McDonald's Goes Meatless

On Tuesday, international food giant, McDonald's, announced plans to open its first-ever exclusively vegetarian locations in the Indian cities of Amritsar and Katra.

The vegetarian menu is meant to appeal to both the Sikh and Hindu communities. Whereas the Hindu religion proscribes beef altogether, Sikhism mostly bans its followers from consuming animals not slaughtered according to proper guidelines.

Other Offerings

McDonald's has operated in India since 1996, over a decade and a half. According to the International Business Times, the chain had attempted to avoid beef with lamb burgers but was eventually forced to abandon the substitute after receiving feedback that patties were "too rubbery."

Not currently available in the US, McDonald's India's newer veggie options include the McVeggie, a burger with a patty made of potato, peas, carrots and "a selection of Indian spices." Other meatless offerings include the McSpicy Paneer and the McAloo Tikki.

Stateside

While there are a few burger chains in the US that offer vegan-friendly vegetable patties, many don't. The California classic, In-N-Out Burger, falls into the latter category.

Los Angeles resident, Ari Solomon -- a fan of the franchise before becoming a vegan -- is hoping he can change that, though. He started a Change.org petition asking In-N-Out to add a vegan patty to their menu. Southern California Public Radio reports that Solomon's petition received over 2,800 signatures in only ten days.

When contacted by the radio station, In-N-Out made no official response to the petition. They did, however, mention that their not-so-secret menu includes grilled cheese. Solomon said that while it would be awesome for the chain to meet him half-way and offer a vegan grilled cheese, he really has his heart set on a vegan veggie burger.

Read More

• LA vegan attempts to change In-N-Out's unchanged menu (Southern California Public Radio)
• Ronald McDonald Goes Vegetarian In India (International Business Times)