FrogDonald's

The global marketing of McDonald’s is a sign of the dominance of US capitalism, or at least the attempt to dominate. I do not really think that the presence of a McDonald’s is completely ruining a non-US’s government or way of life. My boyfriend is French and considers McDonald’s his guilty pleasure, in the US or out. It is a late night snack and somewhere he was embarrassed to go with me for the first time because he thought I would think he was bringing me to a cheap, low class, mortifying date. It cracked me up.

He has gotten over this embarrassment, but his eating habits have remained the same. He eats EVERYTHING, except burgers now (Thank God) with a fork and knife. It is an art form I never knew about. He is personally offended if I leave the table before he is finished eating, he never eats alone, EVER, and a meal always lasts over and hour. The idea that going to McDonald’s means that meals should be shorter and unhealthy has not occurred to him. He has not been dominated by the US idea of meals. He still believes they are extremely relationship oriented and would rather be a half-hour late to a class/meeting than leave the table early. If anything, McDonald’s moving to France has confirmed to the French that Americans do not have the right idea about life. The French believe in appreciating red wines, while I suffer to sip a glass down, and having enough vacation time to enjoy life, family, and friends. They think Americans are greedy and to them, placing a McDonald’s among them, just means that Americans are trying to take their money.

The global marketing of McDonald’s has not created a US dominance of capitalism, but rather a disdain for Americans in foreign countries for trying to push our ideas upon them.