Having examined the respective worlds of beer and fast food globalization, it becomes clear that companies have not exactly been able to control their global expansion. Instead, consumer desires and interests have influenced the manner in which these two fields have grown. With the growth of beer sales, consumers have dictated popular styles rather than the producers. In terms … [Read more...]
Facility of Expansion in McDonald’s vs. Subway
Fast food restaurant chains are essentially modeled on facility of expansion; the concept of franchising has expanded hundreds of restaurant chains worldwide as corporations have made expansion as simple and cheap as possible. However, a hierarchy of facility still remains, and Subway's stance as the largest chain in the world places it staunchly at the top of the list of … [Read more...]
Cultural Imperialism: McDonald’s vs. Subway
Jose Bove has long been known as a staunch opponent of globalization as it currently exists. A very vocal and very active politician, Bove has had a long series of stunts, plots and rallies in which he counters what he views as the Americanization of the world. One particular demonstration of Bove's stands out as especially iconic; in 1999, in the small French town of Millau, … [Read more...]
Nutrition and Fast Food Globalization
Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me found worldwide success as an intriguing case study in the nutrition, variation and utter overload of the McDonald's menu. Spending thirty days eating only McDonald's food, checking every menu item off of his list, and being unable to say no when asked if he would like to "Super Size" his meal, Spurlock showed--with regular … [Read more...]
Global People: Chinese-American Restaurants, Hybridity, and Assimilation
In such a globalized world, unique cultures have spread far and wide across our planet. In particular, communities of Chinese immigrants have appeared in many non-Asian countries, most notably in the United States. Of course, when displaced from their homeland, immigrants are often left to search for tradition and identity, both in relation to their ancestry as well as their … [Read more...]