KFC in Gujarat

The first time I went to KFC was in Hyderabad (the Veg Zinger is far more better then McVeggie!!!). I don’t remember the date but being outside Gujarat for more than two years, I had shunned the inhibitions of having vegetarian meals in a non-veg environment. While the fast food chain had restaurants all over India, except for Gujarat till October 2011, the idea of having a KFC in Ahmedabad always excited me. Given the cultural bend and the food habit of the state, which is completely different from the rest of the India, opening KFC (where the name itself has hard core non-veg element in it) would probably be the greatest challenge the fast food giant would have faced in India.

However, eventually, KFC opened its first outlet in the state on October 15^th, at AlphaOne Mall near Vastrapur lake, albeit along with protests from Vastrapur Residents Association on social grounds. With large proportion of Gujarati population being vegetarians, especially Jains who are hardcore veggies, the protest was expected. Technically and legally, there is no hurdle for KFC to open the store. But the resistance from the vegetarian Gujarati population is expected to pose significant risk to the American non-veg giant’s success in the state. However, the owners of both, the mall and KFC, are firm and confident about introducing KFC in the state and making it a success. While there are two different school of thoughts, it is tricky to say which one is correct. Taking a cue from TOI’s View-CounterView, I have presented them both.

View – things that disturbs and taints the culture of the society shouldn’t be tolerated

KFC, by name and by nature, is a hardcore non-vegetarian restaurant. It is responsible for killing of billions of chicken and other animals, which is strictly against the culture and belief of Gujaratis. Approximately 70% of the Gujarati population is vegetarian. One of the largest population sets in Gujarat consists of Jains, who are hardcore vegetarians and strongly condemn animal killing to feed stomach. The locality, Vastrapur, where KFC set up its outlet, largely consists of Brahmins, Patels and Jains who are strict vegetarians. Opening a KFC outlet does hurt the religious sentiments of the people. It also sends wrong signals in future as the penetration of non-vegetarian food increases, especially among the youth of Gujarat, which will drive them away from their unique culture and food habit. Therefore, forces like these that threaten and disturb the unique culture of Gujarat, should not be allowed in the state.

CounterView – It is up to individuals to make decision on what they want to eat and what not

KFC is not the only fast food chain in Gujarat that sells non-vegetarian food. The protest has been drawn more from the name rather than the nature. McDonald’s and Subway also provides wide variety of chicken options in their burgers and sandwiches respectively. However, they have been operating successfully in the state since many years. Moreover, there are thousands restaurants and street-side outlets serving variety of non-vegetarian food such as chicken and mutton. On the other hand, KFC has taken extra care to keep in mind the religious and cultural sentiments of the people of Gujarat before starting their operations in the state. This includes separate uniforms for staff members, separate counters for vegetarian and non-vegetarian orders, separate cooking areas indicated by markings on the wall. These measures are adequate to allay the concerns of the vegetarian public in the state. The final decision to go and eat into KFC or not should be left alone to the individuals who are adult enough to take rational decisions. The fact that KFC has identified Gujarat as a potential market enough to open an outlet in the state itself suggests that there is a demand that exists for non-vegetarian food in the state. 

Disrespect

After an unusual and last minute planning, I was finally on board on my SpiceJet flight to Ahmedabad. With the day, spent waiting for 6:30PM evening where I will set off, the wait, now was for landing at SVPIA. 

While waiting for my boarding announcement, I see this young rural Gujarati couple with their child waiting for the same. These are one of those instances, where you realize what difference, the low cost carriers in Indian aviation industry, have made. While air travel used to be a proprietary of the elite Indian rich class in the past, you see now that things have changed. Shelling out 6-7K for a round trip journey of 3-4 hours is favored over 2-3K for 40-50 hours of slog. Introduction of the low cost carriers has reduced the divide between those elites of 90s and the “actual” middle class. 

However, this convenience has brought in new set of problems (or probably less frequent older problems) as well. While I settled myself on my seat in the aircraft, I found a Gujju uncle, probably traveling for the first time, pointlessly arguing with the airhostess on whether the oxygen masks will actually drop down automatically in case of emergency. The objective there was more of “looking smart” than “expressing concern”. In spite of repeated assurances he wasn’t ready to understand the point (or probably pretended not to understand the point). What I felt at the end of it was to salute the airhostess for her patience and politeness (that guy deserved a tight slap). This has not just been one instance where travel mannerisms and etiquettes of the new class of travelers have not been able to match up to the new travel means in the fast-developing economy. 

 While there is no bullet point list of rules of manners, it is the fundamental thinking, approach or let’s just say, the outlook towards other people, that defines or predicts a person’s behavior in new environments. People in certain sections of India, do have a disrespectful or a tabooed perception for certain new age jobs for women, including airhostess, which brings in the mentality among males that they are there to flirt, stare and bully. This needs to change. And the change has to come from within. I don’t know how it is supposed to come. Change in the attitude of mass can take generations to come. For the moment, we are expected to keep seeing this.