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Indians are vegetarians. This is what most people have in mind when considering a trip to India. It is true that the country has been home to vegetarians for centuries and that many Hindus and most Buddhist do not eat meat. United Nations statistics estimate that about 40% of Indians do not eat meat. However since 2000 the total amount of meat consumed in the country has more than doubled. In fact more and more people and in particular the youngest among them are imitating the Western lifestyle. And much of that increase is due to the phenomenal growth of US but also European fast-food chains. The Indian fast-food industry is estimated US$ 12.5 billion. Domino's Pizza came to India in 1996. It now has 513 outlets across 112 cities. Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken have close to 250 outlets. And Mc Donald's has a network of over 260 restaurants and plans to double. Two social groups have a significant impact on eating-out habits. Youth of course but also increasing number of employed women. For a very long time many Indians respected the religious taboos on eating meat and many others did'nt eat meat just because they could not afford it. But the middle-class which consists of around 250 million people, starting with young people, is attracted by these fast-food chains which develop rapidly in the big cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai etc...For some people eating meat has even become a status symbol. The symbol of the young urban and affluent indian citizen. And despite the fact that environmentalist and nutritionist are not happy about that trend, the modern urban lifestyle is spreading across the country. It is simply the result of the globalization. And curiously while vegetarianism is falling out of favour in India it is gaining ground in the West ! In any case the fast-food industry which responds promptly to consumer trends has long realised the growing interest in serving vegetarian food throughout the world including India.

Mo Tailland

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