
The world’s sole super pau
Unlike Coca-Cola, Absolut vodka and Hillary Clinton, the Big Mac burger has not obtained its iconic status because of its packaging. For the two beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a special sauce in between two sesame seed buns, what you munch is what you get. It’s been 40 years since a franchisee of McDonald’s from Pittsburgh, Jim Delligatti, came up with the idea of the jumbo-sized burger — 205 years after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich made the food-between-two breads popular in the Old World.
While McDonald’s of the Golden Arcs fame has been doing business since 1940 when brothers Dick and Mac McDonald opened a restaurant, it was the Big Mac that brought about the epochal change in the company’s line of burgers. Big Macs are a menu favourite in most of the 31,000 McDonald’s outlets across the world. But before the Shiv Sena starts tying their laces and proceeding to the nearest McDonald’s, let us remind folks that the Big Mac has been localised in many countries like India (where we have the chicken sandwiched Maharaja Mac) to suit tastes and sensibilities.
But the Big Mac also serves another function. Because of its near ubiquitous nature, the Economist magazine uses it as an index of the quality of living in different countries. But on the flip side, if McDonald’s is a symbol of ‘American imperialism’ — as post-colonial designer victims would love to think — then the Big Mac lies at its ‘evil core’. But the real enemy of the Big Mac is no stubble-faced ideologue: it’s the calorie-watcher. So can the Big Mac handle Big Slim? We wonder.

'Congress can't even': BJP minister says Cong passed off Taiwan pics as Assam's

Give allowance till son gets his first degree, not just till he's 18: SC

News updates from HT: Delhi's temperature could reach 35°C by Monday

Narendra Singh Tomar says 'revolutionary' laws will enhance farmers' income

Reliance to bear full costs of employees, family members vaccination

Rain and thunderstorm warning for many parts of NW India from March 6

'Indian-Americans taking over US,' says President Joe Biden in NASA meet

Covid-19 LIVE updates: Japan to extend state of emergency in Tokyo

Verifying reports of 3 Myanmarese cops crossing over to India, says Mizoram
- A Reuters report quoting unnamed officials stated that at least 19 Myanmarese policemen have crossed over to the Indian side through border areas in Serchip and Champhai districts

Raj Thackeray party takes credit of closing Karachi Bakery; not true, say others

'Gujarat leg of bullet train may open before Maharashtra first if...': Official

PM Modi to hold virtual summit on bilateral issues with his Sweden counterpart

Delhi HC directs UP police to give post mortem report of farmer

At least three Myanmar cops cross into India seeking refuge
- Those entering India can be granted refugee status, but they will be deported if the government decides against it

Cyber policy to factor in threat from state actors
- The 50-odd pages document, anchored by the national security adviser’s office, is now awaiting the approval from the Prime Minister’s office before it is released.