We Are One Big McFamily

Talking about balut yesterday, I can't help but wonder: if you can buy balut pretty much in every city in America, there's probably even easier to get American food in the Philippines. Indeed, according to this cool map, there are more than 100 McDonalds, and approximately 50 Starbucks in the Philippines region. Starting from 1995, the number of Starbucks shop worldwide has been skyrocketing to 6,200, with three new stores opening each day. McDonalds, as an even more symbolic cultural icon of America, has 31,000 restaurants in 118 countries all over the world, employing more than 1.5 million people in total. With 4 billions in sales, McDonalds has certainly become a representation of America in other countries' perspectives.

Starbucks and McDonalds' success in other parts of the worlds depends greatly on their adaption to local cultures. Take McDonalds as an excellent example, their menus differ across borders. In India, where beef consumption is considered sinful, McDonalds transitioned its famous Big Mac into Chicken Mahajara Mac. In Germany, beer, instead of Coke, is served as part of the combo; In Hong Kong, rice paddies are used as supposed to buns. Of course, the adaption has not always been successful. After numerous trials and errors, McDonalds is still in the process of adaptation and modification. But as Art Siemering says in his article in The Futurist:

"Globalization is the master trend that will drive the world of food in the years ahead [...] I sense that the cutting edge is moving on to nations whose cuisines are the products of many ethnic influences over the years. And we're discovering these countries simply because we're starting to pay more attention."

Look at the newest addition to the McFamily - Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap: We are not eating more healthily, we are also eating more globally.