Golden Arches East: McDonald's in East Asia, Second EditionJames L. Watson 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? The widely read—and widely acclaimed—Golden Arches East 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, Beijing, Taipei, Seoul, and Tokyo. In the second edition, James L. Watson also covers recent attacks on the fast-food chain as a symbol of American imperialism, and the company's role in the obesity controversy currently raging in the U.S. food industry, bringing the story of East Asian franchises into the twenty-first century. Praise for the First Edition: "Golden Arches East is a fascinating study that explores issues of globalization by focusing on the role of McDonald's in five Asian economies and [concludes] that in many countries McDonald's has been absorbed by local communities and become assimilated, so that it is no longer thought of as a foreign restaurant and in some ways no longer functions as one." —Nicholas Kristof, New York Times Book Review "This is an important book because it shows accurately and with subtlety how transnational culture emerges. It must be read by anyone interested in globalization. It is concise enough to be used for courses in anthropology and Asian studies." —Joseph Bosco, China Journal "The strength of this book is that the contributors contextualize not just the food side of McDonald's, but the social and cultural activity on which this culture is embedded. These are culturally rich stories from the anthropology of everyday life." —Paul Noguchi, Journal of Asian Studies "Here is the rare academic study that belongs in every library."—Library Journal |
Contents
Transnationalism Localization and Fast Foods in East Asia | 1 |
McDonalds in Beijing The Localization of Americana | 39 |
McDonalds in Hong Kong Consumerism Dietary Change and the Rise of a Childrens Culture | 77 |
McDonalds in Taipei Hamburgers Betel Nuts and National Identity | 110 |
McDonalds in Seoul Food Choices Identity and Nationalism | 136 |
McDonalds in Japan Changing Manners and Etiquette | 161 |
McDonalds as Political Target Globalization and Antiglobalization in the TwentyFirst Century | 183 |
Notes | 201 |
| 239 | |
| 247 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ald's American culture Anthropology Asian beef Beijing Beijing McDonald's betel nuts Big Mac burgers Chapter Chicken China Chinese Coca-Cola consumption corporation cuisine culinary customers Den Fujita Donald's East Asia eating at McDonald's economic employees fast food fast food chains fast food industry fast food restaurants feature foreign food fries global Golden Arches hamburgers Hong Kong identity interview Japan Japanese Kentucky Fried Chicken Kong's Korean kuaican Lotteria lunch mainland McDon McDonald's Corp McDonald's food McDonald's hamburgers McDonald's management McDonald's opened McDonald's restaurants meal meat menu modern Mos Burger nese noodles Obesity Ohnuki-Tierney outlets parents perceived percent Pizza political popular culture rice Ronald McDonald SCMPIW Seoul Sept snack social standard Stanford symbol Taipei Taiwan Taiwanese taste taurant tion Tokyo transnational United Univ urban Watson York young youth Yuen Long Yunxiang