In India, I'm not lovin' it

Monday April 28, 2:00 pm - Agra

After a four-hour car ride, we reached Agra, city of the famed Taj Mahal. Mintu called it the "Taz Mel," which led me to believe we were the ones pronouncing it incorrectly.

Once we checked into our hotel, Andy and I realized we were starving, so we walked over to a local McDonald’s. I haven’t been gone for very long, but I have really been craving a hamburger. Uh, nothing at McDonald’s in India will satisfy that craving – cows are sacred here and Hindus don’t eat beef – they just let them wander the streets instead.

Turns out, no, I wasn't lovin' it. The McDonald’s here had really strange food. We decided on one Maharaja meal and one chicken sandwich meal. The Maharaja was some vegetarian concoction akin to a Big Mac, but only in looks. The taste was something else – spongy, very saucy, and very, very spicy. After we each took a bite, it just sat on our tray, jiggling away, waiting for us to throw it in the garbage. The chicken, on the other hand, was edible. Fries and Cokes were just like fries and Cokes in America. At least I could eat those.

The other thing about McDonald's here that is just like America is all the young kids who hang out there. Turns out McDonald's draws everyone, despite how jiggly and spongy their food.