McDonald's in Hong Kong, by James Watson

1552 Words4 Pages

James Watson’s McDonald’s in Hong Kong is a textbook example of globalization. According to Webster’s dictionary, globalization is defined as “worldwide integration and development”. In McDonald’s in Hong Kong, Watson discusses a well-known and successful American fast food chain migrating over seas and embedding itself in the Hong Kong culture. Although Hong Kong was already recognized as an extremely transnational civilization, there were worries that the country would lose cultural identity. The fears were that Hong Kong would become more Americanized and lessen their ties to the Cantonese ways.
Watson proves that the uncertainties of if Hong Kong would be able to stand true to their heritage is nothing to worry about. He states that the people of Hong Kong “have most assuredly not been stripped of their cultural heritage”. In fact, Watson explains that Hong Kong is not being taken over by the American way, but is simply embracing their already heterogeneous culture. Through his discussions on the changing views of the food, dining customs, and traditions we learn that McDonald’s was forced to adapt to the culture of Hong Kong just as much as the people of Hong Kong needed to expand their familiarities to accept McDonalds.
One of the most influential concepts that Watson brings up is that “transnational is the local”. Through this argument Watson proposes that the local environment is a culturally diverse concoction of multiple nations. In the case of Hong Kong, McDonalds is not the only American fad that they are familiar with. People, especially the younger generations are culturally versed on cuisine from all over the world. They have knowledge of multiple nation’s music, fashion, entertainment, and customs. There is no ...

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...onald McDonald. The translation of his name in Cantonese means “Uncle McDonald” which associates him to a member of the family. He was the most well known cartoon in the country. Ronald McDonald was definitely a well known figure of McDonald’s, but I never experienced the admiration for him that the children of Hong Kong seem to exhibit.
The final paragraph of Watson’s chapter, he asks “where does the transnational end and the local being?” This opened my eyes to further examine my own environment to see what is specifically from my culture and what I have adopted from other nations. The majority of nations can be viewed as a melting pot. We are all a mixture of different aspects of cultures to create a growing and changing culture.

Works Cited

The Globalization Reader. 2011. Fourth Edition. Frank J. Lechner and John Boli, eds. Malden MA: Blackwell Publishing.

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