Mongolie

For those of you who missed it, Central Asia-based Eurasianet contributor Myles Smith had a great story out of Bishkek about Begemot ("hippopotamus"), a local fast food chain that's revolutionizing the Kyrgyz food scene by selling western-style burgers. Curious to learn more about the story, I sent Smith -- a freelance analyst who has lived in Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan for the last five years -- a few questions to find out how this Central Asian McDonald's was working its way into the hearts and stomaches of Kyrgyz eaters and -- most importantly -- just how does the "hippo" burger stack up against a Big Mac and its other "western" competitors: 1. How did you come upon this story? Actually, the central processing facility for Begemot is outside the door of my house. I constantly get people ringing the doorbell saying they are coming to apply for jobs. Eventually, I just had to find out for myself. 2. How does the Kyrgyz take on western fast food differ from the real thing? One of the interesting aspects of Begemot's re-invention of western fast food is that it its target market and positioning is much more similar to its western antecedents than even McDonald's own relaunch in the CIS. Since its introduction in the late 80s, McDonald's has positioned itself in Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia, and other CIS countries as trendy, youth-oriented, sit-down cafe. In the US, it's a practical, fast meal option. Most people don't eat in, and despite its marketing efforts, few find the place 'cool'. Begemot is similar - a practical, pick-up option, without a lot of pizzaz. 3. Have you been able to gauge the public's response to the hippo burger? read more