Sunday, December 18, 2016

Reviewing Burger King Bangladesh

Bangladesh, despite of being a small country, has enjoyed the presence of global fast food brands like KFC and Pizza Hut for quite some time. However, a large void existed when it came to burgers, which has been so far catered to by local brands like American Burger, Takeout, Burger'N Boost, Preetom and Madchef--each with their individual merits and demerits.

So when I first heard that Burger King is coming, I though this is it, the "one king to rule them all" will be here soon. But alas, I have been disappointed today.

Since opening, BK BD has managed to create unprecedented levels of excitement, and I also fed the hype by waiting in a long queue before finally managing to order my favorite whoppers.

I had my first BK burger in Kualalumpur, Malaysia some 7-8 years ago. I still remember the taste. It was the best burger I've ever had, and since then, I became a fan. Whenever I went abroad, I would not miss to find one BK branch and have them juicy burgers. I don't want to brag, but I have had the good fortune of tasting BK burgers in another 4-5 countries, and I was never, ever disappointed.

But the Double Whopper Cheese meal that I ordered today failed to impress me. Firstly, setting up a burger meal without having cheese in it is a crime. Secondly, the burger was damned dry.

There was no sauce, very little mayonnaise and veggies, and overall, the double whopper was very, very dry. I had to gulp generous portions of soft drink to merely swallow the big chunk of meat and the bun. There was no problem with the patty; it tasted very well. But the overall combination; the art of burger making is disappointingly absent from the overall process.

Even the disgustingly mayo infused Preetom burger goes easier inside the mouth.

I heard people who ordered single burgers had a better experience. But that is not an excuse--9 out of 10 times I've ordered a burger, it was a double, and I don't want to tone down my appetite just because someone doesn't know how to make good burgers.

I am still willing to believe that the problem is not with Burger King, it is with Burger King Bangladesh, who are not following the international standards set by the parent company.

I will keep listening to people's feedback, but is not very likely that I will go back there many times until this dryness issue is fixed.

By the way, the onion rings are a joke; they tasted awful. The french fries were awesome and the sundae wasn't that bad, either.

Just a little bit more juice on the burger and you have a winner.

Originally posted in Facebook:

Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Hydrogen Sulfide

I am from Notre Dame College; 98 batch, group 2, Roll number 982140

Today suddenly I remembered the smell of the chemistry lab while attending a meeting with my colleagues.

While sitting in the class, our nostrils would often get invaded by the pungent smell of Hydrogen Sulphide, which was annoying and amusing at the same time. However, the situation inside the lab was much different.

Initially, I was very scared of whatever happened inside. I could not manage to identify any salt; I was terrible with all the gadgets inside and I was constantly intimidated by the bubbling bottles of acid. It didn't help my cause at all when one of my dear friends dropped a small test tube full of sulfuric acid on my precious bag. A hole was created instantly; and upon careful inspection, I realized that two notebooks also received similarly gaping holes.

Eventually, I started getting a hang out of the proceedings and got better and better in doing the tests required to identify the salts. As far as I remember, we were required to identify 10 salts, but I ended up doing more than 15 and I also helped many of my lab mates in identifying their own salts.

I started loving the smell of the different chemicals, apparatus and the overall ambiance.

I believe NDC had the best Chemistry teachers in the whole country. I still remember the kind voices of AC Das sir, Bidyashagor sir, Guho sir and Monoronjon sir.

Now the lab is situated in a different building, but while we were studying, it was still in the same building where we had our classes.

So NDC made me a real chemistry lab expert! Though I never studied chemistry after leaving college, I still miss the smell.

Just a quick reminiscence.
7/12/16