If someone gave you a camel burger you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference from beef - same goes for roasts, spag bol, etc …
That is quite well known around here - and using great self control I am going to leave it there 
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That’s handy to know. I’m well acquainted with the other options, and a few I’d not mention out of politeness. 
P.S.
Perhaps we need a burger chain with a broader view on what it offers. From chilli crocodile fillet burgers and bovine sweat meat bites to seaweed salads there is a whole world of textures and flavours out there.
In catering to vegetarian preferences, surely there is also greater scope for plant based burgers than the current limited choices. Is the ‘Rebel Whopper’ just the start?
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I have never eaten camel as I have never seen it offered but around 20 or so years ago, there was a shop in the Darwin Airport which sold frozen buffalo steaks in small styrofoam eskys suitable to carry onto a flight.
Thet were delicious but when passing throught Darwin Airport in later years, they were no longer available.
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I had a dish called a Territory Taste Tempter in Alice Springs once. It had 4 fillets of meat including crocodile, emu, buffalo & camel. They were all quite edible & tasty & not tough. Kangaroo is not to my taste. I have shot & eaten wild pigs, razorbacks descended from the ones Captain Cook lost. In Cape York the wild pigs live in the swamps, have plenty to eat & nothing to worry about except the occasional hunter.
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I haven’t eaten camel either, but would give it a try if I saw it on a menu.
Maybe an option would be a horse burger….Australia has a feral horse problem and it may be one of the solutions.
I have eaten horse…and when cooked correctly it was quite enjoyable, just like any other meat.
Horse is also commonly eaten on other parts of the world…so there is potentially a wasted opportunity in Australia by not exploiting the feral horses for domestic consumption.
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I have an aversion to eating horse as I do not consider them livestock for food but the feral horses could be used for many domestic purposes such as pet food, food for crocidile farms and such like, as well as for export.
I also refuse to eat crocidile as I fell they are disgusting creatures but I am more than happy to eat emu, ostrich, kangaroo, wallaby, goat, rabbit, hare and such like as long as they are not protected spieces.
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Do remember reading not long after the release that the Australian version also wasn’t suitable for vegans/hard core vegetarians because it’s cooked on the same broiler as the beef patties. Hungry Jacks did say that the vegan cheeseburger was suitable because that was cooked differently. It is possible to swap the vegan cheese and mayo for the real things in the vegan cheeseburger.
In the US BK calls it the Impossible Burger, made by Impossible Foods. The Rebel pattie was developed by V2food and the CSIRO. Both products are aimed at flexitarians.
HJs have also created a vegan muffin.
Before the Rebel Whopper was brought out, HJs actually had a Veggie Whopper which had a bubble and squeak pattie. IIRC they weren’t suitable for vegetarians either, either because they were cooked on the same broiler or the cheese in it was made from animal rennet.
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It would seem simple enough to have a section of the broiler reserved exclusively for the Rebel?
Of do HJ rely on some of the residue from the meat patties transferring to the Rebel for added flavour?
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Quite true, but our culture says ‘eeeew horse’ and that is the end of that. Although I wonder about the texture, they might be a bit tough and stringy.
The flavour is quite strong but that is also cultural to some degree, you enjoy what you are used to. For instances in the USA beef is likely to be lot raised and the flavlour is blander than ours which is mainly grass raised. Grass fed beef is sought out by foodies looking for a new experience but refused by some who consider it too strong. In the US some refuse lamb for the same reason.
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Is it that clear a line culturally?
Perhaps it is not customary. Horse meat was common in the UK due to rationing during and post WW2. Perhaps not long enough to call it traditional, although early explorers in Australia were known to have eaten their horses. That might make it traditional for some in Oz.
There are also, respectfully those in the community who would protest against the killing of horses for food. And others who reject the killing or taking of any animal. Some of us may also reject specific foods for strict cultural reasons.
Is it important we keep the discussion polite and avoid judgement of individual choices?
I think so!
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Yes it is. But I don’t see what that has to do with saying that what a society eats or refuses is a matter of culture. In what way am I making any judgement about individual choices? I am saying as a culture we don’t eat horse meat, nothing about whether any particular person or sub group does or does not and nothing about whether that might be good or bad: it just is.
It is legal to process and to sell horse for human consumption in this country but the domestic market is absolutely tiny, most is exported. Is this because people don’t want to try it or because it is hardly ever available? Yes. Each reinforces the other.
I have been to posh restaurants where you tried rare and pricey meats, it was educational. There were all kinds of things on the menu but no horse. Immigration has done wonders for the variety of cuisine in this country but so far we have not moved on the horse. That fits into my understanding of a feature of culture and looking at the consumption figures the line is as clear as any you might see in the area of mass human behaviour.
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I suggest you see the problem with that when you add
which would taint them for vegans. A $$$$ dedicated broiler appliance would be the only way to avoid transgression.
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Sorry, guys, back to the Rebel. I’m curious about the mayo - do we assume it is plant based/dairy free? Was Rebel intended for the vegetarian but not the vegan? Do we have to wait for the Revolutionary?
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Oh dear. Oh dear. Only in America. I presume that they have never watched Gordon Ramsay.
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AFAIK the Rebel is for flexitarians, so mayo and cheese isn’t vegan. The mayo on cheese on the vegan cheeseburger is vegan tho. But you can request normal mayo and cheese on the vegan cheeseburger
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a few less now (yes, I digress … but bring on the camel-burger!)
That’s a lot of burgers - no need to ‘murder’ plants …
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Maccas have announced the launching of the McVeggie - which surprises me coz it’s been on the menu in South Australian stores at least twice in last year. But 7 and Lifehacker have confirmed it’s not necessarily suitable for Vegetarians. It has a pattie made from peas, corn, potato, carrot, and onion. Lifehacker quotes a Maccas statement as saying, “Although there is no meat-ingredients in the McVeggie, it is fried using the same equipment as the tempura coated McChicken patty, so is not strictly vegetarian.”
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Many businesses test the waters with new products with trials in limited areas/stores/testing groups…to see consumer reaction to a potential new product. If these trials prove successful, it can lead to the universal rollout through all stores. This is possibly what McDonalds has done in SA.
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A classic case of this was when the new Cairns Central Shopping Centre opened in 1997 and Coles Myer was a 50% owner.
The had a plethora of new trial stores such as Cartoon Works, a lolly shop, BIB (Big Is Beautiful) womens’ clothing store and around 7 more.
A person who used to be a Brisbane area manager for Bi Lo told me that the stores had a virtual bottomless bucket of money to run the trials so as to try to prove the concepts.
Every one of them was shut down ranging from periods of several months to a couple of years as none were viable but it left no egg on Coles Myer’s face as Cairns is far removed from all the capital cities and most people have probably never heard of any of the concept stores.
I’m a huge fan of the Rebel whopper. It tastes fantastic IMO 
I had it a few times, with regular mayo and cheese.
I’m currently a pescatarian (for health reasons) and all fast food is off the menu for the time being, but I definitely look forward to having one as a treat again when Im a bit better.
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