The Wild Wild West
Imran H. Khan

Characteristic traits are some norms and activities that differentiate one being from another. Being Bangladeshi, the foremost trait that must have been embedded into our gene pool is our incessant lust for fast food.

Adding more flavour for the generation is Buckaroo Steak and BBQ, the latest addition to the 'hideout' of all the food connoisseurs of the city. Situated in Road 2A, Sector 11 of Uttara, this establishment is in the business of authentic western cuisine. Just five months old, Buckaroo started its business in December of last year and since then, has permanently booked a spot in the stomach of its clients. All this has been possible because of the determination and persistence of one man-- suzan Uddin Talukder.

Suzan, director of Buckaroo, graduated in Hotel Management from Singapore. During his student life, he joined Buckaroo International situated in Singapore and trained there for about five or six years. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to bring it to Bangladesh. A week after returning to Dhaka, Suzan started planning and looking about for a place to set up his establishment. Despite much discouragement from friends and family alike, he finally had his own little fast food joint.

"Right now the customers come in small groups," says Suzan. " It's much better for us because we can handle them properly and see to their every need without rushing and this helps us to keep a good relationship with our clientele.".

"We like to keep it like this because this way there is no crowd and those who do come here go home full; both satisfaction and stomach wise. If there are too many customers, it becomes too commercial and we lose our homely touch." He certainly wasn't kidding because Buckaroo is situated in what seems like a well-lit duplex house, giving the total 'homely' atmosphere that most fast food joints miss out on.

The price too is fairly reasonable. "We are more interested in familiarising everyone with the authenticity of the real western dish," continues Suzan. "Western food has a time and method of preparation. Here, most people prepare western food by just wrapping some meat into a bun but the actual art of making an 'authentic burger' is practiced at Buckaroo.”

An interesting difference between our food culture and the American food culture is that we take in more carbohydrate and less curry, say rice and beef. But an American dish is usually the opposite, where the carbohydrate content is much less than the beef and chicken contents. As the burger culture has grown so much in such a short time, Suzan was a little worried whether the food he was offering would be 'too authentic'. But so far those who got a taste of his dishes sure came back for more. "I didn't think that there would be such strong loyalty in such a short time."

"Since our people are being exposed to the real taste of burgers, they come by to see if we have held up the high standard and they do not go home disappointed," continues Suzan.

"What makes our burgers tastier is that we use the original methods of preparation. We put the coal in wrappers instead of lighting them in the open and put the meat into a separate wrapper and then cook them together. They are put into an oxygen-controlled chamber--which I have designed myself-- and then let the coal do its work on the meat. This whole process takes about 10 to 11 hours and by the end, it's a beautiful golden brown shade. The steam also keeps the meat nice and juicy and there is no way the meat can be over cooked. It is just right. We take our time to preparing the steaks--the meat that goes into the bun--and when the customers order, we can easily serve them without any delay."

In any fast food business, you will need some items that will absolutely throw the customers off their feet. Buckaroo's trump cards are the Cowboy burger, Chicken wings and Soup in a Bun.

The Cowboy burger is all beef, served in a sesame bun with potato garnish. It's so big that one can easily consume one for lunch or dinner and have no place for dessert. Their barbecue sandwich comes in chicken and beef and contains a generous portion of shredded meat that has been marinated with some of Buckaroo's kitchen secrets. It leaves a tingling aftertaste that acts as a reminder of the items devoured. Among starters, there is Fried Chicken, ranch style of course, as well as Buffalo Wings. What's interesting about these harmless wings is that they're anything but harmless. They are 'tonsil sizzling hot'. The degree of hotness is divided into 3 levels, Level 1, 2 and 3 and they are ideally named Combustion wings for Level 1, Volcano for Level 2 and Insanity for the 3rd level, for those who strongly crave something to cry over. This level can be taken up to level 10 but that is not recommended by Buckaroo's authority because it just may cause one to lose one’s sense of taste. It may also cause one to run about helplessly, madly looking for water. Nonetheless, the bottom levels are surely a must try. Other items served here are barbecued veal ribs, legs of lamb and a variety of pasta.

There are some special drinks too amongst a host of others. There is Virgin Mary and Shirley Temple, non-alcohol cocktail drinks that are fast growing in popularity, energy drinks and a fine collection of tea such as Jasmine Green Tea, Hawaii Vanilla Tea, Blackcurrant Tea and a blend of English Breakfast Tea. All these are imported and served in such a way that the heritage of the tea is preserved.

Though Buckaroo is situated in a very remote place, those who dare to venture this far and try its delicacies are always sure to come back for more and with company. Word of mouth is the best source of getting to the clients and so far it has done wonders for Buckaroo. Without much backing, Suzan has managed to fulfil his vision: to bring the original taste of America to the people here. He is living his dream with every passing day, as more and more people keep pouring into Buckaroo.