetarian and chicken dishes with items starting at about 40 U.S. cents. All restaurants have separate kitchens for vegetarians, including those who don't eat root vegetables like garlic and onions.
"It really doesn't make sense to sell beef in a country where 85 percent of the population doesn't eat it or will even shun a restaurant where beef is served," Bakshi said. "About 70 percent of the menu in Indian outlets doesn't exist anywhere else in the world."
Some items, including the McAloo Tikki and Pizza McPuff, were exported to restaurants in the Middle East. While locals expect the different menu, foreigners used to a Big Mac can be taken aback by a Chicken Maharaja Mac.
So why don't we get a McAloo Tikki or other vegetarian items here in the states? Maybe it's just the great names getting to us, but we think they'd be a hit.
Study Finds Vegetarians Have Slightly Less Dense Bones
An Australian-Vietnamese study examing the connection between bone density and diet in 2,700 found that strict vegetarians had bones an average of 5% less dense than meat-eaters. The study found little difference between meat-eaters and ovolactovegetarians, people who eat eggs and dairy but not meat or fish.
The issue was most pronounced in vegans, who excluded all animal products from their diet and whose bones were six percent weaker, Nguyen said.
There was "practically no difference" between the bones of meat-eaters and ovolactovegetarians, who excluded meat and seafood but ate eggs and dairy products, he said.
"The results suggest that vegetarian diets, particularly vegan diets, are associated with lower bone mineral density," Nguyen wrote in the study, which was published Thursday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
There's another report on the study here on Science Alert. There was also a recent study that found vegetarians get less of certain types of cancer.
Actor Owain Yeoman - who plays Wayne Rigsby on the hit show The Mentalist - is shirtless in a sexy new PETA ad. The ad says, "I am Owain Yeoman, and I am a Vegetarian."
While violence is something that his character, Wayne Rigsby, encounters weekly on CBS' hit drama, The Mentalist, actor Owain Yeoman lives a much more peaceful existence in real life: He's vegetarian!
After learning about the cruel treatment of animals who are raised and killed for food, Owain says that he could no longer support such a violent industry. "The fact that the meat on my plate was once a living, breathing creature became something I could no longer ignore or justify as food."
You can see a larger photo and a video with Owain here on PETA's website.
Cloris Leachman Dons Purple Cabbage Ballgown For PETA
Cloris Leachman stars in a new PETA ad, wearing a vegetarian-inspired gown. Cloris -- who is 82 -- has won eight primetime Emmy Awards (more than any other female performer), a Daytime Emmy, and an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. And who could forget her hilarious turn in Young Frankenstein or her energetic performances on Dancing With the Stars?
Cloris became a vegetarian forty years ago, and attributes her longevity to her diet. In the ad, she strikes a fierce pose in her ballgown made of purple cabbage and green lettuce. She looks fabulous. We've been debating the proper footwear for a cabbage gown. Perhaps something by Stella McCartney?
Carrie Underwood Says She Gets Booed for Being a Vegetarian
Carrie Underwood says she sometimes gets booed when she is on tour and she lets it slip that she is a vegetarian. It doesn't go over very well in towns where cattle farming is big. She should probably quit sharing her diet habits at her concerts. Carrie says George Michaeal was her biggest musical influences. She sang everything he did when she was young. She also says she likes to alphabetize her DVD collection. Take a look:
PETA's sexy veggie ad was deemed too sexy for prime time. The New York Postsays NBC pulled the plug on the ad Pecause it "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards," according to NBC Universal's advertising standards executive, Victoria Morgan. You can see the ad below. (via Current)
