Can a burger chain succeed where cows are sacred?

McDonald’s is looking to tap into the growing appetites of consumers in rapidly developing China and India. The fast-food chain has 785 outlets in China and hopes to have 1,000 in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In India, it serves up meals at 110 locations in Mumbai and New Delhi, with 25 more restaurants ...

By , copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009.
604550_mccurry_05.jpg
604550_mccurry_05.jpg

McDonald’s is looking to tap into the growing appetites of consumers in rapidly developing China and India. The fast-food chain has 785 outlets in China and hopes to have 1,000 in place by the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In India, it serves up meals at 110 locations in Mumbai and New Delhi, with 25 more restaurants scheduled to open during the next year.

The challenge: customizing menus for local tastes. In India, beef is a no-no, so traditional burgers won’t fly. Instead, McDonald’s is counting on the success of vegetarian creations such as the McCurry Pan and others.

But locally-tailored menus bring another challenge: developing foods that can be distributed globally throughout the McDonald’s chain. One local offering that has gone global has been the McArabia (guess which market it was created for). The flatbread sandwich with spicy chicken and garlic mayonnaise now pleases palates in Malaysia and South Africa.

Perhaps with local menus, we shouldn’t fear the cultural homogenization that anti-globalization activists warn us about. On the other hand, China and India had better prepare for the obesity, heart disease and other health problems the West is already facing as a result of a culture of high-fat foods available at rock-bottom prices.

Preeti Aroon was copy chief at Foreign Policy from 2009-2016 and was an assistant editor from 2007-2009. Twitter: @pjaroonFP

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.