An Indian tourist got into an altercation at McDonald’s in the Kuala Lumpur airport, because McDonald’s burgers have beef. She ordered a burger, but wanted it vegetarian. She threw the burger on the floor and went to the counter to confront staff.
She tells the McDonald’s employee, “I am from India, how can you?” In India she always gets vegetarian burgers from McDonald’s! The employee stay very calm and keeps repeating that they “know you are from India” and tries to explain that the burger is not vegetarian.
An Indian tourist at Kuala Lumpur Airport argued with McDonald's staff after being served a beef burger. She said she wanted a vegetarian option, but the staff told her they don’t offer one.
Many netizens later said it’s the traveller’s responsibility to check the menu and… pic.twitter.com/OKvHXV3VM0— Kitten (@0nlyk1tt3n) November 16, 2025
I don’t know, I’m from India… Even my staff, they cannot eat meat…Everything is meat. Everything is meat. …I just want to eat. I want to eat chicken, mutton, everything. I want to eat corn…I’m a customer of McDonald’s. I eat so much…It’s not vegetarian.
There are no vegetarian burgers on the menu at McDonald’s in the Kuala Lumpur airport. They are all beef burgers, except for clearly-labeled chicken and fish items. She’d picked a standard beef burger off the picture menu, assuming “burger” at McDonald’s meant vegetarian – her India mental model. She realized after receiving it that it was beef, and was angry at violating a religious and ethical rule – and flipped out.
Across India, McDonald’s has a very specific menu:
- No beef, no pork anywhere in the country.
- That’s driven by Hindu views on cows, Muslim views on pork, and state-level beef-slaughter laws.
They do offer several different fry dips there, though!
Not everything in McDonald’s is vegetarian. They serve chicken and fish (“McChicken”, Filet-O-Fish equivalents, Chicken Maharaja Mac). But they have a clear vegetarian line:
- McAloo Tikki (potato & pea patty, the signature item)
- McVeggie, Veg Maharaja Mac, McSpicy Paneer, Veg Pizza McPuff, Masala Grill Veg
Some locations are 100% vegetarian, such as near Golden Temple in Amritsar or Vaishno Devi. However, kitchens there are universally segregated with separate vegetarian/non-vegetarian areas and equipment, and staff work in different colored aprons based on which they’re preparing.
In this woman’s experience, McDonald’s is safe for vegetarians with at a minimum no beef. But that’s India-only. McDonald’s Malaysia and Singapore menus are more global standard. I’d add that in Bangkok Ronald McDonald greets you, sawadee krap:
I think that when you have a specific food preference or need that it’s on you to check what you’re ordering. This woman is being dubbed an “Indian Karen.” If she made a mistake, reacting emotionally isn’t surprising but throwing food on the floor and yelling at staff seems unacceptable.
Her line “I am from India, how can you?” suggests “You should know, because I’m Indian, that I can’t be served beef. Your job is to conform to my norms.”
That’s not how this works. The host country’s defaults – here, beef burgers – are what you should assume unless you confirm otherwise. You cannot assume the world works the same way abroad that it does at home. This story inverts the typical ‘American tourist’ story because here it’s an Indian tourist in Malaysia. What would she think of an American visiting INdia, ordering a salad and ice, and yelling at staff because their stomach couldn’t handle it?
And regional differences are so much of what to experience when we travel. Even at McDonald’s! Japan has shrimp burgers, France has Croque-McDo, so while I tend not to want McDonald’s when I travel (or even at home) there’s still a sense of place to it.
That woman just earned “Honorary American”!
FTB.
So, the Indian version of the ‘ugly American”?
Yeah, we (should) get it, Gary: different cultures, unique expectations. And when you travel, you need to keep an open mind; otherwise, just stay home, where everything is just as you want it.
The real problem is calling certain vegetarian food burgers. Burgers were always with meat until advertising decided to muddle the word burger and call a vegetarian patty sandwich a burger.
@jns — I’m left of center, but there’s no freaking way I’m eating anything but beef, bison, chicken, or fish, in a burger. These ‘impossible’ kale-quinoa-bean-based ‘woke’ things are disgusting, and do not digest well at all. Fine, now you can call me a fascist, too, but I’m for real meat in my burgers. (And, no, I do not consider ‘insects’ acceptable protein, unless we’ve become Snowpiercer, or you think of shrimp, lobster, etc. as more akin to that.)
So many ignorant comments. It’s common knowledge in that part of the world that Hindus don’t consume beef for religious reasons. And a shop at an airport from where millions of Hindus pass through, it’s impossible.
This sounds like someone was way out of line. I am glad the woman stood to that kind of mischief, for lack of a better term.
@1990 – an occasional turkey burger that is appropriately seasoned can be tasty. Tried a “lamb smash burger” the other day – just ok. Anything with chicken just feels like a sandwich. Same (mostly) with fish, although I’ve had “salmon burgers” from time to time? All just side shows, beef is clearly best.
@jns – What is a burger? Does anything become a burger if put on a burger bun? Can a crab cake ever be a burger?
Next, perhaps we can collectively tackle whether a hot dog is a sandwich. And what qualifies as a “slider” anyway?
Gary , you forget to mention the McRaclette, in France and Switzerland!
And btw the Mc Aloo tikka is delicious!
Stupid brahmin, yelling “I’m vegetarian” all over the world.
Caste is extremely stupid and those brahmins are still living in their fantasy world of being superior to other people.
I guess I haven’t had that many burgers after all (sarcasm). When I was growing up, a burger was a cooked patty of ground beef put between two slices of white bread and mostly just topped with ketchup. No bun to be seen. They were great.
@jns – I mean, that’s the way they do it at Louis’ Lunch up in New Haven, although they have a strict no-ketchup policy.
Maybe a bad sample but at a team dinner more than half of our Indian co-workers said they eat beef, so it seems like this might be becoming less of a thing? McDonalds India is also way better than McDonalds USA
There is one detail left out of a lot of the news articles. The woman was originally from Marin County, and was raised Methodist, I’m sure she is well acquainted with Mickie D’s, Wendy’s, Buger King & Queen, and all the rest. She met her Indian Hindu Husband while at Berkley and converted to Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishnas) while on a curated trip to India. She might be a naturalized Indian citizen, but she is still 100% USDA, Grade A, American Karen.
Not all Indians are Hindu and not all Hindus are strict vegans (although no beef is a given). Malaysia has a substantial Indian minority so I would think there are choices. I go to MacD’s for coffee in a pinch but my son loves the places (probably because we denied it to him whn he was little). We have a picture drinking coffee at a MacD in Venice as a joke.
@Peter — Good call! Turkey, lamb, pork, all delicious, too.
Had a beef burger and fries at the Soho lounge (JFK T8) last night (thanks to OW Emerald), and agree that it’s still slightly better than their fish n chips. For those who know/go, order the affogato for dessert; yum!
Fewer than half the people in India are vegetarians. To assume that a person in Kuala Lumpur will a) recognize the person is Indian; and b) conclude that as an Indian she won’t eat meat; and c) refuse to serve her what she oredered is silly. It’s up to the customer to ask relevant questions.
McDonald’s offerings vary around the world.
The McAloo is pretty tasty, actually. And in the Philippines, they sell the Chicken McDo, which is also pretty good.
Variety is the spice of life, even at McDonald’s, that eschews spices!
I am also from India and the part of India I’m from, almost everyone eats beef, including Hindus.
So while this person has a diet restriction, it doesn’t apply for all Indians.
In India, not eating beef is a choice thing, not necessarily a Hindu thing.
But vegetarian is caste thing, totally different from beef.
That a woman is angry does not automatically make her a Karen. Was she ignorant about McDonald’s in other countries? Yes. But for people with dietary restrictions, getting fed food that violates those restrictions feels shocking and often personal, even when it isn’t intentional. Her anger is understandable, if misinformed.
The reflexive responses referring to “Ugly Americans” are funny. People feel the need to throw that in there based on nonsense they read online.
I live in Southeast Asia and there are certain countries that the locals can’t stand hosting tourists from. India is one of them. America is not on the list. 🙂
As a Muslim, I always make sure to avoid ordering anything with pork when I travel. Even though I specifically ask the server about it, there have been times when I’ve accidentally received pork dishes. I never make a scene, though, because I understand that cultural or language differences can sometimes lead to misunderstandings. When this happens, I politely ask for a replacement, and they always accommodate me without any issue. Unfortunately, some people seem to believe that everything should revolve around their preferences, or they expect others to conform to their views without consideration for differing perspectives.
India has over 200 million Muslims, as well as several ethnic minorities. Just because this particular lady doesn’t want to eat beef doesn’t mean she speaks for the whole country. What a ridiculous sense of entitlement (as if throwing her food on the floor wasn’t already indicative of that already).
Sorry lady I am also from India and every smart knowledgeable Indian knows that India is the only country where there are no beef burgers. An educated well read Indian, who should be aware of it then behaves in an entitled manner. She was clearly in the wrong here expecting the global community to cater to her needs. If I don’t eat something with pork in it I do not go ballistic if I have it served if I did not research before visiting other countries to check out their menu and ingredients. That is called common sense. Actually most Hindus who travel abroad research the diet so they know what they will be served. Just like Kosher Jews or Halal Muslims.
Typical entitled Indian.
If I go to India, I don’t expect to get beef. If I go to Malaysia, I don’t expect to get pork. If I go to Saudi Arabia, I don’t expect to get alcohol. If I go to Alberta, I don’t expect to get a quinoa kale steak.
Be aware of where you are and don’t expect It to be the same as your home.
I worked in Mumbai for 6 months in 2001. My team (from Hong Kong, US and Sweden) and I ate at McDonald’s there once, just for a chance of pace. We had “Mutton Macs.” They were great!