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:

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

No Romon Given

একটি ছেলে বিন সোলায়মান এর বাসায় কাজ করে। ছেলেটির বয়স কত আর হবে, ৮ কিংবা ১০। অনাথ শিশুটির কোনো নাম ছিল না; এক সদাশয় লাল সালু ভক্ত তাকে মজিদ নামে ডাকা শুরু করে—মানুষটি নেই কিন্তু নামটি রয়ে গিয়েছে।

তাকে সে তেমন টাকা পয়সা দেয় না, পেটে ভাতে রেখেছে। ছেলেটি এম্নিতে খুবই ভদ্র ধরনের, যা বলা হয় তাই করে। তারপরেও বিন সোলায়মান তাকে সুযোগ পেলেই বকে; পেনকেক থেকে সিরাপ খসলে চড় থাপ্পড় ও দিতে ছাড়ে না!

বন্ধু মহলে তার সুনাম আছে ডাকসাইটে দাবাড়ু হিসেবে। অনেকেই তার সাথে বাজী ধরে খেলে টাকা ও অহঙ্কার দুইটাই হারিয়েছে।

এহেন অবস্থায় একদিন বিন সোলায়মান এর শখ হল সে মজিদ কে দাবা খেলা শেখাবে।

প্রথম প্রথম অবধারিত ভাবে সে মজিদ কে গো-হারা হারাতো। হঠাত কোনদিন করো কাছে হেরে গেলে বিন সোলায়মান তার নিস্ফল আস্ফালন প্রকাশ করতো মজিদ কে হারিয়ে।

কিন্তু একদিন ঘটে গেল অবধারিত দুরঘটনা!

মজিদ, বিন সোলায়মান কে “চেক মেট” করে দিল।

লাথি পড়লো প্রথমে দাবার বোরড এ। তারপর মজিদ এর কোমরে।

সেদিন রাতে ১০২ জর নিয়ে ভেগে গেল মজিদ।

২০ বছর পর। বিন সোলায়মান এর পরিচয় হল এক বড়লোক ব্যঙ্কার এর সাথে। উনিও দাবা খেলেন। শুরু হল খেলা।

খেলতে বসে একের পর এক হার।

হঠাত খেয়াল করলো বিন সোলায়মান!

“আরে, তুই না আমার বাসায় কাজ করতি? তোকে না আমি দাবা শিখালাম? যা বেটা তোর সাথে হাত মিলাবো না আজ!”

হাহা করে হাসতে হাসতে বেরিয়ে গেল মজিদ; বিন সোলায়মান কে একটাও “রমণ” না দিয়ে।

He Was a Boy, She Was a Girl

During his university years, he took a course on computers and the teacher taught him stuff like powerpoint, excel, word and a little bit of casual programming.

He was a proud guy. Since childhood, he had access to personal computers and was convinced that he knew the ins and outs of the devices that had "Intel Inside", but on the particularly painful occasion called final exam, the world crashed down on him.

It was a practical exam, and all of the people in their twenty's were required to perform certain tasks on a computer and answer questions asked by the self proclaimed computing guru.

He was asked to create an excel file with ten sheets, and had to create some equations where input had to be given in the first sheet and the results would be automatically pasted in the other cells; sequentially. It wasn't too tough, but it was a tedious job. He did it without much trouble.

But the teacher wasn't done with him. He asked to make something happen whereby he could write something on the first sheet but when printing all ten sheets, that same writing will appear on the other sheets automatically.

This, stumped him.

He couldn't do it, and was crestfallen.

The next student to take the test was the prettiest girl in the class. Everyone liked her because she was not only soft spoken, but also very friendly.

The teacher asked him "Do you have a computer at home?". With shining teeth and a beaming smile, she replied "Yes".

"Can you turn it on?"

"Yes".

"Okay, you may go now".

And the rest was history. He ended up with a B, she got an A.

A Tourist

Banglay lekhar chorcha ta onekdin dhorei nai.....so seeking forgiveness in advance.

A Tourist

This happened 4-5 years ago. I was coming back home after a hectic business trip. It was an Emirates flight, which meant that things were more comfortable at economy class than many other airline's business class.

I am not the kind of person who usually indulges in conversation with strangers. My way of spending long, lonely flights is through listening to music or watching a movie or two, and only taking a break when food arrives.

However, that day, I had to change my ways. The guy who sat beside me was exceptionally chatty. He inquired about my profession, background and what not! I found him quite intrusive and started judging him a bit.

But then he told me his story. He was a US citizen and was running his own, small business. He made a fortune and was having the time of his life in his mid 30s. When he thought things couldn't get any better, he met the girl of his dreams.

Both of them felt a connection unlike anything they felt before. Things started advancing like a movie. In no time, they had their fifty first dates, moved in together and within six months, they got engaged.

Unfortunately, just like the movie their life was, one fateful day he came back early to give the love of his life a surprise; only to discover her entwined with his best friend in a very compromising and improper position. She tried giving some lame excuses, that she was sad, drunk and he was only trying to console her. He really wanted to believe her, and he believed her, too.

I don't know why this stranger was sharing his story with me, but me being a good listener, did not interrupt.

I thought there was going to be a happy ending to this story, but I also knew there won't be.

He caught her having sex with that same person just a few days before they were "supposed" to get married, and that was a very traumatizing event for him. He cancelled the wedding, sold off his business and went in to recluse.

The next few months were a blur. He was spiraling down a path of no return. Drugs and alcohol became his best friends, and his bank balance kept on shrinking.

Until one day he just couldn't do this to himself anymore. He got up, checked his remaining bank balance, and went out on a world tour.

He deliberately choose the cheapest destinations, and also places where it was, as per his own words, "difficult to stay connected".

After hearing this, the mood of the conversation changed drastically. I converted myself from the passive listener to a very active participant. I told him everything I knew about Dhaka, and Bangladesh. Places to see, food to eat, people to meet, things to do, and what not? He was asking one question and I was answering five.

In no time, the flight was over and the jet was ready to disembark. I gave him my card and ask him to call me if he ever needed any help. He wanted to stay for a whole month. He told me that "If I am not staying for a month, I cannot live the life". He did the same thing in Nepal, Thailand and intended to follow his self made ritual in Bangladesh, too.

While giving him the business card, I saw his eyes making a specific motion, and I knew he will never "connect" with me, and this was going to be the last time I will talking to him.

I advertised my country to him with a lot of heart. I believe I managed to convert his skepticism to curiosity. I gave my two hundred percent to convince him that he made the right call to visit the country which boasts places like Coxsbazar, Sundarbans, Kuakata and St. Martins.

That was five years ago. If I had this trip right now, would I be able to endorse my country like that?

Not sure, not after what happened on 2nd July. I hope I will be able to change my stance soon.