[video at "full story" link]

It's got the same old golden arches, the same efficient counter help slinging cheap eats, just the way they do everywhere from Poughkeepsie to Port Arthur. But in India, there's something missing at the world's fast food giant: hamburgers. That's right - McDonald's signature snack and its most recognizable symbol is nowhere to be found in one of the biggest countries on earth.

According to Amit Jatia, a JV partner of McDonalds India, "It is the only country in the world for sure that does not offer beef at all. Maybe other countries may do pork burgers, but in India, we definitely have no pork or beef at all." That's not to say Indian restaurants don't sell patties on buns. But instead of ground round, Indian burgers are 100 percent vegetarian - burger look-a-likes of potatoes, peas, and carrots, with a little Indian spice thrown in.

India is the world's vegetarian paradise. Nearly all of the one billion people living here eat meat only occasionally, or not at all. Beef never shows up on the menu. India is home to the Hindu religion, which preaches non-violence. Believers fear the karmic consequences of harming other creatures.

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full story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/02/ asia_letter/main2640540.shtml