It’s kind of stunning that the above contraption was not, in fact, invented by Americans. As I understand it, our culture’s foundation rests upon cars, hamburgers, and fast food. And yet, neither the creators of the George Foreman grill or McDonald’s biz-dev consultants had anything to do with this, the Exhaust Burger.Nope, this was invented by a team of Iranian designers, who entered the concept into a ‘Dining in 2015’ contest a few years back. Gizmodo described it thusly: “It soaks up spare heat in the gases to do the cooking, and the clamshell design keeps those noxious fumes away from your food … it might let you ‘cook while you commute’.” It was shortlisted.Clearly, it’s ridiculous, and the prospect of chowing down on carbon monoxide-cooked burgers is appealing to no one. But it’s still interesting that the thing was conceived at all, and in the last place many of we Anglo-centric ignorami would’ve thought to look. But if you take a quick look at consumer trends in Iran, it’s not surprising at all that someone would combine their love of cars and beef burgers; demand is booming for both.Last year, the Financial Times reported that “Brazil's beef exports to Iran have increased more than 300-fold in the past decade as fast population growth and greater political stability in the country fuelled demand for commodities.” Not only that, but “beef is the principal export, making up about 37 per cent of the value of total shipments to the country in the first six months of 2011, according to data from Brazil's industry and trade ministry.”And it’s not just the quantity, either—there’s a big demand for the best, most expensive beef. Fernando Sampaio, the chief executive of the Association of Brazilian Beef Exporters, told FT that "Iran is a particularly good market for Brazil because it buys the more expensive cuts. It also always pays on time."Iranians, like Americans, have a voracious appetite for beef and hamburgers. As for cars, Monavar Khalaj reports that “The number of cars on Iran's streets have increased more than 70 per cent in the past decade, according to the country's traffic police. Economists say the double-digit demand growth for new vehicles cannot last forever, but producers counter that demand has not declined significantly in the country of 75m people.” That’s with sanctions stymying growth in the sector—making cars requires tons of parts, many of which Iran must import. So sales slowed last year, but not because demand is low. Brazil declines to participate in sanctions, which keeps the beef flowing.There you have it. Despite all the chest-thumping Iran-vilifying that goes on around here, and all of Ahmadinejad’s anti-American rhetoric, at the end of the day, our nations really just want the same things—to be able to drive our cars and cook hamburgers. Preferably at the same time.
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