The Golden Arches around the Globe

            When Dick and Mac McDonald opened the doors to the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California in 1940, the world would never be the same (mcspotlight). Today McDonald’s has over 25,660 restaurants worldwide and has an estimated annual sale of nearly $29 billion dollars (restaurants, annual).  The growth of the McDonald’s fast food restaurant chain has been rapid and strategic. Not only has McDonald’s changed to accommodate its international success, but aspects of cultures around the world have also changed due to the globalization of fast food. Dr. Jia Lu, PhD in Communication, suggests that “McDonald’s is often used to illustrate the international pervasiveness of the American fast food industry” (Lu, 620). While this claim may be true, it is also possible that other cultures have influenced McDonald’s and diversification has taken place as much as homogenization has across the globe.

            After the first McDonald’s opened in 1940, the chain began growing—and never stopped. By 1959 the 100^th restaurant opened in Chicago. By 1963 the 500^th was opened, the one billionth hamburger was sold, and the company’s net income exceeded one million dollars (mcspotlight). By this point Ray Kroc had purchased the McDonald’s concept for $2.7 million; and this was just the beginning. The first restaurants outside of the U.S. opened in 1967 in Canada and Puerto Rico. Within the next four years, McDonald’s had expanded to eight more countries. This rapid international expansion continued for many years. By 1972, “assets exceeded $500 million and sales surpassed $1 billion” (mcspotlight). At this point, a new McDonald’s restaurant was opening every day. In 1984, McDonald’s had well over 1,000 international restaurants and served “17 million customers a day—equivalent to serving lunch to the entire population of Australia and New Zealand” (mcspotlight). If all the hamburgers sold between 1955 and 1984 were lined up, they would reach to the moon and back five times (mcspotlight). Business was definitely booming, and it wasn’t stopping any time soon. By 1994 the company consisted of over 15,000 restaurants in 79 countries on 6 different continents (mcspotlight). The globalization of McDonald’s had been very successful. The company had revolutionized restaurant business and food culture throughout the world. Thanks to McDonald’s, the fast food phenomenon had swept the globe.

            Not only had the company expanded exponentially, but new menu items were constantly being added to accommodate the tastes of new customers. For example, fried beef patties may appeal to American audiences, but they certainly would not have the same effect on Hindus living in India; and so the Chicken Maharaja Mac was born. German menus offer beer, Canadians can purchase McLobster lobster rolls, and Japanese restaurants serve shrimp burgers (Adams). The new menu items are sometimes an entirely different from American options, such as Gallo Pinto (rice and beans) available in Costa Rica. In other cases, the American menu is tweaked just slightly to appeal to other cultural tastes. For example, in Hong Kong burgers are served with rice patties as a bun, and in Greece burgers are wrapped in a pita (Adams). While McDonald’s has brought aspects of American style restaurants to other countries and maintained the standardization of a fast food chain, these menu changes show how it has also assimilated somewhat to other cultures in order to appeal to a variety of tastes.

            The characteristics of McDonald’s that are distinctly standard aspects of American food values show the homogenization of cultures around the world, while the ways McDonald’s changes to appeal to the local culture of a foreign nation show the diversification of fast food culture. While few current scholars “agree with the oversimplified position of cultural homogenization, what still remains unclear is to what extent homogenization and diversification occur in the international expansion of the American fast food industry” (Lu, 620). As McDonald’s expanded and continues to expand into new countries and new cultures, variety and diversity is maintained due to underlying cultural differences. At the same time, cultural barriers are being broken down and several aspects of food culture are now shared worldwide.

Diversification can easily be seen when observing the application of “cultural proximity” in the globalization of McDonald’s. The theory of cultural proximity argues that the most appealing media is that which is “closest, most proximate or most directly relevant to [the audience] in cultural and linguistic terms” (Lu, 620). Cultural proximity allows local audiences to “selectively appropriate foreign media products. It is a diversifying process in which the audience’s cultural identities shape interpretation and reception of foreign media products, and adapt them into their daily life” (Lu, 620). The pressure of being culturally proximate can be seen in McDonald’s menu changes from country to country. Offering items such as guacamole on burgers in Chile or the McHuevo egg burger in Uruguay are McDonald’s attempts of appealing to the taste of the local culture (Adams). Different cultures have distinctly different tastes. Fast food consumers throughout the world have “tastes and eating habits [that] are different from Americans” (Lu, 620). The audience, in a way, chooses what items will be on the menu by associating certain foods with their culture. Cultural proximity focuses on diversification by “assimilating more local cultural elements…and [offering] the products/services that are culturally approximate to local audiences” (Lu, 622). This idea has not only made the globalization of McDonald’s successful, but has also maintained some diversity in food cultures around the globe.

Often times what American fast food chains “represent is not a true cultural proximity but that of desire of aspiration” (Lu, 620). Another definition of proximity focuses on homogenization by “maintaining a distinctive foreign identity loaded with modern/global themes…and [offering] a desired, standardized model of modernity to attract local customers” (Lu, 621). It is good for McDonald’s to be culturally relevant to an audience, but the whole concept of an international American food chain, to some extent, appeals to an audience as well. The foreign identity, specifically the American identity, of McDonald’s associates the restaurant chain with economic and technological advancement and modernization. Because of this, customers expect some standardization and consistency among all McDonald’s restaurants, no matter what country it is located in. The traditional view of modernity defines it as “a uniform, unambiguously structured and self-contained pattern in progress towards full realization and harmonious integration” (Lu, 621). The way modernity is regarded here—as a standard homogenizing process—poses threats to the diversity of existing cultures throughout the world. A newer idea of modernity, known as “multiple modernities”, does not “necessarily eradicate traditional…standpoints and practices but can become associated with different cultures” (Lu, 621).

The McDonald’s globalization strategy emphasizes the consistency of products and quality across countries and cultures. Focusing on “efficiency, predictability, calculability and replacement of human with non-human technology…McDonald’s has successfully standardized food, menus, tastes and restaurant environments all over the world” (Lu, 622). By establishing this standard expectation, McDonald’s has successfully created a solid, foreign identity that appeals to most non-American cultures. McDonald’s represents America “and the promise of modernization” (Lu, 622). The symbolic consumption of McDonald’s enables locals “to know about advanced modernity, and get connected to the global modernization process” (Lu, 622). People are attracted to the idea of McDonald’s and their products because of the international reputation the restaurant chain has. As an American fast food chain, McDonald’s seems to be more to foreign cultures than just burgers and fries, but rather a chance to be a part of the development of the modern world. The standardization of products and service in order to put on this identity of modernity has, in a way, homogenized the food cultures throughout the world. There are certain things that are maintained and remain consistent from country to country, culture to culture. Due to the association between McDonald’s and modernity, the gap between the unique tastes of foreign cultures is closing as the globalization of fast food continues.

McDonald’s has taken over the global fast food market in less than seventy five years. The globalization of this company has been very rapid and very successful. Not only has McDonald’s changed to be more culturally proximate to foreign customers, but it has also worked hard to maintain a sense of standardization in an attempt to create a foreign identity associated with modernization. Changing to appeal to different cultures has encouraged diversification among food cultures, while the desire for consistency from nation to nation has begun to homogenize the world’s tastes. Because of the way the relationship between “homogenization and diversification transforms each other and generates hybridity…it is hard to distinguish western food and local food as well as modern/global values and local traditional ones” (Lu, 630). The globalization of fast food is changing all of the food cultures in the world. The growth of McDonald’s has both encouraged the diversity of taste, and standardized the way people eat. The wide variety of cultures and tastes in the world has certainly affected the way McDonald’s operates and McDonald’s has no doubt forever changed the way the world sees food.

References

Adams, Beatrice. “McDonald’s Strange Menu around the World.” Trifter. July 19, 2007.

http://trifter.com/practical-travel/budget-travel/mcdonald%E2%80%99s-strange-menu-around-the-world/  April 26, 2012.

Bojanic, David and Hanako Murase. “An Examination of the Differences in Restaurant Brand

Personality Across Cultures.” Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing, 11:2-3, 97-113. October 12, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.130/J150v11n02_08 April 26, 2012.

“Brief History of McDonald’s.” The Company.

            http://www.mcspotlight.org/company/company_history.html April 26, 2012.

Lu, Jia. “Multiple modernities an multiple proximities: McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken

in Chinese television commercials.” International Communication Gazette. Sage Publications, 2010. http://gaz.sagepub.com/content/72/7/619 April 26, 2012.

“McDonald’s Annual Financial Report 2010: Sales, Revenue and Profits.” Finance N

Investment. June 14, 2011. http://www.financeninvestments.com/annual-report/mcdonald%E2%80%99s-annual-report-2010.html April 26, 2012.

“McDonald’s Restaurants (most recent) by Country.” Nation Master.

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_mcd_res-food-mcdonalds-restaurants April 26, 2012. 

         In "Eating at the Edge" Jamie Horwitz describes on-the-go eating as a growing aspect of American food culture. People are always eating while they are doing something else--emailing, driving, studying, etc. This type of multitasking has been described by researchers to not qualify as "eating alone," as things such as listening to the radio and watching TV are classified as a social experience (42).  Horwitz discusses how Americans are moving away from the sit down family dinners and towards the drive through windows. Horwitz explains that "taking time to share food, as part of a daily routine (not a special occasion), is becoming less common in the U.S. as unstructured eating patters become more familiar varied" (45). As a college student, I am living proof of these claims. Most of my meals are eaten while I'm studying, walking to class, or in class. They aren't planned, nor are they satisfactory. I find myself rushing to grab a quick granola bar or piece of fruit to hold me over until I have a few minutes to scavenge another snack.
         When I was a kid, my family would eat dinner together almost every night of the week. My mother was an excellent cook, and we always devoted 6 to 7 o'clock every evening to enjoying her food and each other's company. I do miss those family meals and they have provided me with fond memories of my childhood. Eventually, however, everyone became busy and that time together was lost in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Now I struggle to get in three square meals a day and really appreciate the times I'm home and can have a delicious home cooked meal with my family.

Drinking too much coffee can cause a Latte problems

                It was noon on Tuesday when I walked into Stella’s, a local coffeehouse on Pearl Street. Entering the shop, I walked across the porch which wraps its way around the entire building. There were people sitting on the patio furniture, enjoying the beautiful weather and each other’s company. Most folks outside and inside had either coffee drinks or tea. A few people snacked on pastries and baked goods of some sort, but no one really appeared to be eating a full blown meal. The food and drinks were of fairly high quality—they serve “one of the most finely pulled espressos in town.” All the coffee is roasted locally and the food items are homemade. The prices were not cheap, but not overly expensive—about the same prices at a Starbucks.

                The folks working there seemed to keep pretty busy. They were constantly making drinks, ringing people up, cleaning, or restocking. Although they were consistently being productive, they weren’t in much of a hurry. They took their time taking people’s orders and making their drinks. It was very laid back and relaxed. They were friendly and seemed to be happy doing whatever they were doing.

                Most of the customers were young adults; either college aged or recently graduated from college. Customers consisted of a very diverse group of people. They ranged from people who wore polo shirts and boat shoes to people who had dyed their hair green and gaged their ears. The shop had very laid back vibes. There was no music playing, but only the sound of a few people talking and coffee being brewed could be heard inside. The people out on the deck were mostly socializing in small groups ranging from two to four while people inside were mainly individuals studying, reading, or on a laptop. There were a few groups of two inside playing cards or having conversations. It was not overly crowded, but most of the tables were taken by at least one person. The majority of people appeared to be doing some sort of studying or work. This could have something to do with it being noon on a Tuesday; maybe a Saturday morning or evening would be a bit livelier.

                Stella’s Gourmet Coffee and Such “offers an eclectic atmosphere that can appeal to most any coffeehouse goer.” It is laid out as a “virtual labyrinth of comfortable nooks and crannies, perfect for long study sessions, conversations with friends or just a quiet minute to yourself.” There are several small rooms that make up the shop. Two contain several small tables with a couple chairs and one contains an L-shaped couch with a coffee table covered in board games and newspapers. The rooms are open to each other and flow together very naturally, yet each room “offers a unique feel.” There are a few bookshelves full of collections of books on every subject. The walls are covered with the artwork of local artists for sale.

                Overall, Stella’s was a very nice local coffee shop. It’s cozy and welcoming atmosphere was perfect for socializing in small groups, studying, or just relaxing. The drinks are delicious and moderately priced and the service was great.

Source:  http://www.stellascoffee.com/index.html 

                What is a culture without food? Most folks can identify with some specific culture and can name a type of food that corresponds to that culture. There is Chinese food, Italian food, Mexican food, and so many others. There are several cultures that I had never considered before. After reading “Breaking Bread with a Spread” by Sandra Cate, my eyes have been opened to the food enjoyed by the inmates of the San Francisco County Jail, who seem to have a culture all their own. Another article, “The Cultural Politics of Eating in Shenzhen” by Mary Ann O’Donnell, showed me how to take a more political approach to seeing food within a culture, specifically the food enjoyed by those in different parts of China.

                Cate discussed in depth the type of food that prisoners enjoy—spread. Spread, their own creation, combines many common food items—chips, cheese, beef jerky, etc.—with ramen noodles. It is something more flavorful and unique than the food served in prisons that they can make themselves and enjoy with the other inmates. Cate described how they would often all bring something to add to the spread, and then share it among themselves. She also noted that several inmates said they would share their spread with anyone who was hungry. The spread not only provided a satisfying meal for the men, but also served as a communal bond. Even after they were released from jail, some said they continued to make spread; for themselves, their families, and friends.

                O’Donnell investigated the city of Shenzhen in China and discussed the food eaten there depending on the culture of the people. The history of the city caused the people to be separated into several cultural groups. The majority of the population is not native to their area, and brings several different styles of food to the culture. One woman O’Donnell talked to told her about growing up in Northeastern China. Originally from Beijing, she received the food rations of an urban resident and ate well. After a year though, she received the treatment of a rural resident and had to work for her food. She often went hungry because she did not understand agriculture and was not successful in growing wheat and corn. Sitting in a restaurant in the big city of Shenzhen, she eats cornbread and remembers when it was a rarity during her days in the country. Her son, however, does not appreciate cornbread the way she does, for he doesn’t understand its value to her culture.

                Overall, both articles were eye-opening to the role food plays in any sort of culture. It is something that has value, not only for its nourishment, but for the community it brings together. 

Essay Com-pear-ison

Quinn's Personal Essay 2: Naked and Food Advertising

      Quinn's essay on the advertisements used by the Naked juice company brings up some interesting points when it comes to marketing a food product. The essay discusses how the ads for Naked try to convince readers that the product will benefit their health and "everything will be more beautiful if you enjoy Naked." Although these claims that the juice company makes may or may not be true, they are being used to help sell more product. This same marketing technique can be seen in the Absolut advertisements I discussed in my previous post. An example is in the ad that reads "Absolut Appeal", which suggests to the audience that they will be more appealing if they drink Absolut vodka. This statement is not necessarily true, but it is still an effective marketing tactic.
      Quinn goes on in the essay to discuss how the Naked ads speak to "the food culture in America and what values are considered to be important." This provides some insight into this rather strange advertising strategy. In both the Naked ads and the Absolut ads the companies provide their audiences with false claims about their products. They are conveying to the targeted group of viewers that by using a product, they will be better in some way (healthier or more appealing). By marketing falsehoods, the companies aren't being completely honest, but they are making more money because the culture of American consumers values certain things (being healthier and more appealing) and people are willing to spend money to achieve them.

Absolut Marketing

                The Absolut Vodka’s long-running advertising campaign that began in the eighties proved itself to be effective in attracting an audience that would help the company both gain new buyers and sell more product. The campaign consists of many one page advertisements that contain several similar aspects, yet vary slightly. All of the ads are composed of a bottle of vodka, or something in the shape of a bottle, in the center of the page. Under the image are the words “Absolut ____”—the blank being filled with some word depending on the target audience of the ad. I have picked several Absolut advertisement to analyze and compare and contrast to one another in their marketing strategies.

                One advertisement depicts a bottle made out of lemon peels and reads “Absolut Appeal”. This particular ad is most likely targeting people who socialize when they drink. It is not only marketing the citrus flavor of the vodka, but also the status drinking it will give you. The advertisement is attempting to convince the audience that if a person drinks Absolut vodka, they will be appealing—which is a desirable quality for someone at a party.

          
       Another advertisement says “Absolut Vegas" and shows a bottle with a name tag stuck to it that says, “Hello, my name is Absolut.” This is one of several Absolut ads that use the name of a city or specific location. They are clearly marketing to the people in Vegas on vacation—or people that wish they were in Vegas on vacation. Absolut is using the connotations that come with “Vegas” to market the product as something fun and exciting.

                A third advertisement uses a picture of a topographical view of an island shaped like a bottle and reads “Absolut Paradise”. This ad is targeting an audience, similar to the previous ad, that either goes on vacation, or wish they went on vacation. The picture of the island and the use of the word “paradise” gives the advertisement a tropical, relaxed feel. It is hinting that Absolut vodka is a good drink to have while relaxing, or is a good way to relax.

                The three advertisements use the same basic structure and strategies to reach a wide variety of audiences; however, the differences are key. The second and third advertisements are similar in how they market Absolut vodka as a fun, relaxing drink due to the connection to vacations; however, the type of vacation and the type of people that those vacations are associated with are completely different. People that prefer to go to Vegas are typically different from those that prefer going to an island. By using the different locations, Absolut is targeting these two completely different audiences in the two separate ads. The first advertisement is very different from the other two. It could be targeting an audience that includes people from both audiences of the other two ads, and people that weren’t included in either of those groups. Overall, all three advertisements are very similar, yet have very distinct differences that differentiate which specific groups of people the marketers are trying to reach.

                The Absolut ads that I’ve looked at, based on their appeals, say a lot about food culture and values. In order to market effectively to mainly American consumers, Absolut takes a look at the culture of alcohol in the United States and integrates it into their advertisements. The first advertisement looks at the culture of alcohol in a social setting. People at parties want to be “appealing”, so Absolut uses this fact to market their product. The second advertisement uses the culture of Las Vegas to attract consumers. Las Vegas is thought of to be a crazy, fun, and exciting place. Known as “sin city”, alcohol is a huge part of the culture in Vegas; making it the perfect place to use to advertise vodka. The third advertisement draws on the correlation between relaxation and alcohol. American culture associates alcohol with vacationing and relaxation. By using the idea of “paradise” in their advertisement, Absolut effectively markets their product to people that identify with this culture. 

Attracting Spec-Taters

I recently read an article entitled “Authenticity in America: Class Distinctions in Potato Chip Advertising” by Joshua Freedman and Dan Jurafsky. The authors discussed, in depth, the marketing strategies of potato chip companies. They analyzed how different audiences are targeted based on socioeconomic standing. There are many strategies considered by these companies; however, one in particular is the manipulation of language.

Freedman and Jurafsky carefully looked at the text used on the packaging of twelve different potato chip brands. They examined the bags (all containing plain potato chips) of six brands that were more affordable and six brands that were higher end. The language used in these two groups differed slightly. The more expensive potato chip brands tended to use longer sentences, more complex grammar, and rarer words those on the cheaper chip bags. In fact, the reading level of the text used in the more expensive group was at a tenth or eleventh grade reading level, while that of the less expensive group was at about an eighth grade level. More costly chips also have, on average, 142 words on each bag, while the others have only about 104.

An infinite number of other products could be analyzed in a similar way. It would be interesting to see how many words are used and how complex the language used to market a product is. Rather than just looking at the packaging of the product itself, this type of analysis could be applied to advertisements of all sorts—billboards, magazines, etc. It would be interesting to see if the same observations that Freedman and Jurafsky had with the potato chip bags are consistent in other advertisements for other products.            

Those Who Forget the Pasta are doomed to Reheat it

For the average American kid, Saturday mornings are spent eating cereal and watching cartoons; however, my childhood memories are slightly different. When I woke up, I would quietly make my way through the house to my parents’ bedroom. I would climb up into bed with my mom and we would turn on the TV and flip straight to The Food Network. Chefs would be whisking, sautéing, and baking away while my mother and I enjoyed our lazy morning. After watching an episode or two of Paula Dean or Rachel Ray, we would make our way to the kitchen to put what we had learned to the test and cook up some breakfast. The smell of bacon, waffles, and eggs would fill the house and my dad, brother, and sister would soon make their way to the kitchen for a family breakfast.

            During my childhood, food wasn’t just something I ate; it was something my family and I shared, something we all enjoyed together. My mother is an excellent cook. She would spend time every day in the kitchen preparing dinner for her husband and three kids. I can still hear her voice calling us to kitchen, saying dinner was ready. My siblings and I would race to wash our hands and get into the kitchen in order to get what we considered the best seat at the table. Our mom would serve up whatever she had chosen to make that day—she made a very wide range of dishes, but somehow, all of them shared something familiar. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but no matter what my mother cooked, I could tell it was from her—all her meals were delicious. We would typically have a main dish of some sort of meat, with several side dishes. My favorite of her creations included barbequed chicken with canned green beans, hardy minestrone soup with buttered bread, and the best—her slow cooked baby back ribs smothered in barbeque sauce. My mouth waters just thinking about the delicious meals my mother used to cook for us to enjoy.

            My mother’s cooking was not only central to my childhood because of the foods I ate, but also because of the time I spent with my mother in the kitchen. She taught me everything I know about cooking—everything The Food Network did not, that is. I clearly remember spending a morning with her learning how to make the perfect egg, bacon, and cheese sandwich. She had learned from her mother, and then passed the unwritten recipes onto me. I never met my grandmother—she died before I was born—but I feel that through cooking with my mom, I have come to know a little part of who she was.

            Food is important to my family; it is important to the relationship I share with my mother. It may be hard to believe after describing all the scenarios of my mom and I spending time together, but I am quite the daddy’s girl. Growing up, I loved camping, fishing, and sports; so cooking was one of the only things my mom and I really shared and could bond over.

            During my teenage years, food shifted from a family thing, to a friend thing. Like some teenagers do, I began to grow away from a family a bit and was more interested in being social with my friends. A lot of the socializing we did involved some sort of food. Whether it was cooking together, going out for a meal, or just grabbing a snack, it was a social event first and eating because we were hungry second. My friends and I had our favorite places around town to eat. Café Mexicali was a local Tex-Mex restaurant that had the best smothered burritos. They were huge, and delicious, and they would give students a discount, so naturally, we ate there a lot. We would get our food, grab a table and dig in—to our dinner and our conversation. We would finish eating after about thirty minutes, but continue sitting in the restaurant, sipping soda and talking for another two hours. When I go back to that restaurant, or taste one of their smothered burritos, I do think about how delicious the food is, but what I appreciate the most is the memories of the good friends associated with it.

            I had one friend growing up in particular that I enjoyed a lot of food with. We have been best buds since the second grade, and to this day, every time I drink a Starbucks or eat Panda Express I can’t help but think about him. Throughout high school, we would go to Panda Express at least once a week and order chow mein and orange chicken. We also frequented the Starbucks that was located exactly half way between our two houses. He is one of the best friends I’ve ever had—we had known each other for so long, yet never ran out of things to talk about.

            From spending Saturday mornings cooking with my mom to going out for burritos with my high school friends, food has played a significant role in my life. It has not only provided me with nourishment and satisfied my hunger over the years, but has been central to the development of my relationships with those I care about. The food I’ve eaten in my lifetime does not necessarily have a specific cultural significance or ethnic trends; however, the variety of food I have consumed matches the variety of friends and family I have enjoyed it with.