Tim Hortons and the Lahori elite

Discourse. Ideally it is a word no one outside of college classrooms and leftist whatsapp groups should have to hear. Yet the debate that was generated around the opening of the first Time Hortons branch in Pakistan thrust the country’s social media warriors into a hotly contested battle for the soul of the city of Lahore. 

Yet the debate was not about a large international chain opening and investing in Pakistan at a time of great economic uncertainty. Nor was it really about the wealth inequality that plagues this country’s economy. And despite what anyone might say, at the end of the day there was a simple question out there being posed: was it embarrassing for Lahoris to line-up in long, winding, queues to get their hands on a Tim Hortons coffee?