All Hail the Veg Burger
A gathering of vegetable patties, 2024 reflections, unchecked social media & cricket.
I can literally hear the chuckles miles away, from those who find today’s title amusing. Well, I am smiling with you. Today we indulge in some stray thoughts from the year we just left behind, and take a little meander around the vegetarian versions of those beloved sandwiches from Hamburg.
Reflections ‘24: I had some thoughts. I put them in a list.
The Veg Burger: it can be endearingly authentic.
Lets Talk About Meta: because speech is free.
The Real Test: one of the most-watched series ever.
With: stories of progress + an epic catalog of humanity.
1. Reflections from 2024
I started listing some stray thoughts for a Linkedin post in the New Year. Apparently there are many strays in my mind, and I ended up writing quite a few; in fact I had to split these into general and ‘media/entertainment’ thoughts.
So here are 24 reflections from 2024. Happy New Year!
"The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence", said Roy T Bennett once.
There are so many creative people doing amazing things, little and large. We’re fortunate to have access to so much creativity, often at our fingertips.
Generalists are invaluable. Till next quarter’s results prompt shorter vision, then they’re not.
Continuous learning has never been more important. Continuous learning is easier to embrace in spirit than to figure practically.
Working with & managing kids (not your own) promises the full gamut, from frustration to elation.
Writing is the best way to flesh out ideas, see if they have substance, weigh how much you’ve understood a topic.
Building things is stimulating.
AI is a buzzword. AI is the future. AI is amazing. AI is annoying. Most of us barely start to understand AI. Take your pick. Or agree with all.
Being calm in the production world isn’t easy. Interacting with those who are, is a joy.
Working with good people is not as common as it might seem when we’re young. Stay in touch with the ones who made work good.
Feels weird to reach out to someone new for work? Do it anyway.
Being generous with our time to others, is good. It’s also invigorating. It’s also useful. Appreciate those who are generous with their time with you.
As individuals we can resist the algorithm, with conscious curation or discipline. As a society, algorithms rule us more than most of us realise.
We’re on the brink of an ocean of AI-generated mediocrity. One must believe that enduring it will take us to the other side, where quality & individuality will regain primacy.
Music can drive so much- a writing session, a shoot set, meeting prep, a drive. Silence can drive so much too.
Libraries & bookshops are wonderful places.
They don’t teach you ‘How to Market Yourself’ in school. Nor is it a magic gift. But the thing is, not needing it is not a thing.
Building a community is exciting & promising. Simple first, then much harder.
Everybody is a storyteller. Real storytellers are rare.
Staying in touch with all the expression we want- creators, writers, artists, shows, thinkers? Pretty much impossible. Trying can consume us, dull the mind instead of honing it.
Rabbit holes can be wonderful. The most enjoyable have been when I’m writing/researching. Others can be just fun time-sucks, that’s ok too.
Not liking the idea of too much structure & appreciating the need for structure; it appears these can co-exist.
Change is constant. A long drawn out process of change can be hard. Because then, transience itself seems a state of being.
Being displaced from daily life can bring great perspective. The challenge is to carry the insights back to ‘normal’ life/work… and act on them.
Don’t underestimate the value of a break. Don’t overestimate the value of 'being connected’.
Ok, that's 25, but hey- welcome to 2025!
The media/entertainment list is here.
2. The Veg Burger
Siem Reap, Cambodia. April 2007. The end of a simmering hot day roaming spectacular temple ruins. A relaxed traveller bar & cafe. One item in the menu screams out to me. ‘The Best Veggie Burger In The World’.
The sheer confidence in its naming is matched only by my surprise at this unexpected find in a Cambodian outpost. I challenge the young man behind the counter- what lies behind this brazen claim? This itinerant English traveller, earning his way through Southeast Asia, chuckles at the question, and assures me the name is a worthy one. Have you tried it, I ask.
“Oh,” he answers, with raised eyebrows and smiling lips, “I have”.
Once Upon A Time.
The ‘Veg Burger’ and I go back a long way. My childhood in New Delhi had a distinctly home-grown (and pioneering) fast food chain called Nirula’s. Its ice creams still stand tall today, and the ‘Big Boy Burger’ (mutton) attained attained iconic status. But I ate the Veg Burger, its patty predominantly potato with a smattering of veggies and some spices, but not spicy. Brilliantly added to by the house mustard- sharp, but short of searing your nostrils.
Over time I started to understand that a ‘veg burger’ was not as obvious or natural a concept as I might have presumed; as with much else sans meat, vegetarian food in India is its own beast. It lives and thrives and evolves of its own accord, seldom beholden to meaty concepts. But to much of the rest of the planet, a vegetarian burger was a contradiction in terms.
The Western world likes to think it was ‘invented’ in 1982 by one Gregory Sams in the UK. Made with wheat gluten, soy, sesame and oats, many seem to agree that his was the earliest commercially sold product. Plus, it was called "VegeBurger", so there’s that. In fact, the Seventh Day Adventists in America began figuring a meatless burger way back in the 1890s (its unclear how successfully), with iterations coming through to the mid 21st century. Around when also- unrelatedly- a character in a 1948 US radio series refers to "vegeburger" as a burger made of nuts and legumes. Many of these though, were looking at texture and protein, rather than vegetables & taste.
Back to India, where vegetarian food hasn’t ever needed to explain itself. The Indian approach to vegetarian food is to innovate, iterate, sometimes imitate. The humble vada pav, born in the bustling streets of Mumbai in the 1960s, is often thrown into the burger conversation, because it could (but shouldn’t) claim to be one of the original veggie burgers. (Its a potato dumpling of sorts in a chickpea batter, deep fried and slammed between a half cut soft bun, served with chutneys and chili powder. Though even its name owes to the Portugese for bread, ‘pao’.)
But I digress.
Dots on Maps.
The childhood memories of Nirula's in Delhi co-exist with side servings of a milk shop called Keventer’s, which sold a very basic burger, complete with a reliably just too-thick slice of cucumber. Another main character in this was my mother’s own homemade burger- uncomplicated potato patties paired with what we recklessly called 'coleslaw', an assuredly inauthentic but tasty adaptation, that somehow worked perfectly.
Across the decades, I've remained loyal to the oft-mocked Veg Burger, much to the amusement of my carnivorous friends. "A burger without meat?". Their smiles suggest a question mark, their shakes of the head, a giving up. This rather misses the point. A veggie burger is not trying to be something it is not- it's its own creature.
A lot of this came to the fore on my recent trip to India, where half a dozen such concoctions were consumed. Now I'm not on some noble quest for the perfect veggie burger- I just keep an eye out for interesting ones, knowing I'll find a fair few in India, and treating each international discovery as a bonus.
For example, finding a solid veggie burger in Tokyo (’Freshness Burger’!) was like striking gold, especially after days of sampling convenience store sandwiches. The surprise wasn't just that it existed, but that it was genuinely good (and was a legit veg patty). Borough Market in London offered up a tempting halloumi burger that was more photogenic than tasty. Two New York joints where the burgers were good, but still had their thunder stolen by a side of burnt broccoli salad and the chocolate shake, respectively. The excellent one with manchego, in Amsterdam, that demanded a repeat visit during the same trip. Avignon, Shigatse, Hallstatt, Berlin and who knows where else contributed to this map. And then a casual German chain in Singapore, unlikely as that may sound, offering an array of creative vegetarian options that is impressive by any standards, with taste to match.
The interpretations are countless- I’ve seen ingredients like black bean poblano, corn, chickpeas, soy, citrus, quinoa, beetroot, paneer, peas, carrot, olives, walnuts, mushrooms, spinach, falafel and the always reliable and dominant, potato. Some celebrate the vegetables, others mask them with elaborate seasoning, but the best ones know exactly what they are trying to do.
The Pretenders.
The modern food industry, of course, seems fixated on making plants pretend to be meat. While these gifts (?) of food science have their place, they're solving a problem many vegetarians never had. So I’m seeing traditional veggie burgers - those honest stacks of vegetables, legumes, and grains- being nudged off menus in favour of their meat-mimicking cousins.
But there is something endearingly authentic about a well-made vegetable patty- its not a compromise, it doesn't need to be anything else.
These days, when I spot a veggie burger on a menu in any corner of the world, I still feel a flutter of curiosity. The friends' indulgent jibes still hover, I welcome them, its a running joke. At the same time, I notice the odd carnivore increasingly curious to try a bite. Maybe they're finally catching on to what I've known all along- that a great veggie burger is made not to substitute, but to satisfy.
~ · ~
And that Siem Reap burger? The passage of time, and that claim, have added to its legend. I don’t know if it was the best burger I’ve ever had, but let’s just say I don’t grudge it the name. The English chap was right.
“Just have it”, he said.
The rest of the menu faded away. One chilled Angkor beer and one-
Veg Burger.
3. Let’s talk about Meta
The Information calls it a “seismic event for social media”, CNN says it will “reshape the internet”.
In news you are most certain to have heard of, Meta has decided to do away with fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, replacing it with X (Twitter)-style "community notes"- basically, gauging accuracy of posts is left to users.
To “get back to our roots around free expression and giving people voice on our platforms”, the Zuck said. So there is the ostensible (yet, more widely accepted than one might think) reason for this- to allow true free speech to return, to roll back moderation that was, we are told, dangerously close to approaching censorship. The inevitable rise of toxicity, misinformation and pure fakery is a trade-off worth making, and political winds and economic opportunity surely has nothing to do with it!
It is certainly cause for pause, with misinformation and extreme views already a significant concern across geographies & demos.
This is US-only for now, but that is already a huge deal for the world. It is likely to lead to some sort of confrontation between Meta and the European Commission, where regulators have strongly pushed for content moderation. Though he also said Meta will work with a certain Donald Trump on “pushing back” on foreign governments that pressure the company “to censor.”
Other reactions from users, punters, Linkediners, Facebookers and the world at large range from words like “drivel”, “slippery slope”, “toddler CEO”, “lies”, “isn't surprising” to “about time”, “finally”, “we needed this”.
Make of it what you will, but use social media with eyes wide open. I am clear this is reason to take stock- for our well-being, and that of our children.
4. The Real Test.
For those of you who don’t follow the (truly) beautiful game, a wonderful Test series of cricket just finished between India & Australia. The Indian squad played five matches from late November in Perth through to the New Year Test in Sydney. Cricket through the Australian summer has always had a particular charm. As a cricket fan growing up in India, this meant early starts, and sometimes earlier starts. 7am, 430am, 5am; being woken up, bleary-eyed, by iconic stadia, blue skies, legendary commentators and fun-loving fans. The charm has not worn off, and the cricket has just gotten better in recent years.
The plotlines on this tour had twists aplenty, and the fans & players were up for it- every single day. Individual brilliance, group resilience, absolutely magnificent bowling, record attendance, dollops of drama… and I was fortunate to watch much of it. I resist writing a paean to it, but did want to highlight how well watched and followed it was. Ah, what a series!
The most-watched Test series ever in Australia, in almost 150 years of Test cricket.
837,839 fans attended the five matches, the fourth most for any Test series in Australia, and the highest for any non-Ashes series.
At the great Melbourne arena, the MCG, the total attendance of 373,691 across five days was a record for any Test Match in Australia. It surpassed the 350,534 who saw the great Don Bradman’s Australia defeat England in a six-day Test back in 1937.
Still at the MCG, the 74,362 final day attendance was a record Day 5 crowd for any Test in Australia.
Almost every session of every match averaged over 1m viewers on TV or streaming in Australia, including at least 8 sessions over 2m.
Though I haven’t seen official numbers yet, a record audience in India watched on JioStar, with a whopping 40% increase in TV viewers since the last series. Just the first Test in Perth engaged an astonishing 70.8 million viewers.
Long Live Test Cricket!
Masala Peanuts
(where I share stories or tidbits I find interesting).
Its Jan 10, and just still ok to indulge in some 2024 lookbacks, methinks?
Good News: Because we need it. 86 Stories of Progress from 2024.
Look: AP’s “epic catalog of humanity” in 100 Photos of 2024, and National Geographic’s Pictures Of The Year.
Creative: From Creative Review magazine, here are some Best Ofs 2024: Movie posters, Album cover design, Book covers, and magazine covers, and also a year in review for the creative industries from Creative Boom.
Read: 2024’s tech trends changing lives. A global & very individual look- from AI-powered classrooms in Mali to EV taxis in Vietnam, people worldwide are seeing opportunities.
Here’s to a wonderful 2025!
The Nirula's Veg Burger was legendary! I was almost vegetarian in my early day :P
To add to your list; the Veggie Burger by Oporto (Aussie Chain) got the thumbs up from my Mum when she visited. It became her default order whenever we were at a Food Court!
The Sharma's Household, back home, tends to do Burger & Pasta on Sunday's and uses a very generous Aloo patty with onions & green chilli, fried for a crisp outer layer, for the burgers. Usually the additions are a slice of red onion and a slice of tomato :) .... not too gourmet, I know but yummy nonetheless.
I was going through the AP’s “epic catalog of humanity” in 100 Photos of 2024... and where is SEA and East Asia in all of that? I only saw 1 from China, 1 from Philippines, none from Japan etc and 5 (?) Trump photos =\