| Description |
xvi, 256 pages ; 23 cm |
| Contents |
Introduction: Transnationalism, Localization, and Fast Foods in East Asia / James L. Watson -- 1. McDonald's in Beijing: The Localization of Americana /Yunxiang Yan -- 2. McDonald's in Hong Kong: Consumerism, Dietary Change, and the Rise of a Children's Culture / James L. Watson -- 3. McDonald's in Taipei: Hamburgers, Betel Nuts, and National Identity / David Y. H. Wu -- 4. McDonald's in Seoul: Food Choices, Identity, and Nationalism / Sangmee Bak -- 5. McDonald's in Japan: Changing Manners and Etiquette / Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney -- Afterword: Swallowing Modernity / Sidney W. Mintz |
| Summary |
McDonald's restaurants are found in over 100 countries, serving tens of millions of people each day. What are the cultural implications of this phenomenal success? Does the introduction of American fast food undermine local cuisines, many of them celebrated for centuries? Does it, as some critics fear, presage a homogeneous, global culture? Earlier studies of the fast food industry have emphasized production, focusing on labor or management. This book takes a fresh approach to the industry by concentrating on the perspective of the consumer. It analyzes consumers' reactions to McDonald's in five East Asian cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, and Tokyo. The book argues that McDonald's has largely become divorced from its American roots and become a "local" institution for an entire generation of affluent consumers in Hong Kong, Taipei, and Tokyo. Localization is not, however, a one-way process; the corporation has also had to adapt in order to flourish in new settings. The book demonstrates how consumers, with the cooperation and encouragement of McDonald's management, have transformed their neighborhood restaurants into leisure centers, after-school clubs, and meeting halls. The contributors pay special attention to the effects of these activities on family organization, education, and socialization, and conclude that it is no accident that the fast food boom corresponds to the rise of a child-centered consumer culture in East Asian cities |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-245) and index |
| Subject |
McDonald's Corporation.
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Fast food restaurants -- Social aspects -- East Asia.
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Fast food restaurants -- East Asia.
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| SUBJECT |
Far East http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85040525 -- Social life and customs. http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2001008851
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| Author |
Watson, James L.
|
| LC no. |
97022495 |
| ISBN |
0804732051 (cloth : alk. paper) |
|
0804732078 (paperback: alk. paper) |
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(paper : alk. paper) |
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