Ever since their 1953 founding, Burger King has been changing and growing to accommodate a new world of hungry people just like you.
Like its rival, this re-vamped Insta-Burger joint is located across the globe on six continents. As expected, the items offered change from country to country - some BK favorites, like Whoppers, are still on the menu, don't worry.
Main courses for lunch and dinner are pretty much a slight twist on the items we know well - maybe a change in sauce, bread used, or packaging. The biggest differences are: a Ninja Burger in Singapore, using a black bamboo bun; hotdogs in Japan; rice dishes in Vietnam; a lamb burger in New Zealand; fried chicken family packs or a toasted, flat sandwich called a Tripleta in Puerto Rico; and, less food related, Australia calling it Hungry Jack. Breakfast, however, is another story.
Everyone has coffee, frappes, orange juice, and smoothies, but they have other things too. Germany: does muffins; Belgian waffles; and cream-filled, chocolate covered, holed doughnuts - the ring has chocolate inside! New Zealand changed the breakfast menu almost down to the names: hot cakes, yogurt berry pottles, hash bites, and the King's Brekkie are there to wake people up in the morning along with a simple buttered muffin (meaning sourdough bun) with jam. Singapore gives you half a tomato with your meal of sausage and a cheese-filled omelet wrap, and get this - imagine hollandaise sauce on your morning chicken burger. Puerto Rico has a breakfast sub. But Japan seems to take the cake by sharing their love of croissants and flat breadwiches - Spam & cheese burger anyone; avocado on not just your burger but your croissant too; how about a BLT croissant?
Now, side dishes and desserts are where the fun beings. Germany Jalapeño cheese nuggets, Kit-Kat sundaes, and chocolate lava brownies with whipped cream. Vietnam has chicken wings, chees shrimp balls, and chicken corn rolls while Singapore has taro turnovers. While your mouth is watering, you can wash everything down with a traditional milkshake in any country, an on-the-go ready bottle of water in New Zealand, or from Japan: bingsu-like chilled lattes; their versions of drinks like Sprite, Fanta, and Minute Maid; or beer - yeah, you heard me.
From Canada to Australia to countries in Africa, Burger King has opened up shop. The flavors are regionally fresh, the menus are culturally fitted, and the seats are waiting to be filled with travelers' tooshies while eating their meals of choice. So, please, have it your way - the King insist.
Hollis Museum 17 - A stuffed Burger King and other characters hang from the ceiling at Tim Hollis' Museum of Commercial Archaeology; Dystopos; January 30, 2009.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
