OLD MCDONALD'S TO SPARE SOME MOO MOOS

September 4 2012

So McDonald's has finally buckled and will be opening its first entirely Vegetarian fast-food outlet. It is expected to open next year in the vicinity of the Sikh Golden Temple in the northern Indian city of Amritsar, where 77% of the population are Sikh. Although Sikhs are not obliged to be vegetarian, the area near a temple, the gurdwar, is sacred and should be meat-free. The remaining population in Amritsar mostly Hindu, so they would not traditionally eat beef anyway.

On the one hand there is something hypocritical about going veggi in McDonald's, but on the other, life is full of compromises. Meat products are everywhere and if we had to boycott every outlet that was not 100% vegetarian we could very well starve! Nor does one have to be vegetarian to face dilemmas of this sort. For instance, do we know where our banks invest our money (if we're lucky enough to have any)? For all we know it could be tobacco companies or landmine manufacturers. And did any slave labour go into that magic carpet, or into that lovely bag?

I suppose we have to start somewhere and that will depend on our priorities and understanding. But whatever that platform is, it must not be bigotry, ignorance and fanaticism.