This definition is the best because the food and techniques are conforming to what americans want and taking on the stereotypical characteristics of what it means to be american and what a stereotypical american would eat. These ideas all boil down to taste preferences, “ Our preferences for sweet and salty tastes are genetic and universal, but conditioning can intensify or alter those preferences.”(Myers 400). This is what happens with americanized food, those genetic preferences are taking to the extreme to make them sound more appealing and enjoyable. The same idea can bee seen with the culture that surrounds certain foods, “Our culture teaches us that some foods are acceptable but others are not.”(Myers 400). This then forces people to …show more content…
Since psychologically people tend to gravitate towards the foods that satisfy their cravings restaurants and fast food companies tend to take advantage of this. One example of this idea is McDonalds. McDonald's clearly can help satisfy people's salt and sugar cravings with items such as french fries and Mcflurries and other staples such as their burgers and gigantic soft drinks. While McDonald's does a great job satisfying cravings it also takes advantage of people's strong desire for things that are familiar. With all the McDonalds around the world, around 36,899(statista.com) in 2016, the company tries to cater to what the country they are located in likes and craves and also what the food customs and restrictions are in that specific country. Some examples are fried shrimp in Switzerland(Schlossberg) , the McArabia which is chicken , lettuce, tomato, onions and garlic sauce on a pita(Schlossberg), Japan's chicken veggie burger (Schlossberg) and in Croatia a tzatziki wrap which uses beef patties(Schlossberg). These examples are all very country specific and take food that those people are used to eating and just makes them more fast food like. Yet since these food items are coming from McDonalds there is still this familiarity that comes with it. There are still beef patties and items that look like buns and fried foods and soft drinks so that even if a person is from
Food companies do whatever they can in order to promote their product even though they are full of salts, sugar, and fats according to the Monell Science Center. These industries engineer their food products so as to target your taste buds and cause you to crave for more. The end goal of businesses is to make as much money as possible while giving what the customers really wants---junk food. Moss continued by explaining an experiment between two groups of children raised on grocery foods and on home cooking. The results showed that kids who grew up with grocery foods craved foods that were salty or sugary compared to the other group who did not have this
At the end of chapter six, George Ritzer lists suggestions for those of us who wish to combat McDonaldization, a term he coined himelf, and the topic of this essay. Ritzer warns the reader to not fall victim to the, “mindless trap,”(Ritzer 158) of Mcdonalized systems. He writes that, “a major motivation behind writing this book is to alert reader to the dangers of McDonaldization and to motivate them to act to stem its tide”(Ritzer 161). Despite McDonaldizations great momentum, natural limits and personal interests provide barriers to it. Ritzer feels that the struggle itself, to combat Mcdonaldization, is ennobling. In this essay I will attempt to accomplish three objectives. First, I will relate Ritzers study to max weber’s theory of rationalization. Second, I will describe the
Growing up with McDonald 's, many watched McDonald 's advertise themselves. A considerable amount of children along with adults have either gone or continue to go to an establishment. Have you ever stopped and wondered the reason why people crave fast food so much? Could it be that the food is deliciously intriguing or could it be that fast food has been drilled into the heads of an abundant amount of people? A mass of people grew up with each advertisement every fast food restaurant released, whether the advertisement was on television, on the radio, or printed? Has the craving for McDonalds has been caused by the physiology that goes behind each advertisement?
Malone, Elizabeth, and George Ritzer. "Globalization Theory: Lessons from the Exportation of McDonaldization and the New Means of Consumption." Amerstud (2008): 97-112. Web. 26 Apr 2011. .
People can eat American fast food in China, India, and Thailand and so on. The most popular of American fast food is McDonald’s. In China, McDonald’s dishes integrate Chinese and Western cuisine, especially in diet structures. To be more specific, the beverage size of McDonald’s is different between the United States and China. A medium sized drink in the U.S is equal the large size in China (Margot Peppers). Then, the McDonald’s of China serves rice and soup as lunch. McDonald’s does not have this diet structure in the United States. The reason why Chinese McDonald’s has this style of food because American fast food has to adapt foreign atmosphere. It has to change the diet structure in order to the requirement of the local ethic group. That is a similar situation when Chinese immigrants open restaurants in the United
The icon that represents fast food culture for most people is McDonald's, though the fast food culture developed long before the creation of that restaurant chain. Schlosser considers the impact of such fast-food chains but also considers the primacy of the hamburger in the American diet and some of the dangers it poses. McDonald?s reliance on hamburger is a questionable item for a steady diet in a more health conscious age, and interferes w...
Food is traditionally considered as a simple means of subsistence but has developed to become filled with cultural, psychological, religious, and emotional significance. Consequently, food is currently used as a means of defining shared identities and symbolizes religious and group customs. In the early 17th and 18th centuries, this mere means of subsistence was considered as a class maker but developed to become a symbol of national identity in the 19th centuries. In the United States, food has been influenced by various cultures such as Native American, Latin America, and Asian cultures. Consequently, Americans have constantly Americanized the foods of different cultures to become American foods. The process on how Americans have Americanized different cultures’ foods and reasons for the Americanization is an important topic of discussion.
The McDonaldization of Society The McDonaldization of society may sound somewhat misleading but the term actually refers to the rationalization of society. The use of the word "McDonaldization" just simply indicates that the fast food restaurant is one of many great examples of rationality. Ritzer discusses five dimensions that characterize rationality or a rationalized society: efficiency, predictability, calculability, the use and preference of non-human technology, and the control over uncertainty. The five characteristics can be noticed in various aspects of society which exemplifies the extent that rationality affects our society and societies worldwide. In this paper I will summarize Ritzer's discussion of these five characteristics and give possible examples of each dimension.
Over the last three decades, fast food has infiltrated every nook and cranny of American society and has become nothing less than a revolutionary force in American life. Fast food has gained a great popularity among different age groups in different parts of the globe, becoming a favorite delicacy of both adults and children.
Hamburgers and Ground Beef Each individual in America has a goal he or she wants to accomplish. Whether it’s to purchase a new car or a huge home, it’s a goal that wants to be reached. However, with the amount of fast food that Americans eat today, they will have a hard time accomplishing these goals because of the obesity or even disease they’ll have from the fast food. One major fast food that we like to eat while on the go is hamburgers. If it’s breakfast we grab a burger, if it’s lunch we grab a burger and even when it’s dinner we grab a burger and might throw in some fire and a huge soda to go with it.
The way in which we choose our foods can stem from events that occur during early childhood. When I lived in Jamaica as a child, I was only fed 'Jamaican style' cuisine. This involved lots of rice with peas, chicken, jerked pork, etc. However, I remember that my parents would take my brothers and I out to restaurants a few times a year as a treat. Our favourite place was a specific Chinese restaurant in a tourist area nearby our house. The food was prepared by Chinese workers and we got to experience what we believed was authentic Chinese cuisine. Another place in which we would enjoy was KFC. KFC represented an exotic 'Other' which allowed us to experience a different kind of social space. According to Finkelstein, this is known as an 'America place'. It is world-famous American food. Food consumption can be a social event where it is done solely for the experience. Interactions in restaurants are conditioned by existing manners and customs. Dining out allows us to act in imitation of others, in accord with images, in responses to fashions, out of habit, without need for thought or self-scrutiny. The result is that the styles of...
American culture is changing dramatically. In some areas it’s a good thing, but in other areas, like our food culture, it can have negative affects. It is almost as if our eating habits are devolving, from a moral and traditional point of view. The great America, the land of the free and brave. The land of great things and being successful, “living the good life.” These attributes highlight some irony, especially in our food culture. Is the American food culture successful? Does it coincide with “good living”? What about fast and processed foods? These industries are flourishing today, making record sales all over the globe. People keep going back for more, time after time. Why? The answer is interestingly simple. Time, or in other words, efficiency. As people are so caught up in their jobs, schooling, sports, or whatever it may be, the fast/processed food industries are rapidly taking over the American food culture, giving people the choice of hot
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. N. pag. Print.
McDonalds also uses diversification in its global marketing. McDonalds recognizes that different countries have different values, customs, and tastes. Therefore, McDonalds satisfies these diverse global tastes by diversifying the menu according to each country’s unique preferences. This added diversification tactic, allows McDonalds to stay competitive in a global market. Examples of McDonalds globally diversified menu would be that McDonalds offers an exclusive beefless menu to its customers who live in India. This is because eating beef in India is sacrilegious. To meet the tastes of customers in India, McDonalds created new offerings such as the “Pizza McPuff” and the “McVeggie.” McDonalds considers the cultural tastes in every country it opens its doors
McDonald’s was the first company to try to export America’s fast food and changes in eating habits to other nations. McDonald’s has over