Food of the Culture or of the Common?

I recently wrote an editorial for my english class on the Globalization of Food. This topic is one that interests me a great deal.

When was the last time you weren’t in a rush? You didn’t have to time make dinner, so you just went to McDonalds or Burger King? When was the last time you ate a home-cooked meal, not just from your home but also your homeland? These days our world is obsessed with fast food, because it taste good, it is very cheap and fast. This trend had become the global norm, the life of living in the express lane and rushing into devouring our food faster than we bought it.

The Western world is partly to blame for this globalization of food. They are the founders of McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Burger King and KFC, whom are all international companies. These companies certainly do not bring any culture to the table; all they bring is grease and salt. The cultural globalization of our world has eaten away at food, because food is one of the oldest parts of one’s culture. The world’s society has become a money-driven society and these companies globalize their company each day and make their food the food of common and not of culture.

What ever happened to cooking at home and eating what we find from local shops? After traveling a lot, we see that there are fast-food restaurants everywhere, from India to Tunisia. Their ads flood the media, like McDonalds taking home to over 119 countries worldwide. When traveling you would like to eat the food of that country to try their culture, what happens when all you can find is food from America? What about an American style hamburger in Tunisia? Our world has turned to the quick, convenient and button-pusher meals, but are we really satisfied? Globalization has brought on the time saving factor, the ready-to-eat meals do not always have the same aroma that a cultural meal does, we are missing out on the diverse taste of cultural food.

Some find it disgusting that our world has forgotten where they have come from and what they used to eat. Some just eat anything they can find. Countries like Barbados, Bhutan, Argentina and Cambodia are opposing the fast food trend, but there are not many. Some of the developing nations desire this rush, therefore they too are participants of the fast food fanatics; on the opening day of the first McDonalds in Kuwait, and the drive-thru line was longer than 10km long. Developing countries are running into the line of the rushed lifestyle, but what does this give you? An unhealthy diet, thousands of obese civilians and empty pockets.

In the end, fast food restaurants have flooded our world and greased our hands. This trend has taken away the remarkably distinct cultures from around the world and traded them in for the food of the common. Next time you have the desire to gobble down your meal, take some time and create a wonderful meal and an extraordinary aroma.

The End.