Golden Arches East

McDonald’s is not some ordinary fast food restaurant with its trademark logo advertised almost everywhere in the U. S. , many people all over the world know about these famous golden arches. The McDonald’s franchising started in 1955 and in less than fifty years, McDonald’s was introduced all over the world in countries such as, China, Japan, Great Britain, Sweden, France etc. McDonald’s global expansion has intermingled with cultural traditions because these countries are becoming more westernizes.

Since East Asia is becoming more westernizes it also means that there s a cultural difference because of the influences from outside the country.

The cultures are being changed because of how ideas are expressed by people and not by their ancestors. Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia written by James L. Watson talks about how McDonald’s is changing the everyday lives of the Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese. Watson talks about these three countries specifically because the McDonald’s franchising business is the most popular in these regions of the world.

Golden Arches East Summary

The McDonald’s in Beijing created these trends because they used the same menu as the American counterpart. This increased business and attracted customers because they felt more modern eating the so-called “American cuisine. ” The McDonald’s in Beijing is most definitely considered an example of an American- inspired, transnational culture because the Chinese are intrigued with the western influence and this does change their culture because they are becoming more modern and opening up to outside influences.

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With a positive view from China, McDonald’s decided to expand even more.

Many people in Seoul, South Korea opposed hamburgers, especially if they are from McDonald’s, because it goes head to head with the Koreans that produce their rice locally. Korea had seen the McDonald’s commercials on the media and after receiving the results of the market survey they were anti-American because of the tense relationship between Korea and America after the end of WI. However years As soon as McDonald’s opened it attracted many young people because of its different trend that no one had ever seen before; it was considered modern and a HCI place to eat.

The McDonald’s trend was merely following the market because they had competition with local burger Joints. Also the Koreans considered McDonald’s a snacking place and thought that the food was not good quality. McDonald’s transformed their menu to something that would appeal to Korean tastes. Usually groups of people would go to McDonald’s together because they would share their meals. “The dominant view of McDonald’s food, according to my informants, themes which appeal to the new generation, who regard uniqueness as an important quality.

The new generations are trying to find their identity within themselves and not because of some outside influence. Koreans sharing and eating together provides a connection with their ancestors. This is not an example of American-inspired, transnational culture because the Koreans had opposed McDonald’s because it went against their consumption of local produce and this McDonald’s was far more different than the counterparts because politics played a dominant role. Instead the young people came more to McDonald’s so they could socialize or study in the pleasant environment.

McDonald’s had made its way to Japan through capitalism and this caused a change in the daily lives of the Japanese. Business expanded like no other with the menu that was similar to the American one but to increase sales they added some Japanese style cuisine into their menu such as tertiary burgers, Chinese fried rice, and iced long tea etc. The company had to follow the market by changing their menus and providing more items that would appeal to the Japanese society. Just as Korea considered McDonald’s as a snack so did Japan because it is considered a light ell and anything with bread is not considered “filling. McDonald’s influence in Japan did not change their culture because etiquette’s and manners are a big deal in Japan. They considered McDonald’s barbaric because it was a western diet and was not proper because people had to eat with their hands. “When food consumption is a social act, manners are of paramount importance. Perhaps the most striking element of McDonald’s introduction to Japan is that it encouraged the Japanese to eat differently – that is, change their table manners. ” This is not an example of American-inspired, transnational culture because the Japanese started to change their manners.

However, there were some young people that considered eating McDonald’s while standing chic because it was in a popular area in Japan. But traditionalists believe that it is wrong to stand and eat because it goes against proper manners and etiquette’s. In conclusion, McDonald’s is welcomed to many countries and it has changed some of their cultural traditions because they want to experience the western culture. McDonald’s in China had a positive influence because the Chinese were intrigued by the “American cuisine. Korea and Japan considered McDonald’s as a snacking place because the food did not include what they would normally eat because rice is a big staple in their diet. The franchise mostly attracted small children, young people that were in school, or people that had moderate income because it had a welcoming atmosphere and the food was inexpensive. McDonald’s is opening up to the American “westernizes” influence because of its modern feel. It takes people away from their stressful lives by enjoying a Big Mac meal with a drink on the side.