Ul Nurkhanov
ENGU 111
Lana Cook
McDonaldization of America and I.
As I scroll through of my short existence, I recall my first experience in the “contact zone” (501) which, Pratt explains in “Arts of the Contact Zone”, as the interaction through which "peoples geographically and historically separated come into contact with each other" (605). My first experience in the “contact zone” (501) took place in McDonald’s restaurant located in the heart of Moscow, Russia. As Pratt discusses about the way the Spanish brought their norms and values to the Incas. McDonalds is metaphorically speaking colonizing countries and forcing them to adopt a new culture.
At first the bright and colorful restaurant seemed odd at the presence of conservative Russian people. Nevertheless the Golden Arches draw a lot of attention among everyone. For the elderly McDonald’s restaurant represented evil American attempt to change the culture. However the popularity of McDonald’s restaurant had a positive outlook among young people like my friends and I. I often would notice McDonald’s restaurants in American movies. Also, this restaurant was single foreign owned business in the country. So, in order to quench our curiosity, my and I decided to go to that familiar restaurant that we saw at the movies. As we walked into the restaurant, we were amazed by the decorations and a clown who greeted us in front of the door; it made me feel like it was my birthday. Also, the variety of the menu, I thought, represented freedom which is a core value of an American culture. Yet, service was outstanding which was really unusual because state run Russian businesses did not really care about customers. Undeniably presence of McDonald’s restaurant in Russia would affect our culture. In fact McDonalds has been affecting many other cultures including the US. Well my first experience with McDonald’s restaurant was just a beginning of my journey of learning about American culture.
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