Has McDonald's Americanized the World? McDonald vs Erick Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, Global Realization -

Has McDonald's Americanized the World?

               Voltaire once states that “with great power comes great responsibility”. As McDonald expands to become one of the world’s greatest food chain, there is no doubt that other companies and people would target McDonald as their main source to be blamed for all the wrong things that happened. One word that triggers my mind during my time in reading Eric Schlosser’s “Global Realization,” essay is “homogenized international culture.” Schlosser implies that McDonald didn’t consider the cultural diversity that has existed. Instead, McDonald has “Americanized” the local cuisine that the people eat and the cultural lifestyle that has existed. However, I don’t acknowledge completely to what Schlosser had implied. McDonald's may have a role in Americanizing the countries, but McDonald's had always tried to value, integrate, and suggest a solution to the different cultures. Therefore, it is not McDonald’s fault that the countries’ local culture has altered becoming more Westernized.

“The values, tastes, and industrial practices of the American fast food industry are being exported to every corner of the globe, helping to create a homogenized international culture that sociologist Benjamin R. Barber has labeled “McWorld.” (Schlosser 529). As an international student, I find the word ‘culture’ appealing to me. Cultural diversity gives a variety to anything such as food or lifestyle. Ignoring or even abandoning the cultural diversity would be a fatal mistake for companies, especially worldwide food chains like McDonald's in setting up restaurants in other countries. No one would want to be involved in the company because he or she won't feel a connection with the cultural aspects of the company. Every individual has the tendency to want to feel their own culture and identity respected in the company. In dealing with this, McDonald has created a culture team called the Global Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement team intended to give insights to engage with people from different cultural backgrounds. “Classes at McDonald’s Hamburger University in Oak Park, Illinois, is taught in twenty different languages.” (Schlosser 529) Here, we can see that McDonald's appreciates and even want to get involved in a diverse culture. Hence, McDonald's did not create a homogenized international culture, instead, McDonald's values that cultural diversity.

Appreciating cultural diversity would also mean integrating diversity into the company’s products. “Millions of other people at that very moment were standing at the same counter, ordering the same food from the same menu, food that tasted everywhere the same.” (Schlosser 532) Schlosser suggested that McDonald's only provides burgers and fries everywhere without corporating the local food. But in reality, McDonald always tries to combine fast food with the local cuisines. “On the opening day the McDonald’s in Plauen served potato dumplings, a Vogtland favorite, along with hamburgers and fries.” (Schlosser 545) Back in my home country, Indonesia, every month McDonald has a special menu that fuses the local cuisine with the original burgers from McDonald's. People love the fusion foods that McDonald provides because it is a new improvement, but it still integrates with the local traditions.

 McDonald's values and integrates the local culture with their companies, but how about giving solutions to the lifestyles of the local people? Japan is famous for its” healthy traditional diet of rice, fish, vegetables; and soy products…And yet the Japanese are rapidly abandoning that diet.” (Schlosser 539) McDonald's had given an option to choose fusion foods that are healthier, and here it is stated clearly that Japanese are the ones that abandon that diet. Diet is a part of lifestyle and lifestyle is based on someone’s habit. Asian people have a habit of doing everything at a fast pace, especially in busy countries like Japan.  Fast food would suits well with the culture compared to traditional food like fish that needs a quite amount of time to prepare. Therefore, McDonald's provides a solution to the local lifestyle especially in saving time, but this doesn’t mean that McDonald altered their lifestyle. Referring back, it is the consumer’s choice in choosing a different path.

Having the largest food chain in the world comes with great responsibility, one of them is to adapt to the different cultures that McDonald restaurants exist. By appreciating, integrating, and giving solutions to the cultural diversity that happen in each country, McDonald has become one of the ‘totems of Western economic development.” (Schlosser 529) Schlosser would say that McDonald had altered the culture to become more Westernized, but really it all goes back to the customer’s choice because McDonald has appreciated, integrated, and had given a solution to cultural diversity.